*CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM PAST SEASONS*

The fifth season finale left us with many questions, which will hopefully have some light shined on them this Tuesday. Who is the mysterious man in black from the opening scene? What are Ilana and Bram trying to do? Is Jacob really dead? How about Locke? Did the hydrogen bomb really go off? But  these questions are only from the last episode. Lost fans who have stuck around from Season 1 probably have dozens more.

*END OF SPOILERS*

For those of you who are still catching up, I would recommend using Netflix’s instant streaming service if you have it. Every season of Lost, including Season 5 are available. Our very own Joe Haygood has been doing just that. So there you have it. Get ready for the beginning of the end!

It was bound to happen. Barney and Robin’s relationship finally hits a real snag. When the two begin to let themselves go, which is heavily exaggerated in Ted’s retelling of the story, the rest of the group (Ted, Marshall, and Lily) decide to try to break them up. Ted and Marshall enlist Lily to do the dirty work, considering the fact that she sabotaged seven of Ted’s past relationships, and she develops a master plan to destroy the couple. But Lily’s plan doesn’t play out quite as expected, which makes the end of the episode particularly intriguing to watch.

After Barney gives his entire porn collection to Ted, the group realizes that he is not the same person, and that’s when they start to really notice the changes in his lifestyle. Observing Barney as he grows fatter and fatter and Robin as she becomes more strung out is really the highlight of the episode. Barney’s “player” mentality is completely gone and he’s turned into a lazy, fat version of himself with zero sex drive. Also, the stakeout scene with Ted, Marshall, Lily, a “Stormtrooper,” Alan Thicke, and a sausage delivery boy is flat-out hilarious. The constant banter between everyone in the stakeout Station Wagon makes for an incredible scene.

This episode is the beginning of a big change for this season. That said, I view it as a very welcome change. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I’ll leave you with one hint: “Daddy’s home.”

Grade: B+

The Big Bang Theory – “The Guitarist Amplification”

When Penny announces that an old friend of hers (an ex-boyfriend, to be exact) is coming to crash on her couch, it sparks a huge fight between her and Leonard. This fight then spreads to Raj and Howard as they begin bickering over who is right or wrong in Leonard and Penny’s argument. We soon learn that Sheldon had multiple traumatic experiences as a child with his parents yelling constantly, so he cannot take the continuous fighting. The entire episode is a nightmare for him, and he eventually takes refuge in one of the corners of the comic book store.

The constant spats between the cast members aren’t really a huge source of humor. What does manage to rake in some laughs is, like always, Sheldon’s quirkiness and goofy mannerisms. For instance, to block out the noise of fighting, Sheldon fills a blender with ice cubes and goes to town. Furthermore, he hides in the corner of the comic book store with a graphic novel and some toy robots to protect him.

Overall, I would consider this to be a great episode, but there are quite a few guaranteed laughs. They keep pushing the boundaries of Leonard and Penny’s relationship but it never seems to have any repercussions. For example, I saw the preview for next week’s episode (it looks fantastic, by the way) and it’s like the conflict from this episode was completely thrown out the window.

Grade: B-

The Hecks always have a lot to deal with. This week, Axl thinks everything is lame, Sue is trying out for the position of tennis ball-girl (which she predictably fails at), and Brick’s test results (not educational, mental). This episode’s storylines are divided into Frankie and Axl, as well as Mike and Brick, with Sue being put on the back burner. Frankie just wants to know that Axl is still the sweet little kid that he used to be when he was six, but their relationship is hurt even worse when Axl is the only football player that gives his old football jersey to a hot girl, rather than his mom. Moreover, after Brick’s $500 test results reveal that Brick is obviously bad at socializing with other kids, Mike tries to get him involved with other kids.

The Axl/Frankie storyline is very predictable, and in most of Patricia Heaton’s scenes, she seems like she’s constantly overacting. Axl is the stereotypical teenage boy, and Frankie is the stereotypical, overworked mother, who is tired of dealing with the stereotypical teenage boy. Mike and Brick’s scenes, on the other hand, make for extremely humorous situations. The flashbacks of Brick trying to interact with other boys his age sets this up for a great storyline. So in an effort to make Brick seem normal, Mike signs him up for basketball, but it unfortunately has the opposite effect. Brick’s mannerisms are really what keep the show fresh, even if his whispering-to-himself gag is becoming overdone. Brick is constantly reading on the basketball court, and Mike’s frustration with him just makes it even funnier.

So like I was saying, one of the storylines, Mike and Brick’s, really had a lot going for it, whereas Frankie and Axl’s storyline seemed to be lacking quite a bit. The show has been performing well enough, but it won’t be able to survive on Brick forever. The writers and actors need to really establish these characters and make them work well together.

Grade: B

Modern Family – “Run for Your Wife”

It’s the first day of school (I thought they were already in school, though), and each family is dealing with their own set of problems. Jay and Gloria have a conflict because Manny wants to go school in an authentic Columbian poncho; Jay thinks he should reconsider to save himself the embarrassment, but Gloria is (almost) always in support of her son. Mitchell and Cam are also facing an issue after Lily suffers her first bump on the head, but, being new parents, they very concerned and take a trip to the doctor. Finally, with the house empty, Phil challenges Claire to a race, which really turns into a competitive battle.

Like all of the show’s previous episodes, each storyline is hilarious. Gloria wants Jay to show Manny that he’s supportive of him, so he brings him his poncho. However, Gloria realizes that there are limits to how badly she’ll let Manny embarrass himself, and she subtly asks Jay to destroy his pan flute, so he can’t perform his dance in front of the class. Furthermore, the tension inside the Dunphy household makes more some fantastic moments between Phil and Claire, as they keep trying to one-up each other. My favorite moment happens to be when Mitch and Cam freak out after they accidentally lock Lily inside their car.

Modern Family continues to impress. I feel like I’m gushing over this show every week, but in all honesty, it really deserves it. All I can really say is make sure you put this show on your must-watch list.

Grade: A

Blech. That pretty much sums up the entire episode. In my honest opinion, it’s the worst of the season, so far. None of the storylines are compelling and less than halfway through you will start to question why you are supposed to care about what’s going on. Dean Pelton wants to recruit Troy for the school’s football team, but Annie keeps him to his studies. That is, until the dean begins to blackmail Jeff by plastering his face all of the community college’s posters. Also, Britta is shunned by Shirley as a “bathroom buddy” because she’s too cold, so Britta asks to be trained to become one of the girls. And in the only semi-funny storyline, Pierce is helping design the Greendale Human Beings’ school mascot, but is trying not to be racist. And it’s all just… Terrible…

I’m not sure I laughed at all during the entire time I watched the show this week. There was a bevy of bad jokes, like the trophy case gag. I might have chuckled when Pierce was working on the new mascot design but definitely not for long. I’m almost positive I’ll be giving up on this show by the end of the season, that is, if it doesn’t get cancelled first.

Grade: D

The Office – “The Lover”

This week, Michael reveals to Jim that his new lover just so happens to be Pam’s mom. This information, of course, is eventually spread throughout the office. Once Pam finds out, all hell breaks loose. It’s simply amazing watching the individual reactions to the news of Michael’s new liaison.

When Michael first tells Jim the big news, he has trouble believing him. After Jim asks what kind of car Pam’s mom drives, Michael answers correctly and the look of horror on Jim’s face could not be more hilarious. Jim begs Michael to keep this a secret and end the relationship, but Michael thinks that Pam would just want him to be happy. Once the news gets out, Pam absolutely freaks and the feuding begins. Meanwhile, Dwight is back to his old antics, as he plants a bugged wooden mallard in Jim’s office. Jim quickly finds out after he hears it buzzing and uses it against Dwight to mess with his mind.

All in all, this was a very unusual, albeit hilarious episode of The Office. I say unusual because it’s not often that we get to see Pam completely furious; furious enough to say sh**. By the end of the episode, she cools down some, but you can’t help but feel sorry for her. What would you do if Michael Scott was dating your mom?

Grade: B+

30 Rock – “Into the Crevasse”

Liz Lemon’s new book, which points out a multitude of “deakbreakers” for women and their prospective boyfriends, finally catches up to her, when all the men she works with start raising Cain. The writers are pissed, Pete is pissed, and eventually, Tracy’s wife, Angie, gets a hold of the book and starts to rethink their relationship. Only adding to her troubles was Jenna’s childlike attitude towards the idea of a new cast member. To get back at Liz, Jenna is filming a shoddy vampire movie in Iceland. In addition, Jack takes a bus to Washington D.C. to meet a government taskforce, which is supposed to distribute bailout money, lead by none other than Jack’s rival, Devon Banks, played gloriously by Will Arnett. Jack Donaghy, being the devout Republican that he is, refuses to take bailout from Obama, so he has to reinvigorate the microwave market or face the bankruptcy of his division.

In every storyline there are plenty of and various type of hilarious moments. My personal favorite is when Tracy confronts Liz about her book, yelling, “Liz Lemon, you booger-face! I’m gonna kill you with a bazooka!” Jack’s dispute with Banks is also filled with its fair share of humor, whether it’s Banks’ pointing out of Donaghy’s frivolous spending or Banks’ exclamation of, “You don’t tell me what kind of pizza to like!” And I dare you not to laugh when Tracy becomes Liz’s roommate; he answers the phone “Tracy and Liz’s! Tracy speaking,” and he brings along his pet reef shark in a garbage bag.

It’s always great to see all of the actors clicking, especially when there’s a guest. Arnett continues to do a great job in his portrayal of Devon Banks. I really can’t say anything bad about this episode. Every joke was right on the money and there were hardly any slow or dull moments.

Grade: A+

Guess what. The Heck family has yet another set of hectic problems in store. Sue, who has been selling cheese and sausage all over the state to go on a school trip to Indianapolis, finally has to stand up for herself when her name isn’t on the school field trip list, and Brick has his first girlfriend, Olivia, who is extremely demanding. After watching her mother say, “Eh, it’s not worth the fight,” over the years, Sue figures it’s no use to try and go on the trip to the capital, but Frankie is determined to get her to Indianapolis. The men of the house, on the other hand, spend their time trying to figure out how Brick can get rid of his new girlfriend.

Many of the jokes this week feel forced and the acting feels a tad over the top. For instance, I think Patricia Heaton’s portrayal of Frankie seems too much like a “psycho-mom,” and Sue’s over-excitement for the school trip feels insincere. However, the flashbacks showing how Sue is never noticed in school are hysterical. The best portions of this week’s episode are with Brick, Axl, and Mike as they discuss how Brick can break-off his relationship and about women in general.

So far, The Middle hasn’t had its break-out episode, but none of the episodes are ever bad. If this season continues the way it is, I’ll still keep coming back, but I don’t think it would be able to become a favorite of mine.

Grade: B-

Modern Family – “Coal Digger”

There’s a family barbeque at the Pritchett household (that would be Jay, Gloria, and Manny’s house) and a conflict between Claire and Gloria is brought out, surprisingly, by their two children, Luke and Manny. Luke and Manny had been fighting at school, and after they had patched things up, they told the family why they were making fun of each other. After a few harmless insults were brought up, Luke then reveals that he made fun of Manny because his mom used to “dig coal.” When Alex asks what a “coal digger” is, Phil quickly and hilariously points out that “You heard it wrong, sweetie, it’s gold digger.” Tensions between Claire and Gloria were already high as it is, and this turns the night into a whole new level of uncomfortable. While this part of the story is funny all by itself, a couple of small scenes with Jay, Cameron, and Mitchell watching football made me die with laughter.

A lot of the humor in this episode is reminiscent of The Office, in that it’s mainly about the uncomfortable and awkward moments, such as Gloria being called a gold digger in front of the family, or Claire walking into Gloria’s room and seeing Phil covered in Gloria’s underwear. Plus, the moments with Jay, Mitch, and Cam are absolutely fantastic. Since Claire referred to Gloria as a gold digger, Jay is suddenly self-conscious about his looks, so he asks for the opinion of his gay son and his boyfriend. Cameron eagerly replies, “You’re totally my type. You’re dangerous. You’re gettable. You have a little cashola in your pocket.” It’s such a classic moment.

It seems like every element of Modern Family clicks perfectly. The storylines are intriguing, the acting is believable, the style is unique, and the writing is hilarious. If you haven’t started watching this show, please, I’m begging you, go straight to Hulu or ABC and watch it now.

Grade: A-

As I suspected, last week’s “The Sexless Innkeeper” was just one of those occasional flops. “Duel Citizenship” is all about the classic How I Met Your Mother moments; it’s filled with Ted and Marshall bonding and Barney’s Canada jokes. After learning that one of their favorite pizzerias in Chicago, Illinois was being closed down, Ted and Marshall decide to take a road-trip like old times. However, now that Marshall is a married man, he brings Lily along for the ride, destroying all of Ted’s plans to have a good time. Concurrently, Robin trains with Barney to become an American citizen, after she assaulted someone with a chair at the Hoser Hut; otherwise, she would be deported back to Canada. With these two storylines, “Duel Citizenship” is able to cash-in on two of the show’s classic jokes: Barney’s incessant mockery of Canada and Ted and Marshall’s college days.

The road-trip storyline is done with an excellent comparison of the current-day trip to flashbacks of Ted and Marshall’s old days. Early on Lily proves to be quite the annoying companion, with her tiny bladder and sugar snap peas. Ted is peeved that he won’t be able to relive his golden days of eating nothing but beef jerky, drinking the caffeine-loaded Tantrum, and listening to The Proclaimer’s “500 Miles” over and over again. Instead, they are forced to listen to a book on tape about a dog named Sparky, voiced by Kenny Rogers. In the end, however, the book, which has some seriously ridiculous writing, actually helps Ted and Marshall rediscover their relationship. I’ve already stretched out this “Quick Review” long enough, and I have barely touched on the Barney and Robin side of the story. Without going in to too much detail, I can say that there will be plenty of riotous laughter, whether it’s Robin mistaking Jim Varney for Jeff Foxworthy and stubbornly sticking to her guns, or Barney lecturing Canada on how they can become a better country at a Tim Horton’s in Toronto.

I think I’ve pretty much made my case. “Duel Citizenship” is great on basically every level, and definitely makes up for last week’s flop.

Grade: A

Two and a Half Men – “For the Sake of the Child”

I have mixed feelings about this week’s episode. On the one hand, it does have its fair share of humor (although an equal number of jokes that don’t land). On the other hand, the actual story elements are really forced and don’t exactly make sense, which isn’t really a death sentence for a comedy, but I feel it could have used some work. For instance, Jake is sick of Charlie and Alan’s bickering, but it doesn’t seem any different from how they’ve always acted. Jake doesn’t want to stay at Charlie’s anymore, but there really isn’t a clear reason that’s bothering him.

There are a bunch of great moments this week, such as Charlie’s freak out reactions while Jake is driving and Berta’s snarky comments, but there are probably just as many crappy jokes. Charlie and Alan’s constant bickering had the potential to be a lot funnier, but the name-calling gets old fast.

Overall, I would say that I was disappointed with this episode, but I did get a few laughs out of it. For some reason it feels like this could possibly be the last season of the show, but I think the show’s ratings would beg to differ. I need to see some sort of change in this show really soon.

Grade: C+

The Big Bang Theory – “The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary”

“The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary” succeeds on both fronts. The two storylines, which include Raj recruiting Sheldon for a card game tournament  and Howard bringing up an old pact between him and Leonard, wherein Leonard, since he now has a hot girlfriend, needs to get Howard set-up with one of Penny’s friends. Raj enters the card tournament at the local comic book store for the cash prize, but he’s only able to recruit Sheldon once he discovers that Wil Wheaton also signed up for the tournament. Wheaton devastated Sheldon’s childhood after he didn’t show up at a Star Trek event that Sheldon traveled across the country to visit. Meanwhile, Leonard, Penny, Howard, and Penny’s friend go on a double date that starts out rocky, but turns into a match made in heaven as the night progresses.

Sheldon’s obsession and determination to beat Wil Wheaton is simply hilarious all throughout the episode, and it makes for a truly delightful ending. Sheldon’s comprehension and eidetic memory of the card game has him playing out each match verbally, winning without his competitors being able to play a card. Eventually, he makes it to his match with Wheaton, and, to not spoil the ending, I’ll just say that Wil Wheaton is a pretty devious guy. With the other group, Howard is really the redeeming factor. Leonard and Penny are there just because, but it’s funny watching Howard’s date with Penny’s friend go from total disaster to a perfect match.

After the first season of The Big Bang Theory I wasn’t so sure this show was going to make it. The second season really managed to grab my attention. Now, at the beginning of its third season, this show has become one of my favorites; mainly because I can relate to it, and it makes me feel less geeky.

Grade: B+

This was probably the best episode of Community so far, and although that’s not saying much, I thoroughly enjoyed some parts of the episode. There are three separate storylines in “Advanced Criminal Law,” the main one following Britta’s hearing after she admits to making a crib sheet for a test in Señor Chang’s class. We also follow Troy and Abed as they try to mess with each other, as well as Annie who selects Pierce to write a song for Greendale Community College.

All three storylines peter out in the latter half of the show, but there are plenty of laughs to be had at the beginning. Once again, Ken Jeong does a wonderful representation of the insane Señor Chang as he threatens to fail the whole class if the cheater does not come forward. There’s also Troy telling Abed the secret that he’s President Obama’s nephew. But the funniest moment had to be when Pierce revealed that his jingle for Hawthorne Wipes was actually a rip-off of the song “She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain.”

I was pleasantly surprised by this episode of Community. It definitely proves that the show is capable of being a primetime contender. However, the majority of the episodes, so far, have been flops, so they really need to improve their writing soon.

Grade: B

The Office – “Mafia”

Jim and Pam are off on their honeymoon, but their departure, thankfully, doesn’t detract from the humor of this week’s episode (though that’s not to say they aren’t missed). Patiently waiting for Michael as he arrives at the office is Mr. Grotti, you’re everyday insurance salesman, who just happens to be Italian. After listening to his pitch, Michael simply declines the offer, that is, until Dwight and Andy convince him that Grotti is somehow connected to the mafia. Hilarity ensues.

Oscar is the only sensible person in the office this week, as the only two people who would support him are honeymooning in Puerto Rico. Not wanting to become a victim of the mob, Michael offers to have lunch with Grotti, but he brings Dwight and Andy, who is hilariously disguised as a mechanic, named Pat, along with him. Whether it was Andy being mistaken for a real mechanic, then telling a mother and her son that her car was totaled because of a “leaky spark tube,” or Kevin accidentally canceling Jim’s credit card back at the office, it seemed like I was always laughing.

Eventually, Michael caves and decides to buy the insurance, which he cannot afford, but the episode has a great, albeit really uncomfortable resolution. I don’t mean “uncomfortable” as an insult; it’s just something that The Office is so good at, where you actually feel embarrassed because of the characters. I’m glad to see that The Office is still in full-swing.

Grade: A

30 Rock – “Season 4”

30 Rock is finally back, and it’s still as funny as it’s always been. Jack Donaghy already has a full plate, and it’s only one episode into the season. Trying to appeal to middle America, Jack has secretly assigned Liz to hire a new cast member, and he also suggests to Tracy and Jenna that they should try to interact with average Americans. Meanwhile, Kenneth and the rest of the pages go on strike, after he realizes that there’s no money for the page’s overtime because Jack took a huge bonus check.

Liz immediately drags Pete into her situation, and their suspicious sneaking around makes for some great moments, including telling all the writers that they’re sleeping together to hide the news of new cast member from the actors. Furthermore, Jenna attempts to connect with the common people by “going country,” while Tracy roams the streets of New York, eventually revealing his friends: “Nobody, and his wife, Susan Walters-Nobody.” And to make the episode even better, Kenneth quotes the infamous “Hill People,” from where he used to live in Georgia, in short clip that is sure to make all DVR/TiVo users rewind and playback numerous times.

I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an episode of 30 Rock that isn’t great. Now that I’ve witnessed yet another great season opener, I still don’t think we’ll see one for a while. As the writer of the season opener, Tina Fey did a fantastic job of evenly balancing the humor among the show’s varied, extreme characters. “Season 4” was a perfect way (and a very fitting name) to start 30 Rock’s fourth season.

Grade: A

At the beginning of the show, I loved watching the destruction of what happened to the world when everyone just stopped functioning for two minutes and seventeen seconds.  Things that had not even crossed my mind happened, and it had me realizing what kind of disaster this event would cause.  Planes falling from the skies, cars crashing, people drowning and all other kinds of mayhem brought the world’s populace down a peg or two.  It was a sight to behold, and made you think about the chaos that would ensue.

The setup then brought forth several sub-plots to the blackout event, with people that did not see anything, like John Cho’s character, or Joseph Finnes character wanted to prevent the future, by using it to stop events.  With all of these plot events, you keep waiting for the reel that will keep you on the line, wanting to watch more, but with each plot point, someone does something that is completely asinine.  Again, Joseph Finnes character is so blinded by the future, he lets a major nazi war criminal go, getting little in return.  Or John Cho’s character finding out about his death, but doing absolutely nothing to stop it from happening at every turn.

John Cho’s plot is especially grating, because he actually has the possibility to change an event, that could end up saving his life, and he just passes over it.  Why would he do that?  It completely goes against man’s nature of self-preservation.  Why doesn’t he just resign from the FBI, or go to an uninhabited area of the planet on or around that day.  None of these options are explored.  He just blindly goes on his way.  The same goes for Sonya Walger’s character.  She sees her future, and she is with another man that is not her husband.  She actually meets the man from her flashfoward, and does nothing to change it.  She does not transfer to another part of the hospital, or even when she does have the man’s son transfered, he ends up back in her department, and she just shrugs it off, like she cannot change fate.  What the hell!  Again, you would do anything to change events that are damaging to you, but none of these characters seem to want to do that.

I think in the end, it just seems more like the team is not sure where they want to go.  The blackout takes the team six months into the future, so are we going for a huge shooting arc over several seasons, or is this a one shot show, where they are only in it for the six month haul?  I am not sure if ABC has put a lot of faith in this series as of yet, but I do think they are looking at it as a full on replacement for Lost, as the network in on the verge of losing its major cash cow.  The show has the FlashForward event, but I am not sure if they can drag it out over several seasons. 

I plan to give the show a couple more episodes to grab me, but as of now, FlashForward is more like a flash in the pan, rather than a solid hit.

So far, the premise for every episode of The Middle has basically been, “Check out how hectic this middle-aged mother of three’s life is,” but, surprisingly, it all works out. This week, Frankie Heck has a plethora of problems on her plate, including Brick being sick, Axl wanting to practice driving, Sue’s freaky obsession with a new boy at school, and having to take care of her elderly, chain-smoking aunts. But here’s the kicker, this is all going on during what is supposed to be a “romantic” anniversary vacation.

Watching Frankie juggle all of her headaches provides a ton of good, clean humor, and it definitely relieves stress when compared to your own life. Patricia Heaton is lucky to have such a diverse, humorous cast to support her. For instance, Brick ends up coming to the car dealership with Frankie where he inevitably is taken away during a test drive. In addition, Sue experiences one of the most embarrassing moments of her life after she serenades a new student over the school’s PA system.

Each episode of The Middle, so far, has been structured with about 17 minutes of Frankie frantically running around trying to solve all of the family’s problems, as well as the other family member’s shenanigans, and they usually end with a heart-warming resolution. Fortunately, this system absolutely works well with the show’s concept. This might grow a little stale over time, but currently, it’s all good.

Grade: B

Modern Family – “The Incident”

TV veteran Shelley Long (although I’m admittedly too young to have a deep knowledge of her work, thank you IMDB) guest stars this week as Mitchell and Claire’s mother, Dede, which, in turn, means Jay’s ex-wife. Dede is moving off to the “dangerous” land of Canada with her new lover, but she has decided that she can’t leave before she has closure about “The Incident,” which is what the rest of the family has code-named Dede’s alcohol-induced outburst at Jay and Gloria’s wedding. For example, one of her more distasteful comments was “I knew they were perfect for each other when I saw his wallet and her boobs.”

Mitchell, being the momma’s boy that he is, invites Dede to the family’s Sunday dinner, but he fails to ask for Gloria’s permission. Meanwhile, Phil and Claire debate with Haley whether or not she is mature enough to go to a rock concert with her senior boyfriend Dylan, and he ends up being invited to the family dinner as well. Ty Burrell does what he does best as Phil, trying to act like one of the teenagers.

Eventually, everyone shows up at the dinner and all hell breaks loose, with Gloria and Dede in a cat-fight and Phil hilariously yelling, “I’ve got Gloria! I’ve got Gloria!” as they try to break-up the fight. Dylan is the one who unexpectedly breaks up the controversy, comparing them to his members of his family, who don’t even talk to each other. And just when Phil and Claire think Dylan is nice enough to take Haley to the concert, he is persuaded by the family to sing one of his songs, entitled “In the Moonlight (Do Me),” in what I consider to be one of the greatest endings of all time. The ratings don’t lie; Modern Family is definitely one of the best shows of the fall.

Grade: A-

In every season of How I Met Your Mother there have been a slew of great episodes, but there are a few flops every once in a while. Unfortunately, “The Sexless Innkeeper” turns out to be the latter. In the first storyline, you’ll be following Ted who thinks his job as a professor has turned him into a chick magnet, but Barney and Robin soon point out that they’re just using him as a place to stay for the night, hence the name “The Sexless Innkeeper.” The funnier, although still not great, storyline is about Marshall and Lily trying way too hard to double date with other couples, most recently Barney and Robin.

Ted’s scenes in this episode were by far the weakest, with Barney and Robin making a plethora of bad tweed jacket jokes as well as Barney recounting the story of “The Sexless Innkeeper,” which completely failed to capture a laugh. Marshall and Lily worked well as a duo to keep the show’s head above the water, as they go hilariously overkill with their double dates. I definitely had to rely on these scenes for a laugh, whether it was Marshall’s fixation with his Gouda cheese platter, his Sammy Hagar eating a Belgian waffle story, or his obsession with making photo montages.

You can’t expect every episode to be a winner. Unfortunately, there were just a ton of jokes that didn’t land, but overall, it could have been a lot worse.

Grade: C+

Two and a Half Men –“Laxative Tester, Horse Inseminator”

I’m not sure I like the direction that Two and a Half Men is going in anymore. Charlie’s relationship with Chelsea is really killing the humor of the show; meanwhile, I can’t stand to watch any of Alan’s scenes. His femininity and quirky behavior just make him an irritating character rather than a funny one.

After Alan’s girlfriend, Melissa is kicked out of Charlie’s house, Alan is struggling to find a place where the two can be intimate, and the backseat of his car won’t cut it for her. So, instead of buying a hotel room, he becomes his mother’s (a real estate agent) assistant, allowing him to sleep with Melissa in the houses that she has to show off during the day. Very predictably, Evelyn decides to show off the home late at night while Alan and Melissa are together, in a scene that should be funny, but ultimately fails. Back at the Harper household, however, Chelsea becomes upset with the way Jake is treating her. The entire scenario is just an annoyance, making the viewer feel sympathetic for Charlie, wanting to slap both Jake and Chelsea.

Both storylines have potential, but the writing leaves something (a lot of things, really) to be desired. I think this show needs to figure out where it’s headed and get back on track.

Grade: C-

The Big Bang Theory – “The Pirate Solution”

This week, Raj discovers that he’s in danger of losing his job and that if this occurs, he might be deported back to India. In a scramble, Wolowitz is able to get him a job interview with another research team at the university; however, his chances are shot when one of the interviewers turns out to be a woman. Luckily for Raj (well… sort of), Sheldon offers him the opportunity to work for him (notice the emphasis on the “for”). Sheldon being an egotistical, self-proclaimed genius obviously clashed with Raj, which makes for a few amusing scenes, with the two bickering over certain aspects of Hinduism, among other things.

At the same time, Leonard and Penny (I still don’t understand that relationship) stay at the apartment, finally thinking they have some time to themselves, with both Sheldon and Raj gone. Little do they know, this leaves Howard all alone, and he quickly becomes the third wheel. It’s nothing hysterical, but it’s hard not to crack a smile watching Wolowitz screw up Leonard and Penny’s alone time while not realizing it.

Overall, I have to say that I was fairly pleased with this week’s episode. I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of Leonard and Penny’s boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, but I also don’t think it will last. I’m still waiting for this season’s breakout episode, but this one was still highly enjoyable.

Grade: B