NBC Sitcom Roundup for 3/24/11

Advance warning — gushing all around this week. If you're looking to see me rip something to shreds, better hold off on reading this post!

The Office, Season 7 Episode 19 — "Garage Sale"

We come to it at last — the beginning of the end. And I liked it! With the caveat that marrying Holly and leaving Scranton with her is the most insanely predictable ending for Michael Scott imaginable, the first thing that popped into all of our minds when Carell's impending departure was announced a year ago. But this is The Office, not Lost or 24, and I don't think predictable plotting is that big a problem so long as it's funny and moving, which it was. The way Pam and the rest tried to help Michael with keeping his proposal "safe and responsible and realistic and doable" was very sweet (even if it resulted in Oscar and Ryan teleporting from the conference room to the warehouse and back again in a slightly horrific bit of editing I can't believe they didn't catch in post).

The proposal itself stood in contrast to Jim's sudden, rainy, roadside proposal to Pam (okay, there was still rain, but of a different sort). I loved that one specifically for the way it shirked TV proposal conventions, while this one embraces them, roomful of candles and crying and cheering crowd and all, but it was still likable due to how much I enjoy the characters and how damn well Carell and Amy Ryan played it. Holly's been a godsend for this show's chemistry ever since she first showed up in season four, even with a thirty-episode gap between appearances, and as syrupy and cheesy as the proposal scene may have been it was impossible not to smile at her reaction to seeing the ring.

Some have questioned whether or not Michael Scott truly even deserves a happy ending after all his hissy fits and manchild antics and fake firings and poor management and fucking Pam's mom and Scott's Tots, but I'd retort that this is only half a happy ending anyway. Michael got the girl, sure, and she's wonderful. But he's also leaving the company he's been with for decades and all the rest of his friends for a city he's never been to with no job prospects to care for two Alzheimery old people he's never met. That's a bittersweet ending at the very best. But let's not jump the gun too much on discussing the departure of Michael Gary Scott, which doesn't officially go down until April 28th. I'll have much more to say then, trust me.

The non-Michael and Holly elements of the episode — Dwight's trading sequence (which I found reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening), Darryl, Andy and Kevin's Dallas game, Ryan's foodstuffs business — were nondescript but solid. I think we all saw Dwight giving in and trading his final prize for Jim's beans a mile in advance. Still, this was a great episode. That it's ranked fourth this week isn't a slight but just goes to show how damn good last Thursday's sitcom block was.

Funniest Moment: The internet collective seems to have decided on Kevin's "And that... is Dallas," which did make me laugh pretty loud, but I have to go with Michael showing off Holly's engagement ring with "They say three years salary," followed by Oscar's quiet, plaintive "Nooo."

Parks and Recreation, Season 3 Episode 8 — "Camping"

Parks and Recreation's hot streak continues with its fourth consecutive brilliant episode. Funny thing is that it didn't start overwhelmingly strongly, with the city manager's groping heart attack and subsequent office teasing of Leslie eliciting more chuckles than true laughs, but the episode got better with each act — each minute, almost — until by the time the gang stopped by the bed and breakfast I was laughing long, loud, and frequently. The fuck is a German muffin, indeed. Like "Harvest Festival" it was a great episode for Leslie and Ben in particular, with Ron Swanson again making a huge impact with a handful of moments. Tom's luxury Sky Mall tent was mildly funny at first but became hilarious upon the revelation that he was drawing power from the van.

The way they brought back Chris Traeger was just a little forced, but at the same time I'd much rather have Chris back with a slightly forced explanation than not have him back at all. It's kind of interesting how Ben and Chris were introduced as a duo with identical jobs but have in ten episodes reached such different places in relation to the parks department and the people therein. I doubt my heart will ever be stirred by Chris and Ann's romance, but Rashida Jones' grand delivery of "I have to move, right?" made their whole subplot in this episode worthwhile.

Funniest Moment: Right up until the very end of the episode it was Tom's "Great idea. Thanks, White Urkel," but then the ending credits tag blew that out of the water, especially Ben's final line. How rare to see a sitcom episode go out comedically on top in literally its final three seconds. I've said before and I'll say again that Adam Scott is impossibly funny and an amazing addition to the show. It already feels like he's been here from the beginning.

30 Rock, Season 5 Episode 18 — "Plan B"

I'm loving what they've done with Tracy's absence from the show, taking a couple of missed episodes that could have easily passed quietly with him simply being offscreen and turning it into the first look at TGS in full-blown crisis we've ever really gotten. This episode wasn't quite like anything 30 Rock's ever done before (which I guess could also be said for last week's "Queen of Jordan," except this time I mean it in a good way), and while it not surprisingly came down to being about Liz and Jack, I liked the little moments of the various supporting characters embarking on their own personal plan Bs. Particularly Sue's The Mentalist parody, because that's some top-shelf absurdity right there.

Liz reaching the end of her rope and possibly career freed the character up to be a little looser and funnier than she's been lately, and Jack had a good old business shark subplot, which the writers always tend to nail with him. Devon Banks and his gaybies were pretty awesome (true story: when Devon appeared I was like, wow, it's been so long since I've seen Will Arnett! But no, it hasn't; I had just already forgotten that Running Wilde ever existed) and I'm liking Hank Hooper a lot more this time around than I did in his first appearance, probably thanks to his new gimmick of smiling widely and talking in a warm, friendly tone about how furious he is. This was a strong episode all around and I look forward to seeing where TGS's forced hiatus takes the show from here.

Funniest Moment: As someone who generally loves Aaron Sorkin and hated Studio 60, I thought the entire Sorkin scene was brilliant, particularly the "Studio 60?" "Shut up." exchange. In fact, I'd go so far as to call it the best celebrity-playing-themselves cameo 30 Rock's ever done, even over Al Gore.

Community, Season 2 Episode 19 — "Critical Film Studies"

Now this was more like it. Not that "Intro to Political Science" and "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy" were bad by any means, they were just... less than peak Community. But this episode honestly could have gone on for an hour and I wouldn't have minded in the least. When I realized Jeff and Abed's conversation was ending I felt really disappointed, like, no! I want more of this! It was such a sharply-written parody of My Dinner with Andre (I loved the use of Gymnopédie No.1), and Abed's Cougar Town monologue, lie or not, was just superb. Huge kudos to Danny Pudi for the way he started Abed out as being weirdly non-weird then very gradually allowed natural Abed to leak back in over the course of the dinner sequence.

The Pulp Fiction side of things stood out less than the Andre side, but still allotted at least one great moment for each character (Troy and his good no-no juice, Shirley's synopsis of Pulp Fiction for Pierce, and a couple of Annie and Britta moments I'll come back to in a minute). The visual of the cast dressed up as Tarantino characters, while an easy pop culture gag, was still a cute and likable one.

Fantastic piece of television any way you look at it; as comedy, as parody, but perhaps most importantly as an almost uncomfortably penetrative character study of Abed. It's also interesting to see Community calling out its own movie parodies in such a direct, borderline fourth wall-breaking way, with Jeff angrily describing the episode's events as "yet another stupid movie spoof." It feels like the show is barreling towards some sort of final showdown with its own meta-ness, and I can't wait to see what that may be.

Funniest Moment: While not the best or most interesting moment by any means, for whatever reason it was Britta and Annie's exchange of "What, I have 3D vision now?" "Yes... you do." "You don't know me!" that really set me off on a laughing fit. I also liked Annie's "Everyone hates Britta!" later on. Britta getting crapped on in general makes me laugh, probably because of how detached and cool and above it all she was written as being at the beginning of the series. She's not the best current sitcom character but she may be the most improved one.

Weekly Power Rankings: 1. Community 2. Parks and Recreation 3. 30 Rock 4. The Office

2010 Kraemer Movie Awards Part IV — The Best #15-11

#15 - 127 HOURS


Like The Disappearance of Alice Creed, 127 Hours is another 2010 film that tackles the limited cast / limited location concept with considerably more aplomb than Buried. Difference is that this one actually did achieve widespread critical acclaim, even securing a deserved Best Picture nomination. And the difference between 127 Hours and both those other movies is that rather than human antagonists, our hero here faces down Mother Earth herself in the form of a big ol' damn boulder that crushes his arm and leaves him wasting away in the middle of nowhere for the eponymous timeframe. James Franco is incredible as Aron Ralston and while director Danny Boyle arguably overcompensates for the restricted setting with a few too many flashbacks and fantasy sequences, he makes the scene where (spoilers for real life) Ralston severs his own arm with a dull pocket knife into one of the most visceral and painful cinematic sequences damn near ever. It's up to you to decide whether Franco appeared to be in more peril here or hosting the Academy Awards.

#14 - ANIMAL KINGDOM


One of the best organized crime films since The Departed — less stylized yet quite a bit more harrowing and filled with dread — Animal Kingdom is an Australian flick that presents a crime family at the cusp of their downfall as seen through the eyes of one young, unwitting member who wants out. Despite the presence of Guy Pearce as a good cop (the noblest I've ever seen him) and an intimidating Ben Mendelsohn, it's Jacki Weaver who dominates as the outwardly warm and loving yet intensely creepy family matriarch. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and I wouldn't have minded if she'd won. The teenaged protagonist played by James Frecheville is a bit of a cipher and probably the least interesting character, but on the other hand this movie has the most sudden, shocking, and brutal onscreen deaths of 2010. Not just one but a few. My jaw hit the floor multiple times.

#13 - SOLITARY MAN


Now here's a good one that seemed to fly under everyone's radars ($4.3 million domestic box office) and was tragically overshadowed as the year's Michael Douglas film by the embarrassing and unnecessary Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Douglas plays a man who starts out not particularly unlike Gordon Gekko — smooth, wealthy, callous — and then proceeds to lose everything, from his health to his wealth to his family. It sounds and is occasionally crushing, but at the same time Solitary Man is a surprisingly breezy and enjoyable watch, largely thanks to its killer lineup for such a small film: Douglas, but also Susan Sarandon, Jesse Eisenberg, Danny DeVito, Mary-Louise Parker, Olivia Thirlby, The Office's Jenna Fischer, The West Wing's Richard Schiff in a small role; even Britta from Community makes a cameo if you watch closely. As of this posting it's one of five films on this top 25 (along with The Karate Kid, Shutter Island, and two upcoming entries) on Netflix Watch Instantly, so assuming you haven't seen it I'd highly recommend it.

#12 - THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES


I'll say upfront that I don't think The Secret in Their Eyes deserved the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar it picked up a year ago (and we'll talk more about the film that did later on), but that don't change what an elegant and classy little murder mystery it is. Visually impressive, too: smack in the middle of the film is a one-shot, five-minute chase all through a stadium utilizing hundreds of extras and a plethora of complex camera moves that's easily the coolest single-shot scene since Children of Men. The film is relatively unpredictable, well-acted, soulful, just a little romantic, and even a touch funny here and there. And it's one of the other two films on Netflix Watch Instantly I mentioned a minute ago, so check it out. (Oh, and I'm aware that it came out way back in 2009 in Argentina, but it didn't hit theaters in the States and I didn't see it until summer of 2010, so I count it as a 2010 film. Apologies to my Argentinian fanbase.)

#11 - MACGRUBER


MacGruber is one of only two 2010 films that stacks up to the high points of last year's best TV comedies — Community, Parks and Recreation, Party Down, Louie — in terms of laugh count and is effortlessly the greatest Saturday Night Live film adaptation since Wayne's World in 1992. But Wayne's World is less the film I'd compare it to than Austin Powers, doing for American 80s action flicks what that film did for late 60s and early 70s secret agent movies. It's a shockingly hilarious and spot-on parody — a couple MacGruber-free scenes with the villains and military brass feel like they could be seamlessly inserted into real 80s action films — that you'll like more the more familiar you are with what it's mocking. At least make sure you've seen Rambo III first.

NBC Sitcom Roundup for 3/17/11

I've been mad busy with deadlines at work (and in fact have two or three I should be working right this second), so I've fallen pathetically far behind on my movie reviews, best of 2010 lists, TV pilot coverage, trailer analyses, and sitcom roundups on this here blog. Thankfully, I think this weekend should be relatively open, so I should be able to finally get the next part of the 2010 Kraemer Movie Awards up, and if we're lucky maybe even a movie review too. But if I start falling behind on my sitcom roundups all will be lost, so even though these episodes aired an entire week ago I'm gonna go ahead and knock out some super-quick thoughts on them. After all, the main reason I started these sitcom roundups in the first place was to chronicle Michael Scott's departure from The Office and what follows, and holy shit, that's only a few weeks away!

Oh, and hey, Community and Parks and Rec both got renewed! (And The Office and 30 Rock, but we knew that months ago.) Awesome! I always had a feeling they would be. Despite the early and tragic death of Terriers (and now Lights Out), all those Friday Night Lights renewals have made me a dumbass optimist.

Parks and Recreation, Season 3 Episode 7 — "Harvest Festival"

I'll admit being a little nervous after the first few episodes of this season — all of which I liked, but none of which I loved — but for the last three episodes, "Media Blitz," "Indianapolis," and now "Harvest Festival," Parks has been absolutely killing it. Despite being a little light on Ron Swanson and having an Ann Perkins subplot that wasn't too interesting, this episode was great and for the second time in a row actually pulls off the stiff task of trumping the Community that aired the same evening.

First off, this was Leslie's best episode so far this season by a mile. Almost every second of her feud with tribal chief Ken Hotate was hilarious, and I really hope he's a recurring character. Adam Scott was at his dry, despondent best (especially when confused over the appeal of Li'l Sebastian), and April and Andy's "Dude, shut up! That is awesome sauce!" subplot showed off why they are, in many respects, more funny and likable than Jim and Pam were even back in The Office's heydey. Even Tom and Jerry's lost horse D-plot satisfied, and Ron Swanson straightening everyone out on the Ferris wheel made up for his limited presence throughout the rest of the episode.

Also, I was impressed by the final pre-credits shot. I mean, sure, you could make out the CGI in it, but on a sitcom budget that was a really fucking ambitious shot.

Funniest Moment: "That is exactly what happened."

30 Rock, Season 5 Episode 17 — "Queen of Jordan"

Sorry, didn't like it. In fact, I actually paused in the middle, took a break for a couple hours, then came back to finish it later. True, I did the same thing with the director's cut of Dances with Wolves and I liked that, but that was a 236-minute film; this is a 21-minute sitcom episode. I found the reality show gimmick to be tedious and unfunny — although I should note that the last episode of reality TV I saw was during the first season of Survivor in 2000, so I'm sure plenty of references went over my head — and other than Jack I didn't like what it brought out in any of the characters. The next time this show tries to make me laugh via Jane Krakowski singing I'm literally going to blow my brains out.

I do think it's interesting they've actually made a story arc out of Tracy Morgan's absence for his real-life kidney transplant — I assumed Tracy was simply going to be off screen with little explanation for two episodes and then quietly return, but nope, they've gone full serialized with it. Which would be great, except that I don't watch 30 Rock to find it interesting, I watch it to find it funny. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Funniest Moment: Probably the cut to Jack with the "Jack, Tracy's Gay Boss" subtitle at the bottom. One of the few moments I thought actually made strong comedic use of the reality format.

Community, Season 2 Episode 18 — "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy"

This episode was pretty middle-of-the-road by Community standards, but if you know how much I love Community you know that's still a compliment. Jeff, Shirley, and Chang's paternal rights story was a little standard and unimaginative (and I still kind of miss Chang the Spanish professor), but Britta trying to expose the truth of Abed and Troy's genocidal buddy was pretty damn funny, with great performances from all three actors. And, save for funniest moment, that's really about all I have to say.

Funniest Moment: That would have to be Britta's horrifically botched attempt at singing Britney Spears for Lukka near the beginning. I thought Gillian Jacobs was the series' comedic weak link back when it first premiered, but in gradually replacing her detached coolness with pure awkwardness (starting around the "bagel" fiasco) they've successfully made her fucking hilarious.

Weekly Power Rankings: 1. Parks and Recreation 2. Community 3. 30 Rock

2010 Kraemer Movie Awards Part III — The Best #20-16

#20 - THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED

For all that some critics talked up the disappointing Buried as a taut thriller that made impressive use of limited cast and location, there's another film that did those things and did them far, far better (and unfortunately it made even less than Buried at the domestic box office, topping off at $166,980). The Disappearance of Alice Creed is, boiled down, the story of two men holding a young woman captive in an apartment until they receive a ransom payment. But it's also so much more than that, throwing out twist after twist that I dare not reveal. It's a raw, violent, dirty piece of work, crime cinema done right using only three actors and a couple locations, and after giving some of the blandest performances ever in Prince of Persia and Clash of the Titans Gemma Arterton reveals herself to actually have real acting chops. Even the movie's seemingly straightforward title turns out to have a supremely clever hidden meaning. A perfect Netflix rental.

#19 - HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1


I said when reviewing the seventh and penultimate Potter that I wished they had just done the entirety of Deathly Hallows as one Return of the King-length mega-epic rather than chopping it in half, and I stand by that and will continue to do so even if Part 2 ends up being really good. But despite some ambivalence about the pacing I found this to be the most enjoyable Harry Potter since Goblet of Fire back in 2005, in no small part because it dumps the academic setting and turns into a chase movie — think less Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, more The Fugitive — with Voldemort and the newly fascist Ministry of Magic hunting our terrific trio to capture dead or alive. DP Eduardo Serra's gorgeous cinematography doesn't hurt either. The series' amazing adult cast gets less screentime sans Hogwarts, but on the other hand the film does against all odds manage to redeem the character of Dobby. Maybe in an alternate world, Jar Jar Binks could have been redeemed too. Well, probably not.

#18 - THE KING'S SPEECH


Sure, the fact that it's about dead British people, the World War II-era settings, the swelling orchestral score, the unabashedly inspirational narrative and the warm, agreeable tone make it clear that The King's Speech was gunning for Oscar gold from the greenlight on, and that they were so rewarded was somewhat frustratingly predictable. But none of that takes away from how good the movie actually is. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush give really great performances (not to mention Michael Gambon in his few minutes of screentime), and watching them work through King George's stammer makes for an engaging, likable, and occasionally even unexpectedly funny cinematic experience. The titular scene is gripping. Also, while this may be tangential to the movie's quality, David Seidler gave the classiest and most understated speech of the Academy Awards upon winning Best Original Screenplay.

#17 - SHUTTER ISLAND


If this were a top 25 best screenplays list, Shutter Island would be nowhere near it. The movie is very predictable and written in the broadest strokes. I bet most people could accurately guess the ending from the trailer alone, despite said trailer showing very little beyond the halfway point. But god damn does Martin Scorsese put on a great show behind the camera, crafting a truly stylish piece of modern noir pulp and making the titular setting — drenched in shadow, wracked by oppressive thunder and hurricanes, surrounded by jagged cliffs and angry oceans — into one of the most enjoyable horror locales of recent years. Shutter Island is probably the purest popcorn-muncher of Scorsese's career, a movie that honestly isn't a hell of a lot more subtle than Machete, but it's just a good solid time at the pictures and a much better representation of what the horror genre can and should be than Generic Teenage Slasher Flick #1138.

#16 - HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON


DreamWorks has never matched Pixar in poignancy, but that's okay, because in How to Train Your Dragon they've produced the best high fantasy flick of 2010, an energetic, freewheeling vikings-and-dragons adventure yarn that calls to mind the spirit of (a more family-friendly) Willow or Conan the Barbarian and is simply a blast to watch. The flying scenes have a breathtaking sense of freedom and while the central dragon-dragonslayer friendship does feel a bit like yet another spin on the Dances with Wolves / Last Samurai / Avatar "befriending the enemy" narrative, that doesn't make it any less charming. The rightly Oscar-nominated score is great and the end of the movie has this gargantuan fuck-off mountain-sized megadragon who could kick Cloverfield's ass and is definitely one of the coolest things I saw on the big screen last year.

2010 Kraemer Movie Awards Part II — The Best #25-21

I'll admit straight-up that I didn't love 2010 in movies quite as much as I did 2009. This became apparent contrasting my outline of this list with the winners of last year's Kraemer Movie Awards, where movies ranked as low as The Brothers Bloom at #21 and Up in the Air at #20 would have been easy top ten contenders had they come out a year later. But compiling my favorites was tricky nonetheless; there may have been fewer movies I fell in love with but there was still no shortage of ones I liked. I was forced to exclude several fine films, including one Best Picture nominee I enjoyed (and I'm not talking about The Kids Are All Right, which I excluded with glee). But the Oscars have already had their say. Now it's my turn, baby.

But first, slight change in format this year: I've been so busy that I haven't had time to sit down and write up the entirety of the top 25 and I kept putting it off, so instead of doing this in one go this is gonna be a six-day event, each entry revealing five more films and the finale selecting best performances, directors, screenplays, moments, and so on. "Six days?! And we thought the Oscars ran long!" *ba-dum ching* On with the show!

TOP 25 BEST MOVIES OF 2010

#25 - THE KARATE KID


I wanted to hate The Karate Kid. Remaking my favorite cinematic underdog story of all time — let alone one so inextricably linked with the 80s — seemed like pure fucking blasphemy. I walked into the theater sour, negative, and ready to tear it to pieces. Then it won me over completely. Sure, it should have been called The Kung Fu Kid, Jackie Chan's Mr. Han is no Mr. Miyagi, "jacket on, jacket off" is no "wax on, wax off," and the lack of "You're the Best" and that final crane kick assure that it will never be as iconic as the original, but what it does well it does almost shockingly well. The cinematography and tourism porn of China are gorgeous and the fight choreography is just awesome. The villains receive an absurd but entertaining facelift from the original's high school bullies to little demonic Yakuza-esque ninjas. The movie is 140 minutes long and I never even checked my watch. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the underdog arc.

#24 - MACHETE


The dual disappointment (and baffling acclaim in certain corners of the internet) of The Expendables and Piranha 3D left me thinking that this summer would yield little pure, pulpy B-movie pleasure, but it took just one badass Mexican federale to show me the error of my ways. Completely living up to the promise of the Grindhouse trailer from a few years back, Machete is a joyous, unrelenting festival of death and blood and gore and female nudity and goofily badass one-liners. The cast in and of itself is an absurd, hilarious mixture ranging from Steven Seagal to Lindsay Lohan to Jessica Alba to Robert De Niro (who I will never understand how they secured the services of), but it's Danny Trejo himself who dominates as the title character, doing for Mexploitation what Michael Jai White's Black Dynamite did for blaxploitation. It's the role he was born to play. I doubt we'll ever see the already-named sequel Machete Kills, but if I'm wrong I'll be first in line.

#23 - WINTER'S BONE


Whatever Winter's Bone may lack in narrative complexity or memorable dialogue it makes up for by oozing atmosphere and mood. The Ozark Mountain setting that director Debra Granik establishes, terrifyingly poor and infected by meth culture, may be the most bleak, haunting, and disquieting cinematic locale of 2010, a place that feels inescapably American yet wholly alien all at once. Jennifer Lawrence earns her Best Actress nomination as Ree Dolly, a tough teenager struggling to support her younger siblings and find her missing father before they lose their house, but I'd still say the movie is stolen by John Hawkes as her uncle Teardrop. He radiates an unreal menace that made it startling to realize I've never seen him play a character like this before. Redneck noir may be a tiny and obscure subgenre, but in this film it's found a new champion.

#22 - THE ILLUSIONIST


The Illusionist makes me weep for the semi-death of traditional 2D animation. Don't misunderstand; I love Pixar same as any respectable movie nerd, but a film this gorgeous and this warm and this atmospheric reminds one of how much that largely forgotten medium has left to give. The tale of an underemployed French magician and the young housemaid who is enchanted by his art and follows him to Edinburgh where they develop an easy father-daughter rapport, The Illusionist is a minimalist film played out in pantomime with literally about ten lines of dialogue. But the plot is secondary; what really matters is how astoundingly pretty it looks and how much its 1950s European settings leap off the screen to absorb you in the moment, making something as simple as a tiny village girl walking into a big city clothing store for the first time breathtaking. It's a beautiful and poignant film that truly deserves to be called art.

#21 - FAIR GAME


In depicting the Bush administration's exposure of CIA agent Valerie Plame, Fair Game serves many masters, functioning as a sort of political thriller, the domestic story of a marriage in turmoil, and most effectively as one final burst of Bush-era outrage. Yes, this is very much a movie to watch for the express purpose of making yourself angry at stuff that happened nearly a decade ago all over again, which may be counterproductive when there's so much stuff to be angry about today in 2011, but it excels at depicting the most depressing era in contemporary American political history and Naomi Watts is excellent as Plame. Sean Penn also does a good job as Plame's husband Joe Wilson, but I still kind of wish someone else had done the part, because when Penn starts going off on Bush it becomes hard to see the character rather than the actor. But that's one small blemish on what's probably the best pure political film of 2010.

NBC Sitcom Roundup for 2/24/11

The Office, Season 7 Episode 18 — "Todd Packer"

I've never really been a fan of Todd Packer, even in the "love to hate" kind of way. I like "The Carpet" from way back in season two, which revolves around a Packer prank, but the man himself only really appears in the closing minutes of that episode. Otherwise I find the obnoxious chemistry he brings into Dunder Mifflin more something to be tolerated for the length of time it needs be rather than truly enjoyed. However, the fact that everyone except Michael feels exactly the same way — even generally-annoying-to-others characters like Dwight — helps smooth things over a bit. So while I wasn't a big fan of the scenes centered around this episode's title character, I did like the parts with other people trying to figure out what to do about him, especially Jim and Dwight's subplot and just about any moment with Holly. Erin cheerfully trying to get the ant farm away from Holly before the ants started eating each other was goddamn hilarious.

I also liked seeing Pam sharing story time with someone besides Jim in her B-plot with Andy, Darryl, and going full-on corrupt in her new position as office administrator as one intended good deed quickly ballooned into a web of bribery and deceit. It was like so many "fall to darkness" dramas in film or on HBO, except funny and played out over six or seven minutes. I hope very much that this plot comes up again in the season's final eight episodes, possibly even in relation to the upcoming maneuvering to hire a new boss.

Speaking of which, there's the oliphaunt in the room in regards to the fact that Steve Carell has just a few episodes left as a series regular, but we'll leave that be until The Office returns on March 24th. I have a feeling that I'll be writing a lot more about this show over the next few episodes than any of the others.

Funniest Moment: The entire scene where Jim, Pam, and several others confronted Holly about hiring Packer was perfect start to finish; Meredith starting off too strong, Ryan's botched critique of the government, and especially the exchange between Jim and Holly of "Well, I mean, he humped Michael," followed by "Well, if that's the case, I guess I've gotta be fired too," and everyone's disgusted reactions.

Parks and Recreation, Season 3 Episode 6 — "Indianapolis"

Two fantastic Parks and Recs in row! Although Ron (Effin') Swanson wound up stepping in and taking over comedically as he descended into hunger-induced madness, "Indianapolis" seemed more intended as a Chris Traeger spotlight similar to what "Media Blitz" did for Ben Wyatt, and was reasonably successful in that regard. I said last week that it seemed like they were trying to overinvest us in the extremely new Ann / Chris relationship, but the way this episode revealed that he broke up with her so cheerfully offscreen that she didn't even realize it was a breakup was a clever and funny twist that justified the whole story arc. It was Leslie herself who wound up feeling like a bit of an A-plot tagalong, but Chris, Ann, and Swanson were all expertly served by the Indianapolis trip. I'm curious to see how they intend to keep Chris on the show with him living out there, though. I guess they might have him come back to Pawnee for the Harvest Festival and wind up staying for some reason, but who knows.

Tom and Ben bonding over men's perfume and April and Andy competing for free stuff in Tom's club undeniably felt like B-plots, but they were fun, peppy, and entertaining B-plots, if for no other reasons than that I'd watch Adam Scott read the phone book and that it was nice to see an April and Andy subplot sans romantic drama for the first time in forever. Hopefully they can prove that established and happy TV couples don't have to be boring as we move forward. I'd hate to see them get broken up by misunderstandings and circumstance yet again.

Funniest Moment: I can't pin this down to any one specific moment, but as I mentioned above, every scene of Ron Swanson's steak-craving subplot, from initially discussing his love of Charles Mulligan's Steakhouse to discovering Chris grilling portobello mushrooms to demanding all the bacon and eggs they have at some roadside diner, was perfection and the highlight of the entire Thursday comedy block.

30 Rock, Season 5 Episode 16 — "TGS Hates Women"

This was a pretty damn good, unusually thematically ambitious 30 Rock, taking a legitimate swing at making a statement about the relationship between feminism and comedy. I'll admit that I'm not 100% sure what the episode's final conclusion on the matter was — Abby Flynn's baby talk and skimpy outfits and hypersexualized comedy definitely weren't positively portrayed in the least, but at same time Liz's meddling just wound up making things worse — but there were many moments of truth and sharp satire mixed into the story's specific beats, and Cristin Milioti did a great job as Abby. It was nice to see a show so big on flashy guest stars (and more on that in just one second) give a shot to an up-and-comer. I wouldn't be surprised if Milioti leverages this guest spot into a leading role on another sitcom by next fall.

I also liked Lutz pissing his pants, because deep down inside I'm quite juvenile.

Jack's subplot was an even better bait-and-switch than the revelation of Abby Flynn as Abby Grossman, though. I was kind of bummed that they had cast Chloë Moretz as a giggly, bright-eyed, aggressively cheerful schoolgirl, because that seemed like such a waste of her specific acting skillset, then was delighted (both by the reveal and the fact that I'd been successfully fooled) when she turned out to be conning Jack and was set up as a recurring villain. Hopefully the Kabletown showdown between Jack and Kaylie Hooper is intended as a running story as we enter the final arc of 30 Rock season five.

Funniest Moment: The last scene between Jack and Kaylie was full of great exchanges. "I hate the ocean — it's for tools," followed by "The ocean's awesome and for winners, you're for tools!", plus "And I can always seduce one of your teachers and get her to fail you." "I'd be into that!" "Me too!" Evil Chloë Moretz got way more laughs in two minutes than chipper and enthusiastic Chloë Moretz got the entire rest of the episode put together.

Community, Season 2 Episode 17 — "Intro to Political Science"

I didn't think Community tackled political satire with quite the same grace and comedic verve as it has action movies, zombies, conspiracy thrillers, mob movies, and the mockumentary just last week (especially stacked up against Parks and Recreation, which has government comedy locked down), but "Intro to Political Science" was still a pretty solid, funny little episode. Troy and Abed's impromptu political talk show felt just a little too broad while still being funny in line-to-line moments, but I loved Jeff's cynical, expert politicking before Annie threw him off his game with the audition tape. His "Are you saying Greendale is dirty?" line of attack was a spot-on parody of the popular and equally moronic real-life "Why do you hate America?" argument.

The scene where Jeff and Annie made up didn't do all that much for me, but that may be because I still have November's brilliant "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design" in mind, one of my favorite episodes of the series and a Jeff / Annie explosion that all future episodes starring the pair will struggle to measure up to. Abed's quasi-romantic subplot with the Secret Service agent was cute, although I have pretty severe doubts it'll ever come up again even if we do get a third season.

Funniest Moment: I'm gonna wimp out and declare a three-way tie between Classic "Wingers" + Ab Mentions + Notches in the intro, "Do you just constantly have your own little side adventures?" "Yep." "...Me too!", and Pierce's vendetta against Vicki.

Weekly Power Rankings: 1. Parks and Recreation 2. Community 3. 30 Rock 4. The Office