NEW SHOWS
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Sabotage” (A-)
Another in an increasing line of great episodes. Peralta thinks someone is sabotaging his career, which culminates in a positive drug test. The saboteur turns out to be guest star Chris Parnell, who’s even funnier here than he was when he was arrested. Hitchcock and Scully prove themselves in the best story they’ve ever gotten, and watching Holt crush Gina’s dancing dreams, only to build them back up, is a beautiful sight.
The Mindy Project – “What to Expect When You’re Expanding” (B+)
I’m ready to declare Laverne Cox a national treasure after this episode, which finds her giving Mindy a much-needed makeover. It doesn’t take, but it boosts her self-confidence. This show still needs to use Dan Bakkedahl more, but him removing his improvised dickey was the best visual gag of the whole episode.
Community – “Ladders” / season premiere (B), “Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care” (A-)
Like Season 5’s “Repilot,” this premiere episode has to lay a lot of groundwork. Still, by the time the montage train kept a-rollin’, I was hooked. The second episode was even better, proof that the show’s still got, despite being down three original cast members. I sure hope Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren come back frequently. As Britta’s parents, they’re pitch perfect. And it almost makes me wish Yahoo! was releasing the whole season.
The Americans – “Divestment” (A-)
Arguably the darkest episode of the season, including a guy getting set on fire, Martha confronting Clark, and Agent Gaad losing his shit on the poor mail robot.
OLD SHOWS
The Simpsons (Season 8) – “Grade School Confidential” (A-)
One of the show’s most melancholy episodes, even though it features kids getting sick on oysters, a bomb made of Armour hot dogs and the Sex Cauldron, which Krusty thought they closed down. Edna and Seymour are some of Springfield’s saddest residents, so their “tawdry, fulfilling relationship” is all the more engrossing.