Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Homer and Heisenberg: TV Club Edition

John,

I just finished re-watching Lard of the Dance and I have to say, the experience was made worse by the fact that Jeff and I watched a couple of great episodes from season 6 yesterday. Before watching S10E01 today, my memory convinced me that while it wasn't as funny as the episodes from earlier seasons, it was still enjoyable and ranked high on my season 10 list. Lard of the Dance has some funny jokes, like the hog anus one, but it mostly bugged me and my inner Early-Seasons-Simpsons-Snob came out. I like the storyline with Homer and the grease, but this was also the point in the series when the floodgates opened and every possible Homer/get-rich-quick scheme was explored; his services were no longer needed at the plant, apparently. So ultimately I have mixed feelings about the b-story. With the A-story, I don't mind the exploration of maturity among the youth and the ultimate message that kids should behave like kids - but other than that, I wasn't crazy about the way it was written. And with guest star Lisa Kudrow, I was slightly annoyed by the fact that she makes no attempt to sound like a kid - something that Meryl Streep and Winona Rider do very well with in season 6.

On "Box Cutter,"

Ha - maybe this is my day to complain about shit. I liked the episode and the series a lot, but ever since Tuco's cousins were killed, I've really felt as if the show has been lacking in excitement. Sure the stakes are high - but I feel like they might too high too soon. We're only in the third season and already Walt and Jesse are working with the biggest meth trafficker in North America. In a way, that does make me excited to see where they can take the show from here. Obviously the stakes will always have to go higher, so I do wonder with excited curiosity as to what will happen next. Does the fact that Jesse is still alive make you question the credibility of the show? I understand that without Jesse, Walt won't produce the meth. But hell, Gus could kill Jesse and then hold Walter Jr. hostage and force him to produce the meth. I don't know, the show has lost some credibility for me for this reason. I love Jesse and don't want him dead, so really it's this new storyline that bothers me.

But Jesse does make a good point though - since Gus can't kill them he's going to make them wish they were dead. I like that idea. Also, the killing of Victor was insane and unexpected - well done - in a brutal as hell kind of way.

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