Fun Friday: Friends Quotes by a Kid

I never thought I'd be taken with Friends. I've said before that I only saw two episodes live during the original run, and I just didn't "get it." I later watched the entire series because my husband had become a fan, and found it to be a good show. However, I don't re-watch it in any way... not late at night, not as background noise, not to catch more continuity issues (there are many). But, I know lots of people who watch it all the time, and I even went to a Friends-themed party last year. All of that said, I think the series has many memorable moments, and somebody has captured their preschooler reciting some of those imprinted lines. Take a look at 20 of them...

My favorite was "Look at me, I'm Chandler. Could I be wearing any more clothes?" because that was such a funny scene!

"That is brand new information," "paper... snow... a ghost!" and "he's her lobster" were also particularly adorable. Were there any that you particularly loved?

Hot in Cleveland: More and More Outrageous

Elka is in office, and it doesn't take long before there are multiple issues stemming from it. While the mob situation didn't really surprise me (given what we know of Elka's history), I was a bit shocked that Melanie thought she could get out of a ticket by pretending to be the newly-elected councilperson. I'm sure that a nonagenarian running for office made the local news more than once. Also, quite frankly, I'm willing to bet that a policeman would likely recognize the council people more than the average citizen, and Melanie isn't Victoria, so she should have thought of that. On a different topic, the annual birthday set-up dinner remained amusing, albeit more eyeroll-inducing than ever. And, on a final note, I like the way Melanie's mom thinks! ;)

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Hot in Cleveland "Win Win" (S05E22): Elka can't go to the Oscars with Victoria because they're the same night as her local election, so Joy will accompany Victoria, having won the coin toss with Melanie. [I don't like coin tosses, but at least it wasn't a cut-throat run-off!] But, Victoria has a tough time pretending to be happy if someone else wins, so after she learns that she also has the same gown as Charlize Theron, she decides to stay home in bed and just have a live feed show her if she wins. [it wouldn't show her just being nominated?] But, she gets stung by a bee on her face, then her hair gets caught on fire, and she spills wine on herself. To become presentable, she winds up with a large drawn-on mole, a turban, and a backwards jacket, looking like a straightjacket. Helen Mirren and Victoria both win, Joy pulls off her nurse's outfit to reveal her gown on camera, but there's a nip-slip. [ugh. seriously?!?]

Melanie's had some major photoshopping done on a new ad campaign for her radio show, so she decides to lose some weight to look a little more like the poster. But, her mother shows up, and Melanie begins to feel bad about herself.

Elka has taken to lying to the locals and paying off voters, then causes a huge traffic jam to prevent a whole demographic from reaching the polls. She wins the highly contested race, but has to fire Mamie Sue in the process, though the two make up in the end. [this takes me back to 2008...]

Hot in Cleveland "Don Elka" (S05E23): Elka is getting the royal treatment at the bar, much to Joy's chagrin. However, when Melanie tries to get out of a traffic ticket by using Elka's name, things go amiss. [nothing funny really materialized in this storyline.]

Simon has flown to Cleveland to see Joy, who was planning to break up with him. He gets the scoop when Joy heads to confession and he takes the priest's spot. [ha!] Then, he masquerades as a masseuse to showcase how he used to make her feel. [awkward.] The final step is dressing as a Scottish nanny to lead Joy to think that it would be nice to keep the original family together. [that's so odd!] Simon almost blows it when his breasts are made of popcorn and birdseed, as he gets close enough to the oven that the corn begins popping. [this should have been funny, but it was a bit too much at that point.] 

Victoria's Oscar is supposed to arrive, but she gets a Buddha statue in the mail instead. [and this isn't resolved?? we all know she'd be on the phone like a madwoman...]

Hot in Cleveland "The Bachelors" (S05E24) [Season Finale]: It's the girls' annual birthday celebration, and they have desired dates with whom to be set-up by the others. Elka wants a long-ago Polish beau, Stan, who is now a woman named Olga. Victoria wants a male model from Cleveland magazine who turns out to be growing a nose on his forehead for his brother. [WHOA.] And, doing good has convinced him to grow an ear for someone as well!
Melanie wants a caller who is a rocket scientist, but he brings along his sex surrogate, with whom he's obsessed. 

This leaves Joy with Mitch, who plans to propose but gets scooped by Simon. [so Phoebe on Friends!] Bob then shows up to propose, but they've never even dated. The guys wind up physically fighting over her, and Joy gets knocked out in the scuffle. At the hospital, Elka sees Max, visiting from Florida. [and THAT'S where we're leaving off?? Huge cliffhanger!!] 

Hot in Cleveland: Switching Characters

In the 90s, there were serial daters with their own shows. Cheers had Sam, Friends had Joey, Frasier and Seinfeld had their title characters... it was a thing. It brought fresh faces to the sitcoms for a stretch of episodes, and then they were replaced with new ones. Hot in Cleveland has had that, too, but it's getting extreme as well as boring. Revolving boyfriends, extended family members, coworkers, and even neighbors have been appearing on this comedy, and as soon as a viewer might start laughing at someone, they're out the door. As soon as one of the four ladies might start growing because of someone they're frequently with, that process gets shut down. There's something to be said for sticking with the initial premise of a show, but there's also meat behind the idea that change is good.

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Hot in Cleveland "The Italian Job" (S05E20): Melanie gets a new co-host, Frankie, as the show is now designed to have a lot of conflicting viewpoints. [I'm crinkling my nose here.] When she manages to get him dumped by his girlfriend, he decides to stay at the girls' place and offer his advice to them... and they prefer it over Melanie's! [meh. not the most realistic thing ever, and I think Melanie's constantly changing jobs is one of the more sporadic things about this series!]

J.J. wants Victoria to meet his grown children, Jessica, James, and Lisa. Victoria tries her best, but manages to upset each, and then when she reminds J.J. too much of his ex-wife, they decide to take some time apart. [well, that was a quick relationship! It was kinda destined to fail from the start, though.]

Also, Joy and Elka both fail an oral exam, but decide to listen to Frankie and suggestively blackmail the teacher into passing them. It works.

Switched at Birth: Togetherness

"When my kids are in trouble, I want them to come to me." Kathryn says this to Regina as a metaphor that it's okay to pray even when you're coming to God for a favor. To date, the Kennishes have not been seen as very religious, though they used to frequent a church, where Toby belonged to the youth group. Still, there's nothing like a "life or death" situation to cause someone to fall to their knees before the Lord. Sadly, that's not always enough, and not every prayer is answered. However, it was still nice to see Kathryn reminding Regina that they are parents above all else, much like Lena showed Brandon on a recent The Fosters. The programming on ABC Family may sometimes fall short of the channel's title, but when family is put at the center of the series (like I'm predicting will be the case with the upcoming episodes of Switched at Birth), it reminds viewers why they tune in.

Switched at Birth "And We Bring the Light" (S03E15): Daphne can't find her SAT study book, and with the test the next day, Angelo takes her to the clinic in case she left it there, but when they can't locate it, Angelo takes her to his new restaurant, where they bake lemon cakes together to christen the place. [there's no way I would've been able to relax like that the night before the SAT!] They have a lovely time and plan to take a trip to France the following summer. Daphne even manages to recreate the delicacy, but they don't have a record of which recipe it is. [haha, Friends' Nestle Tollhouse flashback.]

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Then, Daphne finds a foreclosure notice in the trash when Angelo is on the phone, and he admits that his partner was in over her head and everything fell apart. [awww! boo.] After that, they head to the shoppe, as Daphne realizes that's where her book is...

Wes teaches Regina how to shoot, and she has decided to keep a permitted gun at the office, just in case. He invites her along for a business dinner, but when Chip Coto is there, she isn't comfortable with the kickback construction company scheme he suggests. At first, Wes wants to move ahead anyway, but he decides to stick with his usual company, even if it means it will be a slower process, because he didn't want to lose Regina's respect. [that seems like an awfully big step for Wes!] When he drops her off at her car at the office, she notices graffiti on the building, loads her gun, and goes inside to get stuff to clean it. [what the hell??!?? alone? she can't call Wes? or wait til morning??] This is when Daphne arrives, looking for her book, and is nearly shot by Regina, thinking she's an intruder! [dang! hopefully this changes some things, right??] Regina and Angelo fight, and he storms off. 

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Kansas City, Toby is home from Iceland, and has great pictures to share. He asks John to fire him so he can go on unemployment and try his hand at being a club DJ. [please tell me I'm not the only one completely dumbfounded by this idea?!?] He's immediately immersed in Kennish drama, however, when he tries to life Bay's spirits when she learns she didn't get accepted by Pratt. [darn. remember that the whole reason she joined the field hockey team was to diversify her art school application?] They plot some street art, and Kathryn joins in. [whoa. who saw that coming??!?] However, they blow their power source and get caught by security, though Kathryn convinces the guard that she's an agent for deaf Icelandic twins installing a piece. She also calls John to ask him to bring a generator so they can light it up after all, and Bay admits that she feels like a failure. John then lets the kids take his Porsche to get ice cream sundaes. [dang. the privilege they have truly shows in this moment... Bay didn't apply to tons of colleges, so her future is in severe jeopardy, but her parents just clean up her mess and let her have dessert.]

The final moment: Kathryn gets a call in the middle of the night - Angelo has been in an accident.

Switched at Birth "The Image Disappears" (S03E16): Angelo has a serious brain injury from a car accident where he ran off the road and struck a tree. [they're told they can visit "two at a time" but Bay, Regina, and Daphne all go in immediately? rolling my eyes over here!] Regina convinces Daphne to take her SAT, but when Angelo's brain bleed gets worse, Toby texts Daphne and she takes off for the hospital. [I don't understand why the proctor allowed the phone to vibrate and bother other students during the test??]

In an attempt to make a difference, Bay donates blood, and during the process dreams of giving birth to twins, with nobody around but Angelo to coach her through delivery. [what a random dream! also, striking that she calls him "Dad" instead of "Angelo."] Unfortunately, it makes no difference, as the family soon learns that Angelo is brain-dead. [it was interesting to see Daphne learn of his status first because she could lip-read.] Quite a few of Angelo's organs are eligible for donation, but the family wants to exhaust all other options. [which seems fair.]

John tries to get other opinions, feeling guilty that maybe Angelo committed suicide over the restaurant going under after he wouldn't loan the guy money. Bay and Emmett go to Angelo's apartment to try finding a number to reach his French mother, but come across Angelo's will in the process, and learn that he doesn't want to be kept alive with machines if he won't recover. [it was odd that nobody expected him to have a will. should I take it none of the other adults on this show do?] This is tough for everyone to accept, but they move forward with pulling the plug and donating the organs after Bay calls her grandmother and lets her say her goodbyes. [waiting until that point to learn that it was all triggered by a ruptured brain aneurysm made me angry.] Daphne, particularly upset that she won't have Angelo to walk her down the aisle when she gets married, blames Regina, as she may have been the one to anger Angelo so much that his blood pressure rose enough to rupture the pre-existing condition.

2014-2015 Season: FOX Comedy

With the era of Animation Domination behind us, FOX comedy has some work to do. I kinda feel like this will be an unproductive "building year," though. They had six new comedies up last year, though one (Us and Them) has yet to premiere, so four this year seems a bit light, especially when one is animated and one has a sole character to entertain the masses. And, with only Brooklyn Nine-Nine making it from last year's crop, FOX might be hoping that they have a hit or two this time around. Of course, only starting off one of the options in the fall is an interesting choice, and it's not the only one I'm going to back, at least for now. 

Red titles I'm not interested in. Green titles I'm going to try out. "Who" covers actors, writers, creators, etc. "Where" covers the location of the series. "What" describes the basics of the premise.

First, the fall premiere:

Mulaney
Who? John Mulaney (Saturday Night Live) Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live), Elliot Gould (Reuben in the Ocean's films, among a million other things), Martin Short
Where? not sure, probably Los Angeles.
What? A 29-year-old is trying to make it as a stand-up comedian.
My Thoughts: Another semi-autobiographical series, NBC turned it down, and I don't need to watch people trying to make it in life and not succeeding. It's the bad part of Friends all over again.

Now, the mid-season guys:  

Weird Loners
Who? Becki Newton (Quinn on How I Met Your Mother and Chloe on last year's The Goodwin Games), Nate Torrence (Wade on Hello Ladies), Zachary Knighton (Dave on Happy Endings)
Where? Contemporary Queens
What? Four thirtysomething outsiders are thrown together.
My Thoughts: This is a show that I initially thought was garbage, but the more I think about it, I'm willing to give it a chance... I mean, in this day and age, commonality doesn't make friends, so why not?

The Last Man on Earth
Who? Will Forte is the creator and actor. You may know him from Saturday Night Live, or 20 Rock.
Where? North America, 2022. Perhaps there will be an emphasis on Oregon.
What? A former banker wanders the country in an RV, looking for any other survivors from an unknown event that seems to have wiped out everyone else in civilization.
My Thoughts: I am a bit surprised that FOX is going to hedge a bet on such an idea, with only one character and all. There have also been a great deal of post-apocalyptic movies and television shows in the past few years, so I'm not seeing this one as worth my time.

Bordertown
Who? As this is animated, voices include Alex Borstein (Lois on Family Guy) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro on Napoleon Dynamite) Seth MacFarlane is the creator.
Where? a border town in Texas.
What? A border patrol agent and his family live next door to a successful immigrant and his family.
My Thoughts: Meh. It doesn't sound particularly interesting, and I feel like it's pretty similar to American Dad!, what with a conservative hating immigrants making it in America and all. I'm also not a Seth MacFarlane person, so no. 

Season Finale: Big Bang: Changes

I'm gonna go ahead and say it... I don't know how this series will play out for three more seasons. I don't feel like the situations the characters come into are as "everyman" as Friends or Seinfeld, but there's no big gimmick to be revealed like on How I Met Your Mother, either. The close dynamic of Frasier and Happy Days isn't there, and it's not "workplace" enough to work like Cheers or M*A*S*H. But, Two and a Half Men manages to keep finding things to write about, so I suppose there's still humor to be found. One thing is for sure, though... they better find a way to write-in a multiple-part episode with the guys ACTUALLY AT COMIC-CON!

The Big Bang Theory "The Status Quo Combustion" (S07E24): Leonard and Penny share their proposal news with their friends, then their parents, but Leonard's mother already knew, courtesy of Sheldon. [ugh.] Leonard talks to Sheldon about not living together anymore, so he rants to Amy, who suggests that they live together. [basing the wedding on Penny's brother's schedule, it will be 12-18 months from now... good to know.]

Sheldon finds out that he can't change his field of study at the University, as he was hired to do String Theory. He appeals to the faculty senate, but things just start turning sour in every area of his life... and after the comic book store burns down, he heads to the train station, with the intent to ride the rails. [seriously?]

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Amy is pissed that Leonard and Penny let Sheldon leave. [understandably.]

Howard's mom has gone through multiple nurses, and when Penny can't handle the job (at carte blanche), Howard and Bernadette worry that they may end up stuck caring for her... until they realize that Stuart is happy to be Debbie's caretaker, and they take to each other well. [did we previously know Howard's mom's name?]

In other news, Raj has sex with Emily.

Big Bang: Deeper Feelings

With Friends off the air for about ten years now, and How I Met Your Mother also kaput, the big question is whether The Big Bang Theory is going to fill the void. Some people think it's an obvious choice, with characters who live in close proximity to one another and spend seemingly every day together. But, the series is not as Everyman as the older comedies; University scientists are much more difficult to relate to than teachers, businessmen, and lawyers. And, Pasadena is certainly not New York... not that you'd know that's where TBBT takes place, as the program rarely leaves its standard sets. The humor and situations are also a far cry from those in the more "classic" sitcoms. But, at the same time, Big Bang utilizes more popular culture references and jokes, and focuses more on single situations than ongoing arcs, at least to a certain degree. Do you think that the characters illustrating how deep their feelings go for one another helps this point?

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The Big Bang Theory "The Proton Transmogrification" (S07E22): Arthur Jefferies (Professor Proton, last seen earlier this season) dies, and the funeral coincides with Star Wars Day, so only Leonard and Penny attend the event, where they get pretty weepy. They start talking about not wanting to have regrets, and Penny winds up proposing to Leonard to tie-up the score. [WHAAAAT??!?] He doesn't turn her down right away, which annoys her. [The longer this couple lasts, the less likely I see an actual marriage in their future... which may be problematic, considering the series is going another three seasons at least!]
Sheldon gets upset when Raj and Howard suggest skipping Episode 1 in their Star Wars movie marathon, and he goes to his room while the others enjoy the "holiday." Sheldon falls asleep and Arthur appears to him, telling him to appreciate people who mean something to him, and Sheldon starts by hugging Leonard. [awww!] 

In a teeny-tiny subplot, Bernadette tells Amy that she went into science because she was the smallest kid in school and wanted to grow taller. Amy just looked up what "whoring" was and took it from there. [interesting shift to neurobiology after that!] 

NEW SHOW: Friends with Better Lives

When Friends with Better Lives was announced, I was pretty excited. I often think about what it would be like to live in the cities of friends, or have children like other friends, or focus on the careers of yet other friends. As more details about the comedy were released, it became apparent that the show yearns to be the next Friends (which is already problematic because in the Guide, it reads the same as the iconic 90s series) or How I Met Your Mother (as evidenced by piggybacking onto the series finale), but maybe I couldn't relate to the issues after all. The main circle of friends seems to contain a married couple with an infant, a divorcee, a freshly-engaged peppy girl, and the female version of Barney/Joey who isn't looking for something deeper. As with many new shows, the pilot was spent setting up the relationships between the characters, something which appears to be particularly integral in this program. I wasn't a big fan of the jokes, but I'll give it a few episodes to prove its worth. Did you try it out?

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Friends with Better Lives "Pilot" (S01E01): Will has been staying with fellow OBGYN Bobby and his wife, Andi, for six weeks, after his wife, Val, slept with their couples' therapist. He goes for midnight bike rides by his old house and ends up being served with divorce papers by the end of the episode. [like Ross's marriage ending on the pilot for Friends.]

Bobby and Andi have been married for seven years and are in a bit of a rut... they are so accustomed to being tired after caring for son Charlie that they don't do much besides watch Homeland, so when they hear about how often their friend, Jules, and the new man in her life, Lowell, are sexually active, they decide to spice things up. [did Marshall and Lily go through something similar at the beginning of How I Met Your Mother?] But, when they mutually forget their anniversary, Andi winds up making a fool out of herself by preparing to orally pleasure Bobby during a surprise party. [how awkward!]

Speaking of Jules, though, it is unclear if her engagement will last, as she has only known Buddhist vegetarian Lowell for six weeks.

On the other end of the spectrum is Kate, who attempts to look for a nice guy after dating tons of losers, only to admit that she really is superficial and not looking for much more than that. [again, Barney to a "T."]

Trophy Wife: Kate Plans Bert's Birthday

I enjoyed this episode, but I might have been partial because my bridal shower had an Aladdin theme. And, although I understand Pete's reasoning behind granting Bert any type of birthday party he desires, I think the result might have been a bit too Outrageous Kid Parties. The giant pillows in the living room were fine, the costumes were great, the cake was very cool, and I could handle the pony. But the huge dance performance? That was a bit much.

ABC/Eric McCandless

Especially when you consider that all Bert actually wanted was some Neapolitan ice cream. I'm also going to nitpick that Kate should have stuck with the book theme over movie, just because it was reading that earned Bert this privilege in the first place. Plus, how believable is it that his favorite move is 20 years old??

Trophy Wife "Happy Bert Day" (S01E15): Kate is being shut-out of the soccer moms group, so when there's an opportunity to plan a big birthday party for Bert, she uses it to impress the moms. [haha at Jackie pretending that she was at the whole soccer game!] However, they think she's a former stripper because of a rumor Jackie started. The truth comes out and Kate is accepted, but when the moms just want to bad-mouth Jackie, Kate asks them to leave. Hillary is crushing on a backup dancer at the party, but when he has interests in common with Warren, he tries to steal him as a friend. [and, Chris Harrison, seriously?]

When Pete and Diane go to the bakery to exchange an erotic cake, Diane pulls an illegal turn on the way home to avoid traffic. [hello, the same thing happened on Friends!] When she's pulled over, she pretends that Pete is having a heart attack, and they get away with it. However, the cake falls to the ground when Diane runs into the glass door, so it's ruined anyway. [that would have made me SO ANGRY! I went through so much trouble and missed the party for nothing?!?]

The Exes: Is Nicki Replacing Holly?

I thought that Eden getting a larger role in the show was a positive. I didn't think that the comedy needed ANOTHER new character, but I was willing to give Nicki a shot. The absence of Holly lately, however, really tips the scales and makes the show less enjoyable. If Holly and Nicki can't both enjoy screentime (or we ditch the newbie), I may have to reconsider my commitment to this show... which is sad because they just renewed it for another season. Another downside to Nicki's presence is that Stuart has also been neglected lately, in both quantity of storylines and the quality of them. Two episodes left in this season, however, so we'll see what happens!

The Exes "Starting Over" (S03E15): Phil had a one-night stand with a woman named Carol, but winds up repeatedly hanging out with the woman due to a series of unfortunate events. [kinda funny!] He even gets stuck talking to her dying grandmother and promising to take care of Carol and her son, Austin. Fortunately, this scares off Carol so he's off the hook. [while that worked, the wrap-up was not the greatest.]

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Nicki is staying with Stuart and the guys as she gets back on her feet. [as much as I like Leah Remini, I'm not hugely loving her on this series.] Stuart's receptionist is put on bedrest, so Phil suggests he ask Nicki to fill in, though the siblings never worked well together growing up. Problems soon arise when she bears cleavage at work, doesn't want to listen to how he does things, gets t-shirts made, has Stuart's face plastered onto a bus, and puts up a Groupon deal, all in one morning. [yeah, I'd hate her, too.] Stuart winds up with an asthma attack, and it doesn't look like they'll be able to work together for long. [haha, "Coney Island Baby" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy."]

The new bartender downstairs invites Eden and Haskell to a play he's in: Twelve Angry Men, played in the nude. It's not a pretty sight, so Eden and Haskell decide to get him out of the bar and out of NYC. [seriously??] Haskell talks him into going for his dream, hoping to get Nicki his job and apartment, but winds up losing the opportunity to save her, as the bartender winds up breaking the news. On the bright side, Nicki is off Stuart's couch AND out of his office!

The Exes "Friends Without Benefits" (S03E16): Eden tells Haskell to go for Nicki, but he keeps chickening out, then pretends a "Pete" likes her. [Remember when Niles pretended he liked "Phyllis" on Frasier?] Haskell winds up setting up Nicki with "Pete," and is hoping to swoop in and comfort her when she's "stood up." [remember Chandler doing this on Friends?] But, when an old pal of Haskell's, Pete, just happens to show up, the guy extorts Haskell because he likes Nicki, though he leaves when offered $78. [random!] Haskell tries to salvage Nicki's evening, but she feels blown off. He tries hard to tell her that he's into her, but she thinks they're talking in hypotheticals. [awwww. :(]

Stuart runs into an old neighbor and learns that Lorna has sold the house without letting him know. [that is rough.] When she won't even let him say goodbye to the house, Phil suggests he break in. [ha! Lorna changed the alarm code from their wedding date to the day she kicked Stuart out of the house!] Stuart spends a lot of time there, and he and Phil get trapped in a closet when Lorna shows up to be intimate there one last time. [gross! Phil constantly being paranoid about getting arrested after thinking his jaywalking ticket was racial profiling was funny, too.] 

The Exes "Nun Like it Hot" (S03E17): Nicki's old friend, Vanessa, is becoming a nun, but sleeps with Phil. It throws her for a loop, but after a period of doubt, she decides to go through with her vows. Nicki realizes it was Phil who caused this crisis for her friend, so she makes him admit to everyone in the bar that he's a dog. [I didn't really buy into this storyline.] 

Holly slips on bath beads in the tub and is injured, so Eden and Haskell get stuck waiting on her hand and foot. They fight over having to perform menial tasks for the woman, and eventually decide to put sleeping pills in her pudding. [holy cow! seriously not a bad idea, though.] But, when Holly won't chow down, Haskell ends up eating a little by accident, and Eden gobbles some too just to get out of working for Holly. [okay this was ten kinds of messed up!]

The Exes "When Haskell Met Sammy" (S03E18): Holly meets a pilot whose brother hits on Haskell. The four double-date the following evening, and Holly keeps the truth from her friend, though he eventually figures it out. [of course.] Unfortunately, he still likes the attention, so he rolls with it for a couple more days... until he winds up being able to play the victim when the guy decides to get back with his boyfriend! [I thought this was pretty funny. if nothing else, it was original!]  

Phil's old high school coach dies, and he's asked to speak at the funeral... only he hates funerals. [I feel like Stuart was written a bit out-of-character for the sake of the laughs here... no a fan.] Stuart convinces him to go, but Phil thinks that he needs some Valium to handle the experience... only he takes Viagra instead! [really? you thought "V" was enough of a label??] Stuart has to deliver the eulogy, but when it's obviously written by a black man, Phil is forced to get up and hold flowers in front of himself to speak... though of course he winds up revealing his "situation." [we al knew he would, though, so it wasn't very amusing.] 

Nicki wants to party with Eden, and they wake up the next morning in sailors' clothes. Turns out, they didn't have a wild night, they were soaking wet outside South Pacific, and the costume mistress lent them some costumes! [does anyone believe this could have occurred??]

Big Bang: Penny's Acting, Raj's Dating, Amy's Conflict

Here and there, I walk about how comedies use 1, 2, and 3 plotlines in episodes to best utilize all of the characters. This series is having issues with the three-arc idea... and it's not the first time this season. Of course, it's also worked well for them in the past, but the past two episodes look like they've been stuffed with some garbage to add a third story into the time allotted, and that's not good. Hopefully it's not part of a larger pattern, though it is nice not to have Sheldon the center of attention constantly. Maybe I'm nit-picking, but as much as I love the characters and the energy of this show, I'm going to need the format to get cleaner pretty quickly. Am I alone in this? Does everyone else just love this series so much they don't care?  

The Big Bang Theory "The Hesitation Ramification" (S07E12): Amy gets frustrated when all of the guys are reading their phones during dinner, but Penny rushes in, saying she landed a scene on NCIS with Mark Harmon. [so... she auditioned, was cast, and did the scene all in the same day? and then the episode is to air the following week? sorry, Charlie, people know that's just not how things work!] The group is excited for her, and everyone plans to watch the episode together... only to find out that the scene was cut. [awwwww! like Joey on that Friends episode! also, I really liked Sheldon being upset he missed the first 245 episodes of NCIS.] Penny is devastated, and Leonard fails at consoling her when he says that he doesn't think she'll make it big as an actor. [just like Chandler told Joey!] He later tries to take it all back and help her audition for a part in the new Star Wars movie. [haha, I love that he thought that was helpful!] He is working on apologizing further when a drunk Penny comes over and proposes... leaving Leonard speechless. His pause bothers her and she storms out. Later, Leonard is up late thinking when Sheldon attempts to console him, though Leonard isn't sure if he and Penny have any future together now. [awwwww.]

Raj is upset that using his dog isn't helping him meet women, so Howard tells him to practice talking to "regular" girls and build his way up to "pretty" girls. Raj and Stuart head to the mall to do so, but only wind up talking to a security guard. [ugh, Bernadette's fake laugh at the restaurant!]

Additionally, Sheldon wants to be funny, so he starts trying to figure out the science behind it. [How is "ointment" funny?]

The Big Bang Theory "The Occupation Recalibration" (S07E13): Sheldon is being forced to use his vacation days, so Amy has lunch with Howard and Raj. They meet Bert, a geologist who has a crush on Amy and brings her rocks. [that is so cute.] She decides to make it clear that she has a boyfriend, but she winds up agreeing to go to a rock and mineral show with him anyway. [...because Sheldon would be jealous?? haha.] She asks Howard and Raj how to let him down, and they do it for her by telling him that she's a lesbian... and then they go to the show with him instead.

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Penny is upset that her career is going nowhere, so she quits the Cheesecake Factory to focus all of her efforts on acting. Leonard says all the wrong things, and Penny asks Sheldon if she's making the wrong decision. [haha, forgetting Sheldon's order one last time!] Sheldon tells her that he became a physicist in the face of adversity, and then they do yoga together. [yep, RANDOM!]

Bernadette accidentally destroys one of Howard's comic books, so she goes to Stuart's shop to replace it, only it's a rare edition he doesn't carry. He tracks down an issue for her after she offers him prescription drugs to speed up the process. [I truly get how pathetic Stuart is supposed to be, but that was just sad.] The owner of the store that carries the book is mean to Stuart, so Bernadette storms out, only to return later when she is alone. [reminded me of the time Niles stood by Martin's side at the cheese shop, only to whisper his order at the end.]