Premiere Week: Day Two

New Girl

I had read so many good things about this show, and I'm happy to say that the premiere far exceeded the hype.  I was laughing out loud the entire time, and I already have an emotional connection to some of the characters.  I'm going to call right now that this will be my favorite new show of the season.

So the basic premise of the show is that Jess catches her boyfriend cheating on her, and ends up moving with three guys looking for a roommate.  They take her in mostly because Schmidt finds out her best friend is a model (which sounds kind of gross, but in reality Schmidt is actually pretty endearing).  After seeing Jess cry while watching Dirty Dancing in an incessant marathon format, the boys take her out so she can find a rebound hookup.  She does, but the guy turns out to be a jerk and stands her up, at which point the guys meet up with her and seranade her with one of the best versions of "I've Had the Time of My Life" I've ever heard.

What really makes this pilot wonderful are all of the little moments.  For me, Jess' quirky behaviors--bursting into song at random times, dancing incredibly goofily, and spouting ridiculous pickup lines--made me instantly love her character.  The fact that she is a bit of a dork, and perfectly okay with it, is refreshing.  And maybe it hits home with me because sometimes I will break out in incredibly lame dance moves while in the hallway at school (my students have caught me and laughed), but seeing a character that also isn't afraid to be a little out there is fun for me.

As far as the guys go, all three are great.  Coach made me laugh (he had a line about not being able to take an interest in jeggings that slayed me); Schmidt was strangely adorable despite his douchebag tendencies; and Nick was honestly sweet, attempting throughout the episode to deal with his breakup with a long term girlfriend.  I have as much interest in the male characters as the female lead, which is wonderful.

Finally, the little things in this show really added up.  The douchebag jar (like a swear jar) was one of the most amazing things I've seen in a long time.  I love that.  Dirty Dancing references (as I discussed last night) make my day.  And the guys absolutely butchering "I've Had the Time of My Life" was brilliant.  If you like off-beat, quirky shows, this one is definitely for you.  I already can't wait to see the next episode.

Grade: A+

Parenthood

This technically premiered last week, so this is already episode two.  But since it's fresh in my mind, this is the one I'll break down.  For my own sanity, I'm going to break it down by plot.

Max Starts Mainstream School

This was incredibly well done.  I don't know if people realize how good Max Burkholder is at playing an austitic child, but I'd really like to give him some props.  I've had autistic students, and he is fantastic at portraying the mannerisms and behaviors of a kid with asbergers.  Tonight was no exception.  The first scene in class was brilliant.  I loved his attempts to make friends (with unfortunately little success).  The end, when Jabbar and his buddies came to ask Max for advice, was heartwarming.  It was wonderful to see someone appreciate, even admire, Max for who he is.

Along with that, the show looked at Kristina's frustrations as a mother.  I constantly find Kristina's struggles with these issues to be compelling.  There is something about her borderline desperation to see her kids succeed that I love; it's heartbreaking, but at the same time endearing; it's so obvious how much she loves her kids.  I liked that the teacher pointed out that Kristina is going to have to let go of some control.  That should be an interesting arc for her character to take this season (and I can only imagine it will be to varying success).

Legal Woes

Wow.  I cannot remember the name of Haddie's boyfriend.  My sister and I still refer to him as Vince (the name of his character on Friday Night Lights).  So I guess that's what I'll continue to call him here.  I don't have much to say about this, honestly.  Haddie is one of my least favorite characters; I often find her shallow.  Then I remember that she's a teenage girl, and I try to cut her some slack.  Tonight was a great example of that.  All through the episode, I was frustrated with Haddie's lack of understanding of the seriousness of Vince's legal situation.  It wasn't until the very end, when Vince confessed that he'd be lost without her, that I was struck by what a big burden that is on the shoulders of a seventeen-year-old.  But that's part of why I love this show; it can turn your perceptions of things in an instant.

Ha!  Alex!  I knew if I thought about it long enough his name would come to me.

Sarah and Mr. Cyr

I love Sarah.  I love Mr. Cyr.  I love them together.  Is that specific enough?

The bedroom scene where he hid from her father was amazing.

The end of the episode, when Sarah's true reason for her reluctance to date him came out (Amber and her feelings about the situation), was brilliant.  Granted, I often find Amber and Sarah's scenes to be some of the most interesting (and nine times out of ten they're the ones that make me cry).  I'm glad that this wasn't treated overly dramtically either.  Amber had a crush on him two years ago.  It's appropriate and logical that she would be over it, and I'm glad they're not trying to drag out a plot point that has long since passed its expiration date.  Other shows could take a lesson from that.  IT IS OKAY TO LET YOUR CHARACTERS GROW!

(Whoops, my bitterness is showing.)

Julia and the Coffee Girl

Confession: Julia is my favorite character.  I wish she got more screen time.  I think she and Joel are adorable, and they're one of my favorite married couples on TV right now.  And if you haven't watched this show, here is one of the reasons why I love them: Joel knows Julia so well.  His ability to see through her translucent ruse was amazing; he knew that she was going to ask the coffee girl about adopting her baby, and of course he was right.  I also love how they balance one another, Joel a calming force to Julia's impulsivity and passion.

Anyway, even though it was obvious that Julia was going to break down and ask about the baby, it was still horrible how callous the girl's "no" was.  Of all the moments tonight, that one hit me the hardest. 

Adam and Crosby's Business Venture

I don't have much to say about this.  They amused me.  I'm glad they're going to be working together.  I hope that Adam doesn't act like too much of a jerk.

Overall, this was a good episode.  It didn't make my cry (last week did), but it was still really enjoyable.

Grade: B+

Well, that's it for tonight.  I wimped out on Glee, mostly watching it in mute and turning on the sound for the musical numbers.  If I'm honest, that's the part of the show I like best anyway.  The rest is a jumbled mess of some of the worst character motivation and development I've ever seen.  *Sigh*

Tune in tomorrow for Up All Night and Modern Family.