Partners: Wyatt Comes to Work for Joe and Louis

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This was okay. Just okay. Nothing special. Nothing memorable. A few funny moments here and there. But, overall, I'm not sure that this was a good move for the series. It's already on pins and needles by a lot of ratings standards, so a blase episode where nothing happens and is entirely self-contained (as Ro-Ro should be back soon) probably has nothing to make viewers keep coming. I'm starting to lose my flair for the comedy as well... it just seems like it's trying too hard.

Partners "Temporary Insanity" (S01E06): Ro-Ro is on vacation for two weeks, so the guys have to hire a temporary secretary. [are we ever going to get a more formal name for that character? between her and Rocky over at The New Normal, assistants are just a little janky this season...] Ro-Ro is a pretty bad secretary as it is, so replacing her shouldn't be too difficult. Louis thinks that Wyatt should be the temp, as the nurses are on strike right now. Joe disagrees, but Louis hires his boyfriend anyway. [of course he does.] Wyatt is great, organizing phone messages, cleaning the desks, and ordering lunch for the guys. Louis starts regretting it, though, when Wyatt is bossy about what Louis can eat for lunch and blocks pages on his computer. [haha!] But, Wyatt makes little people for the architects' model, so Joe is happy about the situation. Of course, Louis still manages to force Joe into firing Wyatt. [I love it and I hate it.] That night at home, Wyatt is sad that he and Louis can't spend the entire day together anymore, so Louis tells Wyatt the truth and apologizes, and Wyatt returns.

Darren Michaels/Warner Bros

In other news, Nate and Jordy have moved into the building and have a potluck lunch to get to know the others. [I like those guys and am glad that they might recur, but that stinginess factor ain't working for me.] Elsewhere, Ali is planning a party for her launch, and though Louis hired a cater/waiter from their gym class, the guy managed to break both of his hands. So, Joe outsources Louis to Ali for the trouble he caused at the office.

Partners: The Guys have a New Project

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

When I saw the title of this episode, I was really curious to see how this show was going to spoof 2 Broke Girls. Alas, that's not really what happened. It was probably just an attempt to draw in some viewers, as this is far from CBS' best new show of the season. Up until this point, I've been a fan of this show, but I'm starting to wonder where it's going... I don't need everything I watch on television to be plot-driven, but nothing in this episode really pointed out where anyone was in their lives, with the exception that we now know Joe and Louis have only had their own architecture firm for a year and a half. Plus, the idea that they're scrounging around for work was short-lived... they had work previously and are set by the time the 23 minutes wraps. Maybe Wyatt could be more interesting? I mean, a Mennonite gay nurse has so many layers...

Partners "2 Broke Guys" (S01E05):  Joe is worried that he and Louis don't have another job lined up, but Louis is out shopping up a storm, buying fake glasses (the same kind Ali has) for himself and Wyatt (who doesn't like them), a messenger bag, a scarf (also identical to Ali's), and more. When Joe and Louis run into some twin-brother architects from their old firm, they get a little discouraged over their future.

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

But, they also learn that their old tyrannical boss has died, so Louis wants to go back to that firm, though Joe insists it would be easier to ask Louis' brother (a real estate developer) for a job. [doesn't every other show on television already profess that you shouldn't do business with family??] Speaking of Louis' brother, they don't speak because Henry doesn't approve of the fact that Louis is gay. Louis decides to go to the firm but the twins tell him that the reason Joe quit was because he was going to get a five-year contract and Louis was going to get fired. [awwww. such a good friend. I don't know if I could have done that.] So, Louis heads to his brother's, but Joe catches up to him before he knocks. [the exchange of the $20 back and forth was funny!] Joe tells Louis that they'll be okay without bothering the homophobe, and they even land a job on the way home. [can we all synchronize the rolling of our eyes that this could happen right now??] In the end, the twins are fired and will also be working for themselves. [oooh! please tell me that they'll be recurring!]

In other problems, Ali and Wyatt casually kiss "goodbye," freaking out Joe (but not Louis). She says that she'll be more careful about making them "short pops," but Joe becomes increasingly worried when he learns that Ali calls Wyatt for everything from building display cases to fixing the thermostat. After a few more kisses, Ali realizes that the kisses aren't 100% platonic, and realizes that she can't do that anymore. [AWKWARD! why couldn't we focus more on the outcome of THIS??]

Partners: Ali Gets a Key But Louis Loses His

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

NOT a fan of this episode. Well, technically, I'm not a fan of the order in which it aired. It very clearly comes BEFORE last week's "The Jeter Exception." In that episode, Ali is already in the process of moving in and has accepted how Joe and Louis will forever be close. In this episode, she receives a key and they talk about her moving in, plus she's still trying to get Joe to separate from Louis a bit. Problematically, I'm liking Wyatt less and less, and I think it's a little early in the series for me to have a least-favorite-character who isn't a villain! Thoughts?

Partners "The Key" (S01E04): Louis gives his meat and liquor to Joe for safekeeping because Wyatt is a sober vegan and Louis wants to "earn points." [but Wyatt knows anyway, so it's rather useless.] So, when he goes to Joe's to make himself some breakfast sausage, Ali finds out that Louis has a key when she doesn't. Joe decides to give her a key, but she also wants him to get Louis's back. [playing hot-and-cold to find her key? really? is this fourth grade? and I thought Louis was supposed to be the competitive one on this show??] But, Louis won't forfeit his key. When Louis comes by again, Ali has changed the locks and he can't get in. He refuses to just ring the doorbell, so he returns everything that Joe has ever given to him... and even some stuff he stole from Joe.But, the guys find a pact they made as kids and decide to make up. [booooooring!]

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

Wedding Updates: Ali and Joe talk about restaurants for the rehearsal dinner, but she trusts Louis' opinion more than Joe's.

NEW SHOW: Partners

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, I think that the reasoning I used to try this show was faulty... the proposal wasn't actually a huge part of setting up this show... I think it would work if Ali and Joe were just dating. And, the idea of "another Monday night show" making me wary doesn't actually matter, as I recently cut Two and a Half Men anyway. [even though that moved to Thursdays.] The gimmicky beginning with Joe and Louis as kids wasn't great, especially as that doesn't seem to be an ongoing thing. I do like that "On Top of the World" theme song, but that clapping that brings you into the new scenes is really annoying. I don't think that it's a bad show, per se, but I don't think that it can work over a long period of time. [or a short period of time, really. The pilot only drew 6.5M viewers, the second episode 5.7M. ETA: the third brought 6.3M.] PLUS, the casting is a bit weird... Louis looks way younger than Joe, and Sophia Bush has a really raspy voice. 

Partners "Pilot" (S01E01): Joe and Louis have been best friends since they were kids. Joe has been dating Ally for a year and she's pretty much put up a "play-me-or-trade-me" ultimatum, and Louis suggests Joe cut her loose. [ha! "I always feel our work gets in the way of my drama."] He winds up proposing (his gut feeling) when she talks about how great she's doing at work. Great, except Joe doesn't update Louis before Louis sees Ali at morning yoga, so he assumed that she's been dumped. [LoL, "I got newer news!"] Before Louis can come clean, Ali calls Joe, and then Joe flies off the handle at Louis, claiming that he has done terrible things in the past, but this crosses the line and the cost of being friends is now higher than the benefits. [blah blah blah. no.] Louis goes to talk to Ali, saying that he wants her to be with Joe, to take care of him if Louis can't. [awww.] Joe runs into Wyatt (nurse, former Mennonite, dating Louis), who says that Louis has a great heart., so he decides to make up with his BFF anyway. [loved the "four people at this table but three couples."]

Partners "Chicken & Stuffing" (S01E02): Joe has asked Wyatt to help him get in shape for the wedding, but he tries to get out of it for the entire week. [I couldn't believe how easily Wyatt bought those excuses!] Later in the week, when Wyatt comes to get Joe again, he basically says that he'll never want to work out. [hahahaha!]

Louis thinks something is up with Joe, and it turns out that he and Ali haven't been intimate since they got engaged nine days ago. Louis thinks that maybe he should talk to her, but Joe tells him not to. Well, Louis does anyway, and Ali listens to him and spends some time with Joe that night. But, the next day, Joe is mad at Louis, knowing he got involved. Louis just gets more involved when he finds out that Ali hasn't been making dinners. [not a fan of this "not looking someone in the eyes" thing. I see this being a running gag here...] Ali does a terrible job making chicken, but it's the first time she's ever cooked for Joe. [who gets engaged to someone before ever tasting their cooking??!?!? hahaha, "that was about sex! This is about chicken! They're two completely different things! unless you're a rooster."]

Louis tells Joe that he's never helping him out, but it becomes apparent that he does, as Louis had forgotten Wyatt's fifth anniversary of being sober, but Joe orders a cake and writes a note from Louis. [love how they help out one another! but a Mennonite drunk? This kid has got some backstory!]

Also: Ali has a new helper in the store, Renata, who sucks. [haha, Louis wearing Ali's belt.]

Partners "The Jeter Exception" (S01E03): Louis wants to take advantage of Ali moving in with Joe to get rid of some of Joe's clothing. The guys are tempted to open a box that's marked "Ali Personal," and Joe eventually does. ["I was snipping at the air!" had me laughing so hard!] He finds a photo of Ali with Derek Jeter in Vegas, so he panics and tells Louis, who comes up with a plan to play "Celebrity" and put Jeter's name in the hat, which should get Ali to tell the story. [...no. that was NOT a genius move.] Thinking they were getting together to watch Swamp People, Wyatt begins to freak, as he's not familiar with a lot of celebrities and Louis is a bit intense when it comes to games - he's actually broken up with a guy before because he sucked at a game. [yeah, I could see that being a dealbreaker for several people I know. But it was REALLY too Will & Grace at Tribond!] Wyatt (of course) draws Jeter, and says "the guy who had hot desert sex with Ali," which gets his team kicked out so Ali can yell at Joe. She's not that upset that he went through her stuff, but she's worried that Joe won't be able to keep things to himself... so she tells him that she also slept with Justin Timberlake, just to see if he tells Louis.

The next time they're together, they play again, this time with Louis partnering with Ali. ["thinking boobs" ??] It's all going well until the winning point is "Justin Timberlake" and Louis can't lose, so he answers when Ali says "the other celebrity I slept with." [c'mon, Louis! do it for Joe!] Ali proves that Joe can't keep a secret, but after he apologizes, she realizes that she just needs to accept that Joe will be telling Louis everything. [this is a HORRIBLE message to take away from this experience!]

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

Fall 2012 Network Shows: GOTTA WATCH!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

By this point you've probably already seen a little bit about which shows each major broadcast network has picked up and when they're planning to air them. Some sites have covered them show by show, others network by network, and at least two decided to break it down night by night. Well, we're going to go with preliminary interest - what we can't wait for, what we don't think is worth the time, what falls somewhere in the middle, and even what we don't think will last. Of course, this is subject to change, especially come late July when so much more comes to light! We'll take a look at the GOTTA WATCH today, which are the series that we're definitely going to try.

My first pick is 1600 Penn (NBC), which NBC has picked up for 13 episodes. As you might have guessed, it's set in the White House, and it's a family comedy. Stars include Jenna Elfman, Bill Pullman, and Josh Gad. Not only am I excited about the cast, I think it has great potential to be a funny show. It's a mid-season slot, so no idea how it'll fit in with what will air around it quite yet.

(Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC)

Next is Go On (NBC), the Matthew Perry-as-a-sportscaster show where he's struggling with a recent loss, and joins a support group as his boss demands. I like Matthew Perry a lot, and I'm banking on him more than the premise... which hasn't worked out so well in the past, but we'll see! Look for it Tuesdays at 9pm, which sounds like a good place for it.

Then we have Elementary (CBS), the Sherlock Holmes contemporary drama with Lucy Liu. Not a fan of Lucy Liu, but I do love Sherlock Holmes. I'm not sure how the contemporization will work out, but the idea is strong enough to draw me in. I've also been dying for a Thursdays-at-10pm drama ever since ER ended, so maybe this will fit the bill! 

Malibu Country (ABC) has Reba McEntire moving from Nashville to Malibu with her three kids and mother. On the surface, it sounds like any old family show, especially the dozens which have been set in Southern California. BUT, I do think that Reba is funny and like her style, PLUS, I want to support ABC's attempt at reincarnating TGIF, and this will come on after Last Man Standing, one of my favorite new shows from last year.

One of the bigger gambles, I think, will be The New Normal (NBC), with Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha, who play a gay couple hoping to have a child through surrogacy. It's a comedy, so it won't be too heavy, and it will come on just after Go On, so it might not have much of a lead-in, depending. I think it'll provide a nice contrast from Go On, and that's part of the reason I've chosen them both. However, the concept just grabs me.

(Photo by: Robert Trachtenberg/NBC)

Partners (CBS) is a sitcom from the creators of Will & Grace. Here we have two architects, one straight and one gay, who are falling apart when one proposes to his girlfriend. I like the architects and the BFFs, but I'm not sure I'm in love with a proposal being an impetus for the show... oh, and am I seriously taking on yet another Monday show? Yep, if it winds up being as promising as the preliminaries make it sound!

Emily Owens, MD (formerly known as First Cut, CW) is a first-year intern at Denver Memorial Hospital, alongside her HS nemesis and her med-school crush. It's the only one of the CW pilots that I think I can stand, and while I find the basics to be a bit... droll... I'm willing to give it a try, though it'll likely be a DVR option only... it's up against Go On, among other things.