TV Tues - Non-Optional Social Convention

MONDAY

Big Bang Theory (CBS 7:00): Not one of the season's strongest episodes -- in fact, I felt all of the CBS sitcoms were experiencing a weak week -- but it still had its share of great moments. I love the near-adversarial relationship that has developed between Penny and Sheldon, as evidenced by her threats of blackmail, and his refusal to budge on buying Leonard a birthday gift until it was labelled a "non-optional social convention."

How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:30): Brittney Spears' first appearance on the show: awesome. Second appearance: not so much. There had been so much hype about the Barney/Brittney team-up against Ted that the actually execution was a huge letdown.

Two and a Half Men (CBS 8:00): Quoth Zinger: "We get it. She's being a mother to them all. Can they please realize it and get on with the funny?" Couldn't have said it better myself.

American Gladiator (NBC 7:00): As expected, the only event we got to see last year's male winner Evan (now dubbed Rocket) compete in was The Wall, but the female winner Monica (now codenamed Jet) was popping up in event after event, and kicking quite a lot of butt as she did so. Way to go, soccer mom!

TUESDAY

Deadliest Catch (Discovery 8:00): Quite a season for temper tantrums and violent outbursts; can't wait to see who snaps next!

WEDNESDAY

Ultimate Fighter (Spike 9:00): Was soooooooooo glad that self-proclaimed "sandbagging son-of-a-[you know what]" Jeremy May got his head handed to him; maybe that will knock the smug look off his face for a few minutes at least. Highlight of the episode, though, was Forrest's voice cracking as he was yelling at Matt Brown to "show [May] the animal!" over and over again; good stuff. My favorite quote from any of the reviews I read of the episode was this one from Jared Barnes' Brawl Sports blog:

During the show May described his style as Jeremy Jitsu. From what I could tell Jeremy Jitsu consisted of acting like a tool whenever possible and using minor injuries as an excuse not to train hard. I have a feeling no one is going to see Jeremy Jitsu gyms popping up around town anytime soon.

THURSDAY

Survivor (CBS 7:00): Wow. Just . . . wow. Was that the first time we've ever seen somebody give up hard-won immunity? If it is, then the stupidity of the move highlights why it hasn't been done more often. In terms of straight-up blindside maneuvers, this has been the Survivor season to end all Survivor seasons. And while Eric getting booted made for some truly classic TV, there was a small part of me that was saddened because it meant I was going to have to endure that grating, malevolent, [expletive deleted] Natalie for at least the first hour of the finale.

My Name is Earl (NBC 7:00): Unsure how I feel about the whole Earl/Billie storyline; kind of glad it looks like it's coming to an end.

Scrubs (NBC 7:30): While airing a strange, fairy tale themed episode out of order so that significant plot developments are reversed and not addressed may not be the worst way I've ever seen a network end the run of a series, it's definitely not among the best, either. Still, the mild disappointment over a lackluster finale has been mollified by the official announcement of the news that TV insiders have known about for months: Scrubs will be moving to ABC for its final season, which promises to wrap up all the loose threads.

The Office (NBC 8:00): This show has been pretty hit or miss since the return from the strike; the latest installment was more miss than hit.

30 Rock (NBC 8:30): While I understand that the character of Liz really needs to be dysfunctional in order to function, I hate that this dooms any chance of a working Liz/Floyd relationship, because I really like their back-and-forth.

FRIDAY

Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi 9:00): Glad they've come back to the Cylon rift storyline; I find the exploration of the Cylon culture far more interesting than the rise of Baltar as prophet.

SPOILER Sunday

Survivor (CBS 7:00): By now, I'm pretty sure anyone reading this has seen the Survivor finale, but just in case you've been living under a rock, I figured I'd give a small spoiler warning before declaring

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

how ticked I am that Amanda lost. Two times on the show, two second place finishes; the girl just can't get a break. A lot of it was her own fault; she just can't seem to pull it together during the jury portion, and was digging her own grave with every word out of her mouth. It didn't help that Alexis, Natalie, and Parv seemed to have a bit of a bitca alliance going on, resulting in Alexis and Nat totally tearing into poor Amanda with the cattiest of comments. While I suppose the fact that Natalie didn't win should make me feel slightly better, and I have to admit that Parvati actually made some bold moves that changed the direction of the game, I was really hoping that the money wouldn't go to the role model for sexual manipulation and backstabbing. I guess I should have known better, huh?