Review: COMMUNITY season 2, episode 6 “Epidemiology 206″

The college Halloween party turns into a nightmare as, one by one, the students of Greendale High become zombies. “Epidemiology” draws inspiration from zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead to bring us one of the most enjoyable Halloween episodes this season.

From the beginning, this episode had me laughing. Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) dressing as Lady GaGa while a mix of ABBA songs and his personal voice memos play in the background is just the start. ABBA isn’t the kind of music you would consider for an episode like this, but that’s partly why it’s so funny. Having scenes like people running away from zombies while “Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie” plays in the background is a genius idea.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Review: THE MIDDLE season 2, episode 6 “Halloween”

It’s Halloween and the Hecks try to enjoy the night separately. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is excited they’ve been invited to the neighborhood party but Mike (Neil Flynn) doesn’t want to dress up. Axl (Charlie McDermott) and his friends attempt to go to a haunted house party; Brick (Atticus Shaffer) goes trick-or-treating while Sue (Eden Sher) goes to a Halloween church event instead of her school dance.

Frankie’s excitement is counterbalanced by the unenthusiastic Mike. His reluctance to do anything fun really frustrates Frankie. They’ve been together for 17 years and she still wants to have fun with him, but you get the feeling the two of them don’t get to spend much time alone. Until she points that out, Mike is reluctant to let himself go. His style of dancing consists of not moving from one spot. It’s awkward and funny especially with Frankie dancing around him.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Review: GLEE season 2, episode 5 “The Rocky Horror Glee Show”

I have my reservations about how this latest themed episode will turn out. There has been varying success with the previous attempts and I am hoping “The Rocky Horror Glee Show” won’t be listed in the bad column. Surprisingly, it has many good points but there are also a few issues which need to be addressed.

Spurred by his jealousy of Carl (John Stamos) and Emma’s (Jayma Mays) relationship, Will (Matthew Morrison) puts on a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The episode gives rare solo opportunities for a few of the cast members. Stamos gets his first number while we are treated to an exceptional solo from Mays. These performances, as well as one by Mercedes (Amber Riley), are great to hear. It would have been easier for the writers to have Kurt (Chris Colfer) play the role of ‘Frank-N-Furter’ but they choose to have Mercedes play the role after Mike (Harry Shum Jr.) pulls out.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Why Can't I Quit You?

So you've invested a few years of your life watching it, got to know the characters better than some of your family and friends but something doesn't feel right. The characters you've grown to love have become stunted, the stories are repetitive and you're left wondering what direction it can take.

The problem you have is that you can't seem to let go quite yet. How and when do you do it?

Do you feel like if you stop watching the show, that you either might miss something or it will get better. As the episodes go on, you keep saying 'the next time'; it will either get better or you will finally say goodbye. It's a problem I seem to be faced with every season - which shows will I continue to watch and which ones will I drop. The struggle continues throughout the year because there are certain shows I just can't seem to be able to shake off.

Review: COMMUNITY season 2, episode 5 “Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples”

Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), Abed (Danny Pudi) and Pierce (Chevy Chase) are at the center of this week’s episode. I love how each member of the cast is given the opportunity to be in the spotlight. It shows it isn’t all about Jeff (Joel McHale) and it gives the rest of the cast a chance to shine.

After hearing how popular online videos are compared to her church attendance figures, Shirley asks Abed to help her make a religious film. Things don’t go exactly to plan and Abed makes his own film. It amazes me how popular his film becomes while it’s still being shot. Posters are around college and people are watching in amazement while the camera rolls. His reputation alone excites even Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) as he watches the filming when he’s supposed to be shutting it down due to Shirley’s complaint. Abed’s look, for the film, reminds me of an illusionist with long hair and leather pants.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Review: THE MIDDLE season 2, episode 5 “Foreign Exchange”

The Hecks are their usual dysfunctional selves in this hilarious episode. “Foreign Exchange” sees Frankie (Patricia Heaton) sign the family up for the foreign exchange program, thinking they can gain some cultural experiences from the visiting student.

When the family goes to pick up Japanese student, Takayuki (Matthew Moy) I thought he would be the wrong student. I’ve seen this kind of situation on other shows so I thought this episode would follow the same route. Though this didn’t happen, some great scenes came instead.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Review: COMMUNITY season 2, episode 4 “Basic Rocket Science”

Greendale’s rival, City College, has a space simulator and Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) wants to beat them by being, as he says, “the first community college to pretend to put a man in space.” The launch of the simulator is planned to go ahead with the press in attendance. The mission to ‘boldly go where no man has gone before’ isn’t quite applicable here – in this case it’s just the college parking lot.

We are afforded some substantial scenes involving Dean Pelton and we find out another one of his outside activities. The fact that Pelton needs the inappropriateness of the flag pointed out to him shows he’s a little slow on the uptake. Even if he didn’t know the meaning, the last word in ‘E Pluribus Anus’ pretty much spells it out. Just when I think Pelton can’t get any funnier, the writers add another layer of hilarity. I love that every so often the writers give the supporting cast a more prominent role. It freshens things up and provides the opportunity for more character dynamics.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Review: THE MIDDLE season 2, episode 4 “The Quarry”

Mike (Neil Flynn) catches Axl (Charlie McDermott) skipping school but it turns out he’s on suspension… for skipping school. Mike decides to teach Axl a lesson by making him work at the quarry for the rest of his suspension. At first Axl annoys Mike and you can see that Mike can’t wait for him to be back at school. Mike’s revised plan backfires. The main problem is one of the quarrymen, Chuck (Greg Cipes), has everything that appeals to Axl. Mike is trying to get his message across but every time he tries, something else attracts Axl to the life Chuck is living.

Mike has a unique way of talking about and to his kids. He refers to Axl as an idiot to his face and to Frankie (Patricia Heaton). When he calls Axl an idiot, he does it with the best of intentions and it actually helps to get his point across in explaining why Axl shouldn’t quit school.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Review: GLEE season 2, episode 4 “Duets”

Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) gives the glee club the assignment of duets with a prize for the best performance. Finn (Cory Monteith) pairs with Rachel (Lea Michele) and Mike (Harry Shum Jr) and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) pair up. Finn and Rachel plan to throw the competition so new member, Sam (Chord Overstreet) can have a chance at winning. Their meddling causes Sam to partner with Quinn (Dianna Agron) after he was meant to sing with Kurt (Chris Colfer). Brittany (Heather Morris) is upset because Santana (Naya Rivera) is singing with Mercedes (Amber Riley) so she pairs up with Artie (Kevin McHale).

The ultimate goal is for Sam to win the competition and Rachel receives the benefits. We all know how competitive Rachel gets when she wants to win. Her character does show a little growth, especially with Kurt. It’s good to see another side to Rachel that isn’t just about being the best. Finn and Rachel make a pretty good team when it comes to their meddling. I couldn’t stop laughing when they were performing “Born Again.” With the recent sensitivity from last week’s episode centered on religion, it was in poor taste but seemed to do the trick.

Read the rest at The Voice of TV

Series.nu becomes The Voice of TV

Series.nu has now changed its name to The Voice of TV. There are even more shows being covered and the team of reviewers has grown. It's amazing to see how far the site has come since the beginning of the year. If you haven't already checked it out then what have you been waiting for.

Check it out now

Review: COMMUNITY season 2, episode 3 “The Psychology of Letting Go”

Annie (Alison Brie) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) are trying to raise money for the oil spill. Annie raises more money than Britta and Britta is jealous. I’m not surprised by this given Britta’s competitive nature. It’s a regular occurrence and recently evident in Anthropology 101 and Pascal’s Triangle Revisited. Britta dresses like Annie to prove a point about the way Annie is raising the money. What eventually follows is a messy and profitable mud fight between them. Both girls confess to each other their reasons for kissing/sleeping with Jeff. Whether their reasons are true is another question.

Though it’s pretty evident that Britta is jealous, both girls fail to notice Shirley’s (Yvette Nicole Brown) jealously over Annie and Britta working together. She keeps dropping hints but it’s never acknowledged.

Read the rest at Series.nu

Review: THE MIDDLE season 2, episode 3 “The Diaper Incident”

There’s a moment in time when you learn some of the things your parents told you is a lie. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) has that moment after he finds out Frankie (Patricia Heaton) lied about chocolate being illegal for children under ten. He starts to test some other things Frankie told him, like his face might stay the same if he makes funny faces. Shaffer is entertaining in these scenes – his reactions at being disappointed in his mother are brilliant.

Frankie gets Mike (Neil Flynn) to have a physical. He tells her he’s received a clean bill of health – this coincides with certain things that make her feel old. A store worker mistakenly thinks Frankie is buying adult diapers and she throws her back but tries to hide it from Mike. While taking a bath, Frankie explains to Brick why she tells certain lies. I love how she explains that while it’s bad to lie, certain small lies are permitted when protecting someone. That kind of logic has to confuse a kid. Mike enters the bathroom and questions the mess in the bathroom. Brick lies to his father but there’s a problem – Brick has a “tell.” He whispers he’s lying.

Read the rest at Series.nu

Review: GLEE season 2, episode 3 “Grilled Cheesus”

Religion is a subject that causes many debates in both public and private settings. Grilled Cheesus treads carefully when broaching the subject. It would have been easy to take a different direction with this but the writers handled the hot topic well, showing a good contrast between different types of belief systems.

Kurt’s (Chris Colfer) father Burt (Mike O’Malley) is fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack. When others are speaking about their faith, Kurt reveals he doesn’t believe in God. The rest of the glee club tries to rally round him but because they are being spiritual, he pushes them away. The scenes with a younger Kurt and his father really help capture Kurt’s emotions when singing “Hold Your Hand.” I also think it was a great arrangement of the song. You can see Kurt’s pain in every one of his scenes, and sense some of the guilt he has seeing as his last words with his father were an argument. These emotional scenes showcase Colfer’s broad range as an actor and are definitely Emmy-worthy in my opinion.

Read the rest at Series.nu

Community & Chloroform

Sometimes there's one scene in an episode that has you laughing so hard tears start to fall or you continually rewind it. This week there was one scene that had me like this. It was from Community and it was involving chloroform. I mention this scene in my review of the episode for Series.nu. Community TV put the scene up and I couldn't help but highlight it.

Troy and Abed are trying to find an that proves Jeff's old colleague got him fired. When the cleaner finds them in the office, Annie tries to help.


Chloroform Capers - Community 2.02 from Community TV on Vimeo.

Review: COMMUNITY season 2, episode 2 “Accounting for Lawyers”

Drew Carey and Rob Corddry guest star as we get a peak into Jeff Winger’s (Joel McHale) old world. Corddry plays Alan Connor, an old colleague from the law firm Jeff was fired from, while Drew Carey plays Ted, Jeff’s old boss.

Alan has been attending Narcotics Anonymous at Greendale College. After bumping into him, Jeff starts to hang out with his ex-colleague. Annie (Alison Brie) recognizes Alan from the NA meetings and recalls Alan mentioning he sent an email to the Bar Association telling them about Jeff’s deception regarding his education.

Read the rest at Series.nu

Review: THE MIDDLE season 2, episode 2 “Homecoming”

It’s a proud moment for the Heck parents as Axl (Charlie McDermott) makes the varsity football team. This means Frankie (Patricia Heaton) gets to walk her eldest child out on the field with Mike (Neil Flynn). They are faced with a dilemma when homecoming clashes with Sue’s (Eden Sher) first cross-country meet. We see the parents trying to figure out who goes to which event – even considering playing rock, paper, scissors to help make the decision. It’s evident they both want to accompany Axl, especially Frankie. I love watching her talk to both Sue and Axl, trying to find a way to make it to homecoming.

Read the rest at Series.nu