NEW SHOWS
Crashing – “Porter Got HBO” (A-)
The funniest and most important episode of the season, with Pete finally realizing he’s stuck in an insanity spiral: doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. He’s leaving behind hope of reconciliation with his ex-wife and his hope of getting an HBO-sized big break.
This Is Us
“Super Bowl Sunday” (A)
“The Car” (B)
A big-time dramatic episode, with some of Mandy Moore’s best acting ever. Then they follow that up with a time-marking all-flashback episode that features a great Gerald McRaney cameo but not much else.
OLD SHOWS
Community (Season 2) — “Early 21st Century Romanticism” (A)
This is how good the show was in Season Two: this episode didn’t feature the dean at all, had an “accidentally assumed to be gay” storyline and ended on a heart-stopping cliffhanger. Yet every single bit works, including the study group’s defense of Barenaked Ladies. “They’re triple platinum, are you?!”
Happy Endings (Season 2) — “The St. Valentine’s Day Maxssacre” (A)
One of the series’ best episodes. It packs in its laughs by directly referencing Friends and making one of the show’s more disgusting off-handed jokes. Then, it slaps you upside the head with one of its sweetest moments. If only James Wolk hadn’t been so in demand, and we could have gotten more Grant.