I would complain that ABC dumped one of the funniest "Better Off Ted"s of the season - including a great spotlight for Andrea Anders as Linda turned into a sexual harassment vigilante, plus an amusingly inverted premise for Lem and Phil's robots vs. guys with mops subplot - on New Year's Day after the Rose Bowl, but the ratings have been so awful on Tuesdays that at this point I suppose I should just feel grateful they're going to show all the episodes of this season. While I go to deflect your whiny bitching with my happiness shield, let me ask: what did everybody else think?
I loved it. Plus it had a Dalek in the basement. Funny background joke, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMost def the funniest of the season, but at least ABC didn't dump a second new episode last night too. I had thought that's what ABC was doing, but was happy to see a rerun of the season opener instead.
ReplyDeleteI sort of hope BOT gets a third season, but that ABC airs it only on hulu, that way it doesn't have to worry about silly Nielsen ratings anymore.
It was also fabulous to see Jennifer Irwin as the sexual harrassment counselor--she was so great in the first season of Slings and Arrows.
ReplyDeleteThis episode had so many funny bits I had to keep rewinding to see what I'd missed while I was laughing.
It is beyond my understanding how this isn't a huge, huge hit. I'm going to miss it something fierce.
The Dalek in the basement was a big wtf (why the face) for me, but made me chuckle due to seeing the last Tennant Dr Who just the evening before.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I love this show so much, only this and Parks And Recreation have such a great cast that all make me laugh so much every episode!
And Linda is so so beautiful :-)
I'm going to take the Pollyanna point of view: how wonderful that the funniest episode of the new season was aired to the largest possible audience, most of which hadn't previously discovered it, and now the show will attract masses of new viewers and become a giant hit!! (Yes, I know it doesn't really happen this way; leave me alone in my unrealistic happiness.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I LOVED this one; I thought it was right up there with "Racial Sensitivity" and "Trust and Consequences" from Season 1, which means as good as half-hour comedy has ever been. Linda has never been funnier in the way she kept crossing the line, and Ted followed her there brilliantly. Lem and Phil are, of course, always heart-stoppingly hilarious, and their despair at the unfairness of robots being replaced by humans reduced me to tears of joy.
Yes, this is what ABC hath wrought. I, a loyal fan who was home Friday night after 7-ish, completely forgot this would be on.
ReplyDeleteBleep you, Mouse Network.
I'll try to catch it on Hulu sometime soon.
A second season was already a miracle and well I know it's a long shot but I hope it gets better ratings but then I'll just enjoy the show while it lasts. Hopefully the last episode for season 2 will not be a cliffhanger.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Anders is a revelation here, she was never this funny in JOEY before
The best line of the night was Portia di Rossi's:
ReplyDelete"This is one of those times in your life where, 10 years from now, you'll look back and say 'OHHH!'"
That was so perfect. As a parent with three small children who walk in at inopportune moments, I now know what to say.
I really liked this episode. It took a couple episodes, but the show is firing on all cylinders and I really enjoy it. The spider bit at the end was classic
ReplyDelete"Don't fight it."
ReplyDeleteSad to see this show go. So much of the funny.
When Ted was talking about how nothing kills sex drive faster than having kids around, I was expecting an immediate pedophilia sight gag. Comparing them to Swiss Army knives was a bit of a letdown in comparison.
ReplyDeleteI sort of hope BOT gets a third season, but that ABC airs it only on hulu, that way it doesn't have to worry about silly Nielsen ratings anymore.
I don't know what the series would be like without a television budget, and it's not as if the issue of viewership goes away for a web series.
Andrea Anders is a revelation here, she was never this funny in JOEY before
I've always liked her. Nothing could've saved Joey's atrocious writing, yet I think she acquitted herself quite well comedically, all things considered. Her character on The Class was a complete waste of her talent.
This show made me laugh at a Ryan Seacrest reference more than Community ever did, and I like Community. This show just makes me happy. It's a shame that my fantasy of a BOT crossover with 30 Rock will never happen.
My favorite episode of the season. Up there with my favorite episodes of the show. The whole thing was full of win. Thanks Alan for your post a couple days ago reminding us that it would be on after the Rose Bowl. I would have missed it otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI really liked "Get Happy" last season, so it was nice to see Sheila again. I still miss the Veridian Dynamics promotional videos, though. I can only recall seeing one so far this season.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was going to fall over when I saw the Dalek. A Dalek, for crying out loud! No wonder this show is headed for the ash heap. That's way too clever and loving a detail for success on ABC.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Portia de Rossi was surprisingly lovable in this episode, and that's not usually an adjective I'd associate with her character. It was surprising, and I liked how she hesitated to leave when she walked in on the two co-workers getting amorous. It was an interesting note, and, like the Dalek, more proof that BOT's days are numbered.
Loved it. I was happy that, even as ABC was burning off a new ep of this and "Scrubs", they were also airing the funniest/best episodes of the current seasons of both shows to a larger audience. I'm not going to hold my breath that the people who were too lazy to turn the channel after the game are going to come back on Tuesday, but you never know.
ReplyDeleteSomething has felt off about Ted, Veronica and Linda all season, but they all clicked back into their season one selves last night. Or, at least, what their season one selves should have looked like in season two.
but ABC gave it the best lead in it's ever had, so you could look at it that way
ReplyDeleteeven still its numbers were miniscule and that on America who would rather watch NCIS: LA reruns than this show
also ABC doesnt need it to finish before LOST, they could have skeded it for 8p once LOST begins, They have clearly CHOSEN to finish it before LOST
ReplyDeletecant say i blame them, also sticking these shows up against IDOL wont do it any favors
they promoed the eps during the rose bowl
tues night there are two new eps of both, there is no IDOL
America its up to you
"I don't want to lose this job. What am I supposed to do- go back to Wisconsin and work in the cheese mines after I made that big speech and threw down my cheese shovel and stormed out?"
ReplyDeleteYes, this episode had cheese mines, and the final gag's callback had me laughing out loud rather than just chuckling.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the positive comments. I hoped that someone would peep the Dalek reference. What a great cast and great writing!
ReplyDeleteReginald Hudlin!!!! I knew i spotted your name in the credits!!!! Nice job directing. The Great White Hype was actually just on tv too. (that by the way is an underrated movie!)
ReplyDeleteI like to live in a fantasy world where abc execs renew this just on the basis that they need something to fill up pesky time slot holes and according to jim is no longer around...hell they could air the entirity of Better Off Ted as burned-off episodes in january just so long as they decide to order 13 more eps on a continual basis--just for that reasoning alone!
(yes i know how insane that sounds--but do you know how much goodwill that would actually buy ABC as a network? not that a network is ever really looking for goodwill from a critical standpoint---but man how awesome would that be? you think fx would be willing to pick it up? it is a fox production after all. and while i'm suffering from delusions---let me just ask that they pick it up for a full 22 ep season for the next 4 seasons--get it into syndication--and filll a massive amount of timeslot holes over the next 4 years! yeah i'm being ridonculous--but man what a feat that would be.)
The little happy face on the robot was great, but got better after Lem & Phil had to rebuild the 'bot and the smile was crooked. And I missed the Dalek, dammit (was laughing too hard to notice).
ReplyDeleteLoved it. Great ep of a great show. Actually I'm surprised I've written that, but I love the characters and the actors playing them, and it always makes me laugh. Can't say that about many shows on at the moment.
ReplyDelete