NEW SHOWS
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “The Swedes” (B+)
This episode gets plenty of mileage out of the contrasting styles of the hyper-competent but nosy Swedish cops and Peralta & Diaz, the smart but not-so-emotional duo. But it’s Holt and Boyle teaming up to destroy some other dudes at squash that really had me in stitches. That and a deadpan cameo from Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Fargo – “The Castle” (A-)
Everything works for me, except the UFO stuff. Otherwise, this is a brilliant staging of what we’ve been building to all season. The Sioux Falls Massacre leaves very few survivors, and it’s all the better for it.
The Mindy Project – “When Mindy Met Danny” (A)
Another downer of an episode, as Mindy flashes back to the day she and Danny first met and discovers it was never meant to be. Applying that somewhat dangerous logic, she finds herself wondering if she and Leo need to leave. It’s a heartbreaking cliffhanger to end on, but one that could resolve in a deeper, richer back half.
The Muppets – “Single All the Way” (A-)
Finally, the show is nailing its tone: mostly sweet with just a little bit of cynicism. The balance is there now as Miss Piggy plays counselor to a heartbroken Fozzie. The episode ends on an ambiguous note, and I’ll be excited to see how they resolve it in the show’s final six episodes (which will have a new showrunner).
CURRENT SHOWS
Fargo
“Did You Do This? No, You Did It!” (A-)
“Loplop” (A)
It’s simply not fair for Fargo to maintain this level of quality over this many episodes. With separate homages to Miller’s Crossing and No Country for Old Men, Noah Hawley and his writers are doing the Coens proud. The show gets even more violent, if you can believe it, and elicits sympathy for characters who previously showed none. And Kristen Dunst’s Peggy finally snaps, which somehow made her less likable than before. What a show.
OLD SHOWS
The Simpsons (Season 9) – “Girly Edition” (A-)
One of my favorites as a kid and still a favorite as an adult. The satire of journalism is hilarious (I still quote the bit about veterans.) The Mojo stuff is pure filler, but at least it’s funny filler. The show tends to repeat itself, but I wouldn’t mind if they had Bart and Lisa try their hand at news again.