8. Parks and Recreation – Ron Swanson suffers from a disorder known as “sleep fighting”. He is also a master caner. There are many, many reasons why you should watch this show. Ron 
Swanson is one of them. Also, dialogue exchanges like this:
Ann: Pawnee Cable Access has Hair & Makeup?
Leslie: Well, they have a communal lipstick and a box of combs.
9. 30 Rock – Not only did this week’s episode reveal that Liz Lemon’s mother used to work for Sterling-Cooper, but we also learned that Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner wrote the Bitch Hunter pilot. And then there were the Pajameralls. But what put this over the top was an appearance by astronaut, American hero, and Dancing with the Stars contestant Buzz Aldrin. Liz visits him in his luxurious penthouse (decorated entirely in white), and Buzz proceeds with a screamingly funny lunatic ramble. Acting is like dancing – Buzz doesn’t really take to either of them, but dammit, he commits. It is incredible, with lines like “And then I woke up in the Air & Space Museum with a revolver tucked into the waist band of my jean shorts”. And then he yells at the moon! “I walked on your face!” We can’t possibly do it justice, so watch the episode when it comes up on Hulu. Buzz Aldrin absolutely kills it, bless his heart.
10. Lost – Yes, this was possibly the bleakest episode ever, but we have to take a moment to give it up to give it up for the man, Frank Lapidus. He’s been a favorite around here (including a spot on out Top 100 TV Characters list), and if he did in fact die in this episode, he still managed a couple of classic moments. First off, when the Lostaways were trapped in the polar bear cages (again), Ol’
Frank decided to bust out. Now, these are cages that are meant to contain bears, and Frank sets to kicking open the freaking door. And he nearly did it, too. If Jack had been a minute slower with the key, Frank would have kicked open a bear cage, and then probably overwhelmed Widmore’s gunmen with nothing more than sheer virility. And then at the end, when he was trapped in a sinking submarine, he reacts to a buckling hatch door with “Aw Hell….”. We get to see his face right before the door knocks him over and lets in a torrent of water – it is a look of irritation. Frank looks at drowning at just another damn thing he has to deal with. For Frank Lapidus, death is merely an inconvenience.
We don’t have definite confirmation on whether or not Frank survived, though we notice that he’s not on Michael Ausiello’s Sweeps Scorecard under “Confirmed Deaths”. We’re hoping that Frank makes his way to the surface through sheer force of awesomeness and maybe slaps the Smoke Monster around a little. And hey, there’s still the Lapidus of Timeline X kicking around. Either way, Frank brought a new level of badass to Lost this week, and we love him for it.
11. Big Bang Theory–The little show that could has rightfully become a ratings powerhouse for CBS, and we love it dearly. This week’s brilliance stemmed from poor, awkward Sheldon unwittingly putting himself in the middle of Penny & Leonard’s breakup by trying to spend time with both of them. How the show essentially made them Sheldon’s divorced parents dealing with joint custody of an overgrown 10 year old who puked at Disneyworld was genius.
12. Modern Family–Could you just watch this show and churn out the quotable quotes each week? Absolutely. But is it also a great, 21st-century family sitcom destined to become a classic? You betcha! This week saw Gloria surprising Jay by inviting the entire extended clan to Hawaii to celebrate his birthday. Jay and daughter Claire both dealt with their different travel stresses by drinking (I’ll give you one guess as to who can’t hold their liquor), Manny was on a no-fly list, which put a crimp in him trying to “bring fashion back to travel” and Phil helped Mitchell break into his house to get his forgotten wallet just in time to make the plane, calling upon his realtor/ninja skills. Next week’s adventure in paradise should be Brady Bunch-level awesome.
13. Survivor–Go Sandra! I say this because I must tip my cap to anyone who isn’t named Russell that finds one of the 4,372 hidden immunity idols that this show has decided they must plant throughout the game these last few seasons. Actual conversation between Myndi & EJ during the show:
Myndi: OK, they seriously need to STOP with the constant immunity idols.
EJ: Remember when there used to be one per season?
Myndi: Yessir. I don’t even mind when there are a couple, but it’s constant!
EJ: It’s getting ridiculous – they’re turning into the Survivor version of those AOL startup CD’s.
EJ: I look forward to the tribal council when everybody plays an idol.
Myndi: I feel like it’s coming. Does Probst go home in that case?
EJ: “Guess I’ll go take my place on the jury.”
Myndi: “Jeff, the Tribe has spoken.”
This great season has taken so many twists & turns, that I seriously can’t wait for each new episode. And I’ve even gotten to the point where I don’t passionately hate Rupert as much as I did when he won that random $1 million from the fan vote. As long as Russell doesn’t win, I’m down for any one the players left taking the crown. Could you imagine if Jerri snuck in there, after her history on this show? It could happen!
Enjoy your weekend! If you are like us, you’ll be seeing Iron Man 2 as soon as possible. If you’re not like us, well, you’re just going to have to listen to people talking about Iron Man 2.
