The Crazy Ones
I am blown away by how good this show was. They’ve been promo-ing it for weeks, and I was like, yeah, yeah, I’ll watch it, but don’t get so heavy-handed with the “Robin Williams’ return to television” thing. Yeah, they had a right to do that. It’s brilliant.
Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Sydney, Simon Roberts’ (Williams) daughter. They are partners at an ad agency in Chicago. She’s the serious, let’s-make-sure-we-can-afford-to-eat one, while Williams is inevitably and ineffably himself. Funny is not even a good enough word for it.
Alongside them are James Wolk as Zach (or Zachary), whom you might remember as the lovable but somewhat odd Bob Benson from last season’s Mad Men. He’s sexy, totally not ambiguous about his sexuality, and once again, adorable.
Hamish Linklater plays Andrew, who we recall quite recently as that bastard who edited the interview video out of context on The Newsroom and screwed ACN on the Genoa story, aka Jerry Dantana. He’s of the Sydney Roberts perspective, a little quieter, a little more serious.
And, last but not least, Amanda Setton plays Lauren. She seems to be a personal assistant or executive assistant to Williams, but she’s his muse and the one who laughs at all his jokes. She’s sort of his fluffer, like Elaine (Jane Krakowsky) was the Biscuit’s fluffer in Ally McBeal, but for pitching advertising projects, not so he can turn into Barry White. Though that would be hilarious, too.
The firm has McDonalds as a client, and must come up with a pitch to keep them so they don’t get fired from the account. Sydney goes with the safe, practical pitch while Simon takes a chance on rebooting an old commercial with a big pop star singing the music. They almost get Kelly Clarkson, and finally do, but it takes a bit of teamwork.
I sense that to be a theme. Each character has their strengths, and each one will have a chance to put it to use.
To be honest, I laughed pretty much the entire episode. I even missed a couple lines of dialogue because I was still laughing at the last one. Williams and Wolk riff a jingle to pitch to Clarkson to get her on board with the McDonalds commercial, and to see Wolk transition from the serious, shy sweetheart on Mad Men into the sexy, fun, say-and-do-anything guy here is awesome. He and Williams play off each other so well.
That’s possibly grounded in good writing, but I have a feeling Williams ad-libs a lot, and Wolk is able to run with it. It’s wonderful. (Also Kelly Clarkson fake-orgasmed on TV during a song. Very When Harry met Sally, but I honestly enjoyed the rest of the show way more that I nearly forgot to mention this.)
And Gellar, serious and no-nonsense though she may be, is important. She may appear to be second fiddle to Williams in the promos, but she holds her own.
I was also mistaken about the time slot – it is on at the same time as Grey’s, but it’s only a half hour. I thought it was the full hour. With that, I will at least be able to catch the second half of Grey’s. Because there’s no way I’m missing this show. It’s too good, too funny–pure entertainment.
(Sidnote: Whoever runs the FB page for these guys rules. So many great pics!!)
The Michael J. Fox Show
It premiered as two half hour episodes, and I caught the second one after The Crazy Ones. I’ll have to go back and watch the first one, the actual pilot. But I will cover the second now since I already saw it.
It is truly a wonderful thing to see Michael J. Fox on television again. He’s not playing himself exactly, but he does have Parkinson’s. He’s playing a former local news anchor, married, with three children. He’s also got a sister who drops in.
I watched Spin City when I was a kid, until Charlie Sheen took over. The Back to the Future films were before my time, though I’ve seen them since. So, he’s sort of a big piece of my Small-Screen education.
Having said how great it is to see him again, I can’t say that the second episode won me over. It’s not really a comedy or a sitcom, though that’s what it’s billed as and that’s what its timeslot tells us. It’s a drama, with elements of comedy worked in.
Of course, that opinion may be slanted having watched The Crazy Ones in the timeslot just prior. It has heart. And I think heart is what’s going to win me and everyone else over to watching it. If you don’t believe me, read some reviews. The critics are in love with it. But they saw the pilot. It’s on my to-watch list.
Elementary
Holmes in London! I hadn’t realized how much I missed dear Watson and Sherlock until I started seeing the promos for Elementary over the past few weeks. Even when I realized it would conflict with the new Parenthood schedule, it was an easy choice as to which one I’d be watching.
It did not disappoint. Holmes and Watson journey to London to help one of Holmes’ former colleagues solve a particularly interesting murder, whereupon Watson not only discovers Holmes has a brother, but she gets to meet him.
The murder was brilliant, and deconstructing it even more so: plastic gun from a 3D printer, a small nail used to hang folk art acted as the firing pin, a solution of acetone in the refrigerator used to dissolve the plastic gun to get rid of the evidence once the deed was done–awesome.
Holmes’ brother Mycroft (of all the bloody things) was played by Rhys Ifans, whom you might recall as The Lizard in the Amazing Spider-man, Violet’s professor/boyfriend in The Five-Year Engagement, Luna Lovegood’s father in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, or a few dozen other roles over the years (my personal favorite is as the kicker in The Replacements!).
Ifans stacks up quite adequately as Holmes’ brother, and though Holmes suspects his motives toward getting to know Watson are more vengeful in nature, in fact, Mycroft seeks only to repair his relationship with his brother and wants Joan to explain how she became Sherlock’s friend.
Though it looks like the detectively duo is headed back to New York, I thoroughly hope to see more of Mycroft, and perhaps London, this season, as we follow them through a couple dozen more cases. (Random sidenote: Aidan Quinn got a haircut and he looks even more delicious than ever 🙂
Up Next:
I will be recapping everything I missed from the week soon. That includes, in case anyone’s lost count: Sleepy Hollow week 2, the premiere of The Blacklist, Dads and Brooklyn Nine-Nine week 2, Back in the Game pilot premiere, and the season premiere of Nashville. Not to mention Thursday night’s Grey’s Anatomy season premiere, the pilot of the Michael J. Fox Show (if there’s anything else to add), and the season premiere of Parenthood.
Don’t forget, Five-0 is back Friday night at a new time! Check your local listings!
It affects chemicals in the body that are involved in the cause of some types of pain. There are many medicines which give you things you need to be ready on your own terms. What doctors talk about viagra or cialis? It contains Sildenafil. Also known as erectile dysfunction is defined as the impossibility to attain an hard-on suitable for intercourse. Having erectile dysfunction can no doubt complicate dating. Many men take more medicines later in life and some have sexual side effects that will lead to impotence. Some of medications fuel desire. Certain far-famed medicaments can mean screwing with your orgasm. What is the most significant facts you perhaps know know about this?