I loved when Kristin and Lo were talking about Heidi’s party and then each would interject comments about Audrina’s laundry. Classic Hills. And Kristin and Brody walking on the beach; Kristin’s wearing a bikini, Brody’s saying, “It may just work out.” Could it get any more romantic?

And then Heidi’s party. First of all, the puppies were the most adorable things I’ve ever seen. I died a little when I saw them. Then Audrina entered. Awkward. So awkward. I felt uncomfortable watching it; I could feel the tension. Then Brody and Audrina went out on the porch to talk. Kristin standing in the background watching them was close to the scariest thing since the last Saw movie. She was a mixture of the girl from The Ring and the twins from The Shining. I feared for Brody and Audrina’s lives. Seriously. And then Kristin walked over to Audrina.

Okay, I have to say I’m on Kristin’s side. Audrina didn’t even give her the chance to talk things out at the beginning of the season. I didn’t really understand the conversation at Heidi’s party. Kristin kept trying to make amends and Audrina seemed deaf to it all. She just kept spewing random shit. It was strange, but also really exciting when Kristin finally wrote her off.

Kristin finally came to her senses the next morning. Wait, so Justin Bobby is actually what everyone’s been telling you he is? Hate to say I told you so.

JB should never speak again. Everything he says is uttely pointless, infantile or extremely dubious. He asked Kristin, “Can you just mellow out?” No, Justin. Not all of us are on drugs 24/7. Some of us actually care about life. I love when he told Kristin that what she was saying just “pushes [him] away.” Duh. That’s the point. Peace out, brotha. Please leave the show now.

Next week: Brody and Kristin are back together. Love it. Jade and Kristin get in a bitchfight. Love it more. This episode will be epic.

Final verdict: Lo said, “Totes McGotes.” My life is complete.

One of the questions that has lingered in my mind since the beginning of Mad Men was how the show would handle the JFK assassination, arguably the biggest news story of the decade. Now that the event has come to pass, I am pleased that the creative forces behind the show tackled the subject matter with signature wit, style, and intelligence.

I think that it wasn’t until fifteen or twenty minutes into the episode that JFK’s death was first referenced. The first third of the episode centered on Pete’s disappointment at losing the position of Senior Vice President of Accounts (or some important position like that) to Ken Cosgrove, and Margaret Sterling’s pre-wedding tantrum regarding her new stepmother’s expensive wedding gift. In the wake of JFK’s assassination, these individual conflicts were revealed as pointless and mundane — though Margaret missed out on any such insight. In the one humorous scene of an otherwise tragic episode, Margaret sat in front of the television in her wedding dress, sobbing “It’s ruined!”

Contrary to Margaret’s declaration, the wedding was not completely ruined. The newlyweds tied the knot and a few tables were filled. Roger’s wife Jane got drunk once again and he found solace by calling Joan after the wedding. Pete decided not to go to the wedding, telling his wife Trudy that attending all of these functions would be pointless in the wake of a national tragedy. I’m skeptical about the motives behind Pete’s prioritization here. I’m confident that Pete was just using the assassination as a justification for his earlier whining and threats that he was going to leave the company. On the other hand, I might be blinded by my (completely warranted, in my opinion) prejudices against Pete.

The most significant consequence of the JFK assassination for the Mad Men universe was undoubtedly the destruction of the Draper marriage. Betty’s shock at the death of the president left her feeling like she was on a totally tenuous foundation. Just as she is being overwhelmed by insecurities, in walks Henry. This man doesn’t want casual sex from Betty. He wants to marry her and take her to see Singin’ In the Rain. Compared to Don’s monotone reassurances to Betty and his insistence that she drown her grief in sleep, Henry really appeared to be the ideal husband. This image made it all the more believable that Betty would be so willing to desert her husband and family.

After sharing an intimate encounter with Henry in a parking lot, Betty came home to tell Don those four little words: “I don’t love you.” Hearing those words hit me like a punch to the stomach. Naturally, Don felt even worse. The episode ended with Don leaving for work without even speaking to Betty. In the nearly empty building (Peggy was still there), Don walked into his office to pour himself a drink. With that last shot, Don Draper looked like the loneliest man on Earth.

The season finale is next week. I have my predictions for this season’s cliff-hanger (though she is a major character in the show, I still have this feeling that Betty is going to commit suicide); what are yours?

Perky, endearing protagonist Betty Suarez is back for season four, decked in even wackier ensembles (only Betty could pull off the combination of teal, fuchsia, bright yellow and aubergine) and faced with new challenges at the ever-snide fashion enterprise, Mode magazine. In episode three, Betty struggles with the increased workload of her recent promotion as junior features editor, a job she later learns was the result of a flip of a coin. When Wilhelmina appoints a reluctant Marc (the loser of the coin toss) to be Betty’s temporary assistant, the two find themselves cavorting around NYC dressed as a giant hot dog and a giant bun in typical, hilarious Ugly Betty fashion.

Daniel seems to be recovering slowly from the loss of his wife, Molly. His decision to hire Lexi — a six-foot-five leggy blonde — as his new assistant is reminiscent of his old bachelorlike tendencies. Unfortunately, Lexi is, as Betty expects, completely unqualified, bitchy and conceited. The first “boob” issue arises when Daniel accidentally grazes his new assistant’s boob and fears a lawsuit. Luckily, he convinces her to model for Betty’s “worst jobs of New York” feature, and all is well.

Wilhelmina and Nico continue their covering-up of Nico’s recent murder of her abusive boyfriend. The talented Slater women also employ deception to keep Wilhelmina’s job intact.

Amanda finds herself lusting after Betty’s ex-boyfriend-turned-boss, Matt. Still, her interest is slightly quelled by the fact that he has kissed Betty.

Back in Queens, another set of boobs causes temporary problems when Hilda — in an attempt to spice up her relationship — accidentally hits reply-all to an e-mail to Archie, and sends a sexy photo to all his voters. Eventually, Archie publicly apologizes for the mistake but not for her sexiness. Moral of the story: boobs are awesome.

Things we liked:

1. Betty and Matt finally coexisting peacefully. I am so over Mean Matt. Will they get back together, though? Also, Amanda’s interest in Matt. This should make for some intrigue.
2. Daniel’s new BFF Natalie, a pale, spiky-haired, punkish but perfectly nice woman he met at a loss support group. Perhaps a makeover and future relationship are in the works? What do we think?
3. Ignacio learning to use the computer. Could he possibly get any cuter?

Things we didn’t like:

1. The continued making-over of Betty! They can try to replace the frizzy wig and hideous ensembles with funky striped socks, but “Ugly Betty” has been indubitably beautified. The latest “improvement” of note: her shapely eyebrows. This show was so much better when Betty was a mess.
2. Nico being played by a different actress, and now-Nico being completely incompatible with the paint-throwing, animal-rights activist Nico of the previous seasons. If you’re going to use a different actress, at least come up with a better excuse than “nose job,” and keep the character consistent!
3. Lack of Justin airtime. Last episode, he was being bullied at the new public high school, and sought advice from Marc.

Liz Lemon may never learn that hygiene matters. This week’s episode opened with her curiously sniffing her pits, lifting up her shirt and nonchalantly attempting to use a scented candle as deodorant. But her complete disregard for personal upkeep is more than okay; after all it is one of the reasons people watch week after week.

After being interrupted mid-candle swipe by Jack, she gives him an update on the continuing new cast member search and he suggests she look in more “American” cities for someone with whom the masses can relate. He winds up deciding they’ll visit Kenneth’s hometown of Stone Mountain, Georgia where he hopes to find a wholesome comedian to add to the “TGS” lineup.

Jenna is still feeling threatened by the prospect of a new cast member and is looking to get on the writers’ good sides. It doesn’t take Lutz, Toofer and Frank long to figure out what she’s up to and fill her wigs with raw shrimp to get back at her. But they quickly change their plan of action once they realize Jenna can get them into a sweet Halloween party with tons of Cerie-esque chicks. Jenna’s friend Sasha lets her know what the writers’ are doing and she gets them to promise her their allegiance in return for invites to the party.

Mirroring the celebrity deaths of the summer, two remotely famous people die and Tracey fears that he will be the next to go in the “rule of threes.” So he calls up Betty White, who you probably know as Rose from The Golden Girls, tries to scare her into an early death (with a “Boo!”) and then asks about her health. White may be your grandmother’s age, but she catches on and threatens Tracey. He also tries to get Jimmy Fallon with a hammer in the studio.

Down in Stone Mountain, Liz gets sick after having a bad sandwich at the Fatty Fat’s Sandwich Ranch, so Jack picks out a ventriloquist who he thinks should be the new, all-American cast member. But Liz is not having any of that and goes down to the Laugh Factory with Jack to check out this Rick Wayne, played by comedian Jeff Dunham, and heckle him. After one less-than-offensive comment from Liz, Wayne and his puppet Pumpkin fire back with some raunchy jokes that get the crowd going. Wayne keeps up the jokes even after Jack protests about this treatment of a lady, at which point Jack realizes that everyone is “terrible” and beats up the dummy.

Quote of the evening:

Liz: “God, are you doing this to me because I took that blind guy’s hot dog?”

Brody and Jade: It’s getting ridiculous. Can they just break up already? Their little conversation at the beginning of the episode was pointless and boring. Not to mention that the blue headband, Jade, has to go.

Enzo: Why? Why are you still in the show? Who are you?

And now let’s discuss the text message. We all knew the eponymous text message Justin Bobby sent to Kristin, “Sorry boo, strike two,” although witty, was big fat bullshit. Justin Bobby should just shut up already. He’s an idiot and he’s not funny. His games are stupid and pointless. And then he shows up and acts like a hot wet douchebag… get over yourself, JB. I’m certainly over you.

Holly. Holy shit. She was D-RUNK. And it was hilarious.

Brody and Jade fought again. And broke up again. My favorite part was when Jade told Brody, “You shouldn’t drink so much.” I practically died. Here is Jade, dipso of the century, drunk and crying again and she delivers possibly the best line of the episode. Finally Brody and Jade got into what I hope was their last fight. I’m praying they’re done for real. Jade is gross and stupid and annoying and I don’t really care about her. Leave now. Please. With Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield” as your exit. Peace.

No real discussion on The Hills would be complete without a discussion of the intervention. Let’s be real, Stephanie does know what she’s talking about. Things got strangely emotional. I mean, this isn’t Grey’s Anatomy. And then Holly, of course, stormed out. We all know where she’s going…to hit the bottle. Maybe she’s a lost cause. Or maybe I just like to watch her dance.

Next week: Spencer is ready to have a baby? I’m not ready for him to have a baby. And… Audrina-Kristin blow-up! Can’t wait! The moment we’ve all been waiting for!

Final verdict: Jade’s exit was basically the highlight of my Tuesday night.

“Happy Halloween, everyone!” That was the first message I received from last night’s episode, when we saw Sally and Bobby Draper excitedly prepare for some trick-or-treating. This episode unfortunately did not revolve around Halloween (though it did return to the holiday for one spectacular closing scene, which I will get to later). Regardless, this was a spectacular episode — perhaps the best of the season — in which Don’s secret identity is finally revealed to Betty.

Before I discuss the revelation that dominated the latter half of the episode, I should probably go over the episode’s main subplot. Annabelle Mathis, a former Sterling-Cooper client and CEO of a dog food company, returned to Sterling-Cooper after a Marilyn Monroe film, The Misfits, gave her product a bad name (if you haven’t seen that movie, don’t. It’s awful). It was quickly revealed that Annabelle had some romantic history with Roger that she wanted to resume. Roger did not want to restart the affair, as he was very much in love with his new wife Jane. I did not expect this mark of integrity for the typically promiscuous Roger; his fidelity has caused me to look at his new marriage in a new light.

Joan got some screen-time too, which is always great. While her husband Greg was off doing interviews to be a psychiatrist, Joan was taking advantage of her connections to Roger in order to get some work. Their conversation was witty (Roger: “I rearranged the secretaries alphabetically.” Joan: “By cup size?”) yet also very sweet. Joan and Roger obviously are deeply fond of each other. Greg expectedly flopped his interviews and complained to Joan that she had no idea what it was like to prepare for something all your life and not obtain it. Joan explained to Greg that she did understand such disappointment by subtly HITTING HIM OVER THE HEAD WITH A ROSE VASE. I love the violence in Mad Men: it’s always so small, yet so shocking. Greg made peace with Joan by episode’s end, when he told her that he had finally found his calling as a military surgeon. Seeing as how the Vietnam War is right around the corner, I think this might be the last we see of Greg.

Betty ended her trip with her family to surprise Don at home, just as he was about to go on a weeklong vacation with Miss Farrell. I was worried that the show would prolong this conflict by having Betty keep quiet. Fortunately, Betty compelled Don to open his desk before revealing all: “You know I know what’s in there.” Don was an emotional wreck; I was half-expecting him to have a heart attack at the kitchen sink. Betty furiously peppered him with questions, yet she was not without some compassion. Betty offering Don a drink was a touching moment of subtle generosity. Don went over the details of what he was storing. When telling Betty about his late younger brother, Don — for the first time in the series, I think — cried. This episode is Jon Hamm’s Emmy reel.

Betty, whether out of love or pragmatism, stayed with Don and the Draper family went out trick-or-treating. The finale scene showed the Drapers knock on the door of one man who fawned over Sally and Bobby’s costumes. Then he looked up at Don and joked “And who are you supposed to be?” Don kept on smiling, yet if that final shot was held any longer, I’m sure his head would have exploded.

Best line of the night: As Betty talked to her lawyer Milton about potentially leaving Don, he informed her that she would have no rights or privileges. Milton then informed her that if Don wasn’t abusive or poor, Betty should suck it up and stay with him. “That’s what I tell my own daughter.” Sad commentary on the lack of female autonomy in this time period? Um, sure. Brilliantly satirical line that makes you laugh-out-loud while feeling smart for doing so? Hell yes!

What did you all think? Was this the best episode of the season? Is this the last we’ve seen of Dick Whitman? How awesome would it have been if, during that emotionally-fused moment when Don was sobbing and Betty caressed him, Miss Farrell walked in?

This installment, though lacking full ensemble choruses, gives focus to single characters: Will sings and dances (breakdances, rather) like whoa to “Bust a Move” and “The Thong Song,” Emma sings My Fair Lady and Puck sings “Sweet Caroline” to Rachel, yet gets some puppy-eyed looks from Quinn. The premise is that Emma and Ken are getting ready for their wedding, and ask Will to make a mash-up of “The Thong Song” and “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Interesting choices, I know.

Other happenings include Sue falling in love and swing dancing (to my cell’s ringtone by the way), Ken taking his jealousy of Will and Emma out on the football team, Princess Di’s dress, gleeks wearing raincoats inside in fear of being slushied, no sign of Terri (maybe at a faraway hysterical pregnancy spa?), Puck and Rachel going/making out, wearing sunglasses to look cooler, Quinn getting kicked out of the Cheerios, and Will dancing (successfully and unsuccessfully) with Emma. Oh, and Sue’s back—again.

Predictions: My Wednesday evenings are taking a slight setback for the next three weeks as Glee takes a break from the rest of October. However, I predict that the spill of Quinn’s real baby daddy news will be the catalyst for all of the drama that’s been building up. That means (I hope) Finn breaking up with Quinn, Terri finding out, and then Will finding out about the hysterical pregnancy and Emma taking advantage of the fact that she sings.

But will the drama be too much for sectionals?

Music Tips: When sections are repeated, it is generally advised to make each repeat a little different — to make the piece more interesting, keep audience involved, show off, etc. But, I find it really great when things are repeated very similarly and then riffed on. Case and point: Puck. When he sings the chorus of “Sweet Caroline,” he keeps it pretty straight. But when he does a riff on the second, it’s great. As a friend of mine says, it’s “saving the goodies,” or tempting the audience for a while and then giving them what they want. Props to you, Mr. Puckerman.

Let’s start with talking about Audrina’s secretarial buzzing system. What is this, Mad Men? Why is that necessary? As if Audrina actually sits at her dining room table and does real work, waiting for someone to buzz downstairs.

Kristin went back to Laguna to visit home and apparently even her stepmom is afraid of her. It was downright uncomfortable (and hilarious) when Kristin’s stepmom entered with her yoga mat, unbeknownst to her that Kristin was visiting home, and gave her a booty-out awkward hug. Can’t you just picture daddy’s little girl torturing this woman as a child? Or still? Also, Kristin’s dad seemed to be getting higher and higher throughout the conversation, culminating in a long, dazed pause before his final words. Maybe even he needs to relax before dealing with Kristin.

Holly. Need I say more? Hot mess. And thank you Stephanie for enlightening us with your alcoholic expertise. It was much appreciated.

And Justin Bobby. Two words: Coked. Out. Possibly the most ever on the show. And he was cooking Kristin dinner? How did the cameramen not intervene before he lit his hair on fire? And then he calls Kristin a “wildcard.” Really? Like, really? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Kristin: Try to make an effort at subtlety. We all know you’re just a raging sexpot inside, but please. You don’t have to cut off a wonderful dinner JB cooked for you just so you can get it on.

I loved the relative ease with which Holly accepted her failure at life. It was a little strange, but also pretty nice. There’s only room for one alchie on this show, and Jade takes the prize.

And then of course, the JB-Audrina rendezvous. Wait, what? Why are they meeting? We did get a glimpse into Justin Bobby’s soul when he claimed, “I would never be able to say anything was better than Audrina Patridge. Ever in my life.” So sweet. I wanna believe him. But I can’t. And Audrina took the bait. Justin Bobby is playing her once again

Brody and Kristin getting back together again? What is this, 2006? Cannot WAIT for next week.

Final verdict: Substance abuse and Justin Bobby shenanigans? I’ll take it.

This week’s House episode opened with two police officers chasing an acrobatic, parkour-esque perp, who eludes them by climbing up pipes and jumping across buldings. When one of the cops twists his ankle, the other continues the chase, attempting to follow the criminal across a gap in between two buildings. Unfortunately, he misjudges the distance and falls thirty feet to a bloody, painful collision. Off to Princeton-Plainsboro!

Episode Summary

After being stitched up and brought back to consciousness, we learn that our daredevil police officer, Donny, doesn’t care about his own health; he’s convinced that he’s going to die of a heart attack on his upcoming fortieth birthday like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather before him.

While Chase, Cameron and Foreman examine the remains of Donny’s dead paternal relatives, a woman comes into House’s office, telling him that she had a son with the patient, who doesn’t know he has a child. In usual House fashion, he forsakes emotion and instead spites the patient, giving him a fake diagnosis and treatment for the illness he doesn’t have.

Alas, four hours after being discharged, Donny dies. The body is brought in for an immediate autopsy; when Foreman begins to cut into Donny’s chest cavity, blood flows out of the incision (an unnatural reaction for a cadaver) and Donny suddenly opens his eyes and screams.

While Foreman and House are dealing with Lazarus the cop, Chase becomes increasingly guilt-ridden over the Dibala debacle (See House: “The Tyrant”). He decides to go to church for confession, but the Father’s advice is not what Chase wants to hear, and so he instead returns home eight hours later, completely wasted.

An additional side story in the episode involves House and his fight for sanity. While sleeping at Wilson’s house, House thinks he hears whispering, making him paranoid of reappearing psychosis. After several days of sleuthing, he realizes the whispering is the sound of Wilson softly talking to his dead girlfriend, Amber, traveling through the vents.

Later, while House is arguing (and flirting) with Cuddy during rounds she forces him to do to help get his license back, he has his usual epiphany, realizing that Donny is suffering from a brain aneurism. Donny and his newly discovered son go in for surgery to remove their respective aneurisms, and everyone returns to relative normalcy.

What Worked

House’s attempt at rounds was nothing short of hilarious. While brief, it completely encapsulated the reasons that we love Dr. Gregory House.

What Didn’t

House’s “hearing whispers” phenomena, while clearly an attempt at continuing the thread of emotional sincerity in House, didn’t fully hit the mark, and ultimately was a waste of airtime.

Predictions

We’ve got a brief hiatus from House coming up in the following weeks, with our favorite doc coming back in early November. I’m expecting a big bang of a return episode, with expansion on Chase’s lies to Cameron and House and Cuddy’s burgeoning relationship.

The pages go on strike on 30 Rock’s fourth season premiere. Photo courtesy of NBC.

Fresh off its third straight comedy series win at the Emmys, 30 Rock kicked off its fourth season by standing inches from the economy and staring it in the face. It was a strange way to start the season, but it created ample space for the satirical one-liners and awkward moments that fans and critics have come to anticipate.

And if the viewers just couldn’t get enough, Judah Frielander provided live commentary via Twitter as both himself (@JudahWorldChamp) and his character, Frank Rossitano (@FrankRossitano). Some of it was insightful, some of it was…interesting.

This season Jack Donaghy feels that the sketch comedy series TGS needs to undergo some changes in order to stay competitive in the midst of the recession. Since Tracy and Jenna are not relatable enough to the American public, Jack gives Liz the task of finding a new cast member. She’s not exactly enthused and recruits the shows’ producer, Pete, to help in the talent search.

They attempt to keep the whole affair under wraps while Tracy and Jenna try to reclaim their audience appeal: Tracy wanders the streets of New York alone and Jenna films a sports promo. Tracy thinks returning to his “roots” will reconnect him with the public and Jenna believes that going country will capture a different set of viewers.

Back in Jack’s office, Kenneth the page is having trouble figuring out why his timecard only allows for 16 hours. So naturally, he goes to the NBC executive for help. Jack informs him that there is no mistake with his timecard, the company is simply eliminating overtime for its pages. He justifies this by telling Kenneth that everyone has to make sacrifices during these hard times. Later Kenneth accidentally receives Jack’s paycheck and is stunned by the all the zeros. He confronts Jack about getting such high pay when the pages can’t even work overtime.

Jack puts it simply, “My talents are more valuable than yours. So I’m paid accordingly, therefore I’m entitled to my bonus.”

But Kenneth is willing to forget the whole matter if Jack admits he’s a liar. He refuses and the pages go on strike. They march outside the building with guys that work as mall Santa Claus’ and picket signs that read “Pages are sort of people too!” They don’t know there’s a mole (played by Steve Buscemi) among them, hired by Jack to bring the strike to an end.

Inside the office, Liz and Pete continue to sneak around trying to find a new cast member. They fail at being secretive, however, and the whole staff ends up discovering what they have been doing. By the time everyone finds out, Jack’s associate has still been unable to end the strike. So Jack goes down there himself and finds Kenneth unwilling to budge. Jack knows there is only one way to end it, so he caves and admits that he is a liar. Just when you think it’s over, Jack and Liz look straight into the camera and introduce The Jay Leno Show.

At the conclusion of this week’s episode of Mad Men, a friend of mine turned to me and said sarcastically, “Well, we found out that Sterling-Cooper is being sold…again.” While I don’t think this week’s episode was completely devoid of interesting events, it definitely felt a little deflated. But this episode certainly wasn’t pointless, as it did feature Betty finally learning about Don’s past as Dick Whitman.

Don’s affair with Sally’s teacher Miss Farrell, which began at the end of last week’s episode, moved ahead full steam this week. With her long curly hair and inclination to be vocal during sex, Miss Farrell is Betty’s opposite. She even cares for her younger brother! Unfortunately for Don, there seems to be a little bit of Alex Forrest in Miss Farrell. Her presence on the train during Don’s morning commute was pretty jarring for him and left me thinking that there might be a bunny boiling in the Draper kitchen by season’s end. I’m really not a fan of Miss Farrell: for all her smug insights into Don, she falls even harder for him than any of Don’s other flings. What a hypocrite.

I also didn’t love the subplot involving the competition between Peggy and Paul Kinsey. After Peggy delivered some much-needed edits to Paul’s ad idea for Aquanet, Paul lashed out at her, saying that she was around only because she was a woman and “Don’s favorite.” Paul had to eat his words at the next meeting with Don when Peggy once again saved the day by taking Paul’s aphorism regarding his lost work and morphing it into a stellar new slogan. With its pat completeness and cute irony, this whole subplot felt like it belonged in a sitcom and was therefore beneath Mad Men. Peggy’s retort to Don after he scolded Paul (“Don’t yell at him,”) almost made the plot worth it; I really love how Peggy is gradually removing Don from this pedestal and seeing him for the very flawed human that he is.

The centerpiece of this episode was Betty’s discovery of Don’s past existence as Dick Whitman. Though we only hear about Don’s past life on occasion, it is one of the moments that the whole series has been building up to. Betty was shocked and then furious. The episode’s closing shot was of Betty glaring at Don as he spoke at Sterling-Cooper’s 40th anniversary; unlike Betty’s past looks of disappointment, this face had both menace and rage in it. I am so ready for Betty to unleash her fury.

The other big plot point in the episode involved the Brits’ plans to sell out Sterling-Cooper. Admittedly I did not follow this plotline too closely because every time Sterling-Cooper’s British owners come onto the scene, I am always astonished that the creative forces behind Mad Men know how to perfectly capture the image of British stuffiness.

The episode’s best moment by far was the hilarious exchange between Roger Sterling and his Mummy in the limo. As Mummy mistook Roger’s wife Jane for his daughter Margaret, Roger had to correct her. Mummy’s reaction was unexpected and priceless: “Does Mona know?” Brilliant.

In this episode:

Like last week’s episode, the study group is fragmented into separate storylines, each involving a few of the main characters. Jeff agrees to “represent” Britta in a satirical tribunal after she is caught cheating by their creepy Spanish teacher.

Jeff overly “friendly” flirting with his crush persists throughout their storyline, and unsurprisingly, he saves his damsel in distress from being expelled. Funnier than Jeff’s ridiculous insanity defense are the facial expressions of Professor Vaughn, Señor Chang and Dean Pelton as Jeff delivers his emotional “closing argument.”

Meanwhile, Troy regrets teaching Abed how to “mess” with a friend. Abed takes pranking to the extreme, buying a green screen and hiring another actor to convince Troy he’s an alien.

Annie recruits Pierce to write the school song; he is, after all, responsible for the award-winning Hawthorne Wipes jingle. The episode ends with the storylines somehow weaving together in the quad as Pierce unknowingly steals and completely ruins an old pop song way past its expiration date (much like Chevy Chase’s character).

What we liked:

The college humor scattered throughout the episode that not only makes fun of community college, but also elite institutions of higher learning, like Northwestern. Jeff explains to the college’s dean that he is as crazy as Britta for creating a dangerous fire hazard (surround-sound wired through an Olympic-sized pool) simply to compete with Yale. John Oliver and Ken Jeong duke it out over their respective titles of professor and teacher.

Troy: “The only difference between Señor Chang and Stalin is that I know who Señor Chang is.”

What we didn’t like:

No Shirley!

Everyone already knows Abed is strange — no need trying to convince Troy, or anyone else, that he’s an alien.

Overall, we miss the lack of cohesiveness the ensemble cast provided in the first few episodes. Each personality is at his or her best when part of the overall group. Community needs some larger story arches that connect the characters to each other, and overall to the audience.

Summary

It was on in this episode. Sue and Will fought over the club, fought with each other in front of the club, and even fought in their voice overs. Thanks to Jacob Ben Israel — the awkwardly hormonal “journalist” creepily obsessed with Rachel — Sue now knows that Quinn is pregnant, so Quinn’s cheerleading career is virtually over. Evidently Quinn is also the Diana Ross diva, getting a chance to sing You Keep Me Hanging On, yet with more than two background singers (she also sounds like what Britney Spears would probably sound like if she didn’t fry her voice). In other scenes, Terri and her sister blackmail the gynecologist to pretend that she’s pregnant to Will. Sue breaks up the club and chooses all of the “minorities” in her group so she’ll look more like a human. Also, Carmina Burana — that crazy and intimidating choral piece played a few times — was used during the cold war quarrels of the co-chairs of New Directions. Yet at the end of the day, Sue dropped down from co-chair because it was “too fruity,” and Finn wants to keep the kid (and name him Drizzle). We didn’t see much of the other characters, unfortunately, but we did get an awesome solo from Mercedes (Hate on Me), and some amusing chair-dancing from Kurt. And props: Glee has finally made up for the lack of singing in this episode, with five new songs.

Predictions

Although Emma was only in the recap, she will be back next week actually counseling the students. It seems that there’s a new kid on the block, and he’s not a fan of the gleeks. Personally, I am ready for Finn to find out that he’s not the baby-daddy, to see how Emma and Ken’s “marriage” is, Finn to hook-up with Rachel and Will to leave Terri for Emma…major drama to come.

Music Tip

Despite what we see on Glee, sight reading doesn’t always sound that good — it tends to take rehearsals and practice to get there. In the real world, they would sound more like their “covert jam session.” Don’t worry, they’re still fantastic, and I’m rooting for them all the way.

Once again, House surpasses the usual medical mysteries and delivers yet another hard-hitting episode that involves much more than diagnostic cunning. After a wealthy businessman receives yet another failed diagnosis for his son’s ongoing medical malfunctions from a slew of renowned diagnosticians, he decides to skip the rest and go to the best: Dr. Gregory House.

Episode Summary

When the entrepreneur, Ken, and his dying son, Oliver, arrive in Princeton-Plainsboro, they immediately request for House. Despite Cuddy’s repeated statements that House isn’t currently licensed (those paper pushers really drag their feet, don’t they?), Ken demands House to be his son’s doctor, and Cuddy relents, with Foreman acting again as the figurehead of the Diagnostics Department while House continues to reign as the brains.

Throughout the usual diagnoses, misdiagnoses and re-done diagnoses (which in this installment included brain cancer and abdominal epilepsy) that House has become famous (and maybe a bit predictable) for, we see several sidelined story arcs.

First of all, Chase and Foreman grapple with their preparations for a hearing of the hospital’s best and brightest, in which Foreman must explain the cause for the late President Dibala’s death (see House: “The Tyrant”).

We are also shown with Dr. Hadley (aka Thirteen) doing her best to leave Princeton-Plainsboro behind and make her way to Thailand for an indefinite amount of time. House, who appears to be stalking her, confronts Thirteen about her departure, but she rebuffs and House relents.

Returning to the world of medicine: Despite numerous diagnoses, Oliver’s condition is only worsening. After seeing a rash on Oliver’s stomach, House finally decides that Oliver has Dago Disease, an incurable and (according to my best efforts at googling and searching in medical dictionaries) made-up disease. Ken, thinking that his son’s misfortune is karma kicking his ass for his own financial successes, decides to throw away his fortune in order to appease the karmic energies that he thinks are screwing around with his son.

At the same time, Dr. House has his usual epiphany, delivers a different diagnosis, and the prescribed medicine saves Oliver. However, Ken remains convinced that throwing away his wealth saved his son.

In the final scene, we see Oliver and Ken in high spirits, Foreman delivering the Dibala briefing without any issues, and Thirteen leaving for Thailand, possibly for good.

What Worked

The old team working together again is nothing short of refreshing, and is reminiscent of the time when House was still on Vicodin and was a bit more insulting.

What Didn’t

To put it simply: Thirteen. I’ve had enough with the whole charade of her departure from the diagnostics team. Taub quit, and we haven’t seen him since. But since Thirteen quit, she’s had almost as much airtime as House. She needs to get back on the team or get lost.

Predictions

Obviously, the Dibala matter is closed, so the next episode will probably contain another medical mystery, as well as some insight on whether Thirteen is actually gone for good. And hopefully, House will get his license back.

The events of this week revolved around yet another party. Except this time it wasn’t Frankie’s! Props to Jade for planning Brody a surprise party, which is perhaps the only good thing that alchie’s ever done for the man.

Does anyone else think it strange that Kristin got Brody sex toys? And he opened them right in front of his mom! I mean, the collar and whip were apropos but sex toys from an old girlfriend is a no-no. Kristin and Brody were certainly kindling the fire in this episode, even though Kristin described their sex life as “very vanilla.” Um, okay.

Justin, dare I waste words on him, shows he could really use a trip to the gym when he lies on the beach next to Kristin’s flawless body (this is what we love her for!). I mean, that ‘ITALY’ tattoo was looking a little flabby. Then he stands her up at Brody’s party! He’s already playing her like he played Audrina, and Kristin is “not gonna put up with it.” Can’t wait! The bitch is so back!

Back to the party. The hot water balloon smashing into Kristin’s face has to be the funniest thing on The Hills since Lo coined the name “Justin Bobby.” The glasses twisted on Kristin’s face, the wet hair, the look of shock, the uncontrollable tears welling up… everyone loves a good Kristin face-smashing.

On another note, when did Brody turn into Spencer? Screaming “We don’t care! We don’t care!” at Jade as she walks out is not the way to find friends. Even though drunk Jade almost always deserves it, nobody likes a Pratt-style douchebag.

I’m getting bored of Audrina and her boys and her boy problems. They’re getting excessive. Girl needs to learn how to pick a guy. It looks like next week, Justin Bobby will start playing Audrina again while he’s playing Kristin!! If Audrina can’t get over him and Kristin is stupid enough to get into him, then I say let that good-for-nothing hipster tear their hearts out.

Enzo: You’re adorable.

Heidi: Stir up some drama because I’m  getting really bored with you.

Final Verdict: Not enough drama and too much Justin Bobby.