My 12 Days of Christmas Countdown: Fourth Day

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me… two grown men in a pear tree. Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere, today’s list is all about the bromance. Romance is great and all, but it tends to end quicky, especially on TV. But a bromance lasts forever, and due to its enduring nature, it’s time we compile a list that honors this special relationship.

So without further ado, here it is:

My Top 10 TV Bromances of 2010:

1/ Troy and Abed, Community.

What happens when a pop culture savant and a former high school jock meet in a community college study group? The beginning of a beautiful bromance, of course. Troy and Abed started out as supporting characters in NBC’s cult comedy but the second they began their bromance, they started stealing the show. From their catchy “Donde esta la biblioteca” rap to building the coolest blanket fort in the history of television, we can’t get enough of these two best friends, we even shed a little tear in the Halloween zombie episode when Abed “sacrificed” himself so Troy could be the hero. The Jeff/Britta/Annie triangle may have dissolved into thin air, but Troy and Abed, whether in the morning or in stop-motion, will last a lifetime.

2/ Shawn and Gus, Psych.

Is there any bromance on television today that is as strong and enduring as that of Shawn and Gus? I doubt it. First, they’ve known each other since they were “little Shawn” and “little Gus”, second, they have been partners in crime (and solving crime) for five seasons and showing no signs of slowing down, and third, they both have the same passion for desserts and obscure 80s references. You see, those are the things that make a bromance lasts. And if Shawn’s relationship with Juliet can’t break this bromance up, nothing can – which is why it deserves the runner up spot in this list.

3/ Bobby and Andy, Cougar Town.

Andy may be married to Ellie in this addictive ABC comedy, but we all know that deep down, the person he loves the most is not his wife, but his wife’s best friend’s ex-husband Bobby. This bromance is awesome because not only are Andy and Bobby the best of friends, but Andy totally has a man-crush on Bobby. Not even Bobby’s son Travis or ex-wife Jules worships him the way Andy does, and Bobby always reciprocates. Aww, so sweet.

4/ Jonathan, Ray & George, Bored To Death.

Anyone who thinks a failed writer, a cartoonist and a magazine editor-in-chief can’t be best friends should really check out this hilarious HBO comedy and be proven wrong. Not only are Jonathan -the failed writer turn quirky private detective- best friends with both Ray -the clingy cartoonist with a weird obsession about his penis- and George -the editor-in-chief of Edition Magazine and avid marijuana enthusiast-, they’re also best friends who are always there for each other and willing to help each other out. Ray even took a rubber bullet on the forehead (shot accidentally by George) when trying to save Jonathan from two kidnappers (don’t ask), now if that doesn’t say lasting bromance, I don’t know what will.

5/ Chuck and Morgan, Chuck.

For fans of NBC’s spy/geek show Chuck, nothing is more satisfying than watching Chuck’s relationship with his super hot spy girlfriend Sarah blooms on television. But before there was Chuck and Sarah, there was Chuck and Morgan, and as the last three and a half seasons will tell you, Chuck and Morgan is the relationship that can stand the test of time. Sure now that Chuck has a real, steady girlfriend they are not as close as they used to be, but the bromance is still very much alive between them. Morgan is even helping Chuck to plan his awesome proposal to Sarah. Isn’t that the sweetest thing ever?

6/ Ted, Marshall & Barney, How I Met Your Mother.

This hit CBS sitcom may have started out as Ted’s search to meet “the mother”, but since there’s no end date in sight and the ominous titular character may never appear, I think we should see this show for what it is; it’s not romance, it’s bromance. Let’s face it, Ted’s relationship with his two best friends Marshall and Barney is the only one that is actually healthy, sane and showing signs of lasting for a very long time. And they’ve had their share of ups and downs too, but they always seem to be able to make it work. So whether or not Ted ever meets “the mother”, we at least know for sure that Marshall and Barney will always be there for him.

7/ Jimmy Darmody and Richard Harrow, Boardwalk Empire.

This particular bromance is a unique one, and I contemplated on putting it on the list, actually. You see, the friendship between Jimmy and Richard Harrow doesn’t really have the typical signs of bromance, but considering how loyal these two men are with each other and how they’re willing to go to bat for one another after only a short period of friendship, I decided to put them in number seven. Jimmy meets Harrow, the man with half a face aka The Tin Woodsman of Atlantic City, in a VA hospital. They are both broken and wounded from the war and they are immediately drawn to each other. They’re both tortured and violent, but like in the trenches, they’d die for each other. How this relationship is going to play out in the world of Boardwalk Empire, I don’t really know, but it’s probably going to stay strong considering Jack Huston, who plays Harrow, has just been promoted to series regular. I guess this bromance is here to stay after all.

8/ Nate and Dan, Gossip Girl.

In the world of Gossip Girl’s Upper East Side where everyone sleeps with everyone else and relationships get all tangled and become a bit incestuous, bromance is not something that tends to flourish. How can it, when in a matter of episodes your girlfriend could be sleeping with your best friend, or you could be sleeping with your boyfriend’s best friend? I know, it gets confusing, believe me. But through all the crazy incestuous relationships that occur in this show, the friendship between Upper East Side golden (retriever) boy Nate Archibald and Brooklyn’s struggling writer Dan Humphrey seems to be able to stay somewhat strong. Sure, every now and then a buxom blond will come between them, but in the end, their love for each other is deeper than their love for Serena’s ample bosom. And for that, even though they come from the bromance-less world of Gossip Girl, Nate and Dan get to be in this coveted bromance list.

9/ Steve and “Danno”, Hawaii Five-O.

The bromance in number nine is so good, they had to do it twice. I am hazy on the original Hawaii Five-O Steve and Danno, but considering that the classic is always better, I’m thinking the bromance between them is just as entertaining as the 2010 version. As partners in Five-O, Steve and Danno may not always see eye-to-eye, in fact, bickering and arguing seem to be their favorite past-time, much like an old married couple. But when bullets are flying at them and they have to catch bad guys, they band together and become an undefeated team. Now isn’t that what bromance is all about?

10/  Damon and Stefan, The Vampire Diaries.

This last bromance in the list is quite unique, considering that they are actually brothers, and not just “bros”. And aside from actually being brothers, the relationship between these two hot Salvatore boys is also complicated. They used to be best friends, you know, back in 1864 when they were still humans, until a certain vampire temptress seduced the both of them, turned them into bloodsucking creatures and drove a wedge between them. Over a hundred years went by with both brothers constantly (and sometimes literally) at each other’s throat, but recently after Damon switched to the good side, their relationship seems to be on the mend. Sure, there’s that little thing of Damon being in love with Stefan’s girlfriend, but I’m sure they’ll find a way to work it out in the end. Bros before hos, right? 🙂

And there you go, My Top 10 TV Bromances of 2010. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Check back in tomorrow, I’ll be listing my Top 10 Stocking Stuffers of 2010, who knows, I think it could help those of you who still have to do some very last minute Christmas shopping. I know it helped me a lot!

Until then,

xoxo

Binky Bee

My 12 Days of Christmas Countdown: First Day

Christmas is almost here, and as a result, I’m already in a holiday mood.  So, I decided to do what good ol’ St. Nick would do this time of the year: “making a list, and checking it twice” – but instead of “checking it twice”, I’m just going to make a series of countdown lists from now to… 12 days from now, a la that really annoying song, The 12 Days of Christmas. My 12 Days of Christmas Countdown will be divided into three parts: TV, Movie and Celebrities. I would do music, but since I don’t exactly have the most mainstream taste, I better not – there’s nothing more annoying that reading a list of music you’ve never heard of, right? 🙂

And now, let us begin Binky’s 12 Days of Christmas Countdown, starting with the first day:

My Top 10 Shows of 2010

Note: Before anyone protests, I am sure Parks & Recreation and Friday Night Lights deserve to be in this list, but since NBC pushed the premiere date for Parks & Rec to next year and I haven’t seen the last and final season of FNL (currently airing on DirecTV), I have no choice but to exclude them from this year’s list. But if I do another round of this next year, I’ll make sure I’ll include them. Now, on to the list:

1/ Community, NBC.

Like I have mentioned in my Golden Globes post, this genius comedy is the most underrated show on television today. But luckily, it does have a loyal fanbase who appreciates its meta humor and zany pop culture references every week. And I am one of them. The reason why I chose this show as my number one of 2010 is simple; this is the only show that can be absurd and realistic at the same time. Just look at season 2: in less than 13 episodes, the show manages to: have Betty White guest stars as a lunatic anthropology professor, cleverly avoid going down the will-they-won’t-they romantic plotlines, pay homage to Apollo 13 while simultaneously pimping KFC, do a virus/zombie Halloween episode, a “conspiracy theory” episode that makes way more sense that AMC’s convoluted (and canceled) Rubicon, and finally: do the entire Christmas episode in stop-motion. Yes, people, the Rankin/Bass kind. The Golden Globes and SAG may not pay too much attention to this show, but in this list, our merry study group from Greendale Community College nabs the top honor. Congrats, guys.

2/ Mad Men, AMC.

Regardless how you feel about the finale of Season 4, you can’t deny that this is probably the only show on TV that is always consistent about its quality. Sterling Cooper had changed to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Don Draper has divorced his insufferable wife Betty and now about to marry his secretary, and Peggy Olsen had transformed from Don’s mousy secretary to a successful copywriter that men actually take seriously – all of these had happened without sacrificing great writing and solid ideas. No wonder this show keeps winning the Emmys, it’s not so easy finding a great show that can stay great after four seasons. And that’s why Mad Men continues to be on top, whether on this list, or any other.

3/ 30 Rock, NBC.

Most shows on television tend to decline in quality in its fifth season. I mean, look at The Office, its fifth season wasn’t exactly what you would call “solid”. But in 30 Rock’s case, it’s actually quite the opposite. Instead of declining in quality, it actually improves. From the premiere episode, this show just nailed it. The jokes are fresh and relevant, the meta commentary are on point and hilarious, and the celeb cameos are even more awesome: from Matt Damon to Mad Men’s John Slattery have shown up this season, they were all hilarious and we didn’t grow tired of seeing celeb stunt-casting in this show because the writers did a great job of giving them a good reason to be there.  Plus, they actually had a live show a few months back and it was epic! It’s official, Tina Fey is the most genius woman in the world. If she runs for president, I’ll definitely vote for her. 🙂

4/ Boardwalk Empire, HBO.

From the get go, this show had all the makings of an HBO hit: period drama from one of the writers of The Soprano, Terence Winter, starring Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, corrupt politician/gangster, set in prohibition era Atlantic City. Oh and the pilot episode is directed by none other than one Martin Scorsese, who also serves as executive producer. And a hit it really did become, and for me, a much welcome change after a frustrating season of True Blood in the summer. Despite being compared heavily to Mad Men by critics, I think this show has its own appeal; from PTSD-ridden Jimmy Darmody to religious nutjob Agent Nelsan Van Alden, every character in this show is complex, fascinating and absolutely entertaining to watch. Not to mention, the mixture of real life characters with the fiction: in season one we got to meet Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, Arnold Rothstein and Al Capone. But I think the best part of this show is the addition of Jack Huston towards the end as Richard Harrow, a war vet with half a face who was both cold-blooded and heartwarming at the same time. Despite a rather weak finale, I still think this show was one of the best new shows of 2010, and one that’s well-deserving to be on this list.

5/ Cougar Town, ABC.

Even though Modern Family is the one getting all the awards, I can’t help but love this quirky Courtney Cox comedy just a little more than its Wednesday night companion. First of all, the show is really funny, and sometimes even much funnier than Modern Family. Second, it has all these crazy cool games; like “Penny Can” and Movie Mash Up. Third, the Cul-de-Sac crew are basically a bunch of high-functioning alcoholics who sit around Jules’ fabulous kitchen all day drinking red wine. How can you not love that? And let’s face it, we all wish our suburban neighbors are as cool as the cul-de-sac crew. Also, we all want to have a huge wine glass that we call ‘Big Joe’. Or maybe it’s just me?

6/ The Vampire Diaries, CW.

When this show first premiered last year, I have to admit I was really skeptical and thought that it was just another Twilight knock-off. But boy was I wrong! At the hands of  Scream and Dawson’s Creek’s Kevin Williamson and his partner Julie Plec, this show becomes more than just an adaptation of a popular vampire book series – it’s a fantastic show that keeps us at the edge of our seats week after week. Now in its second season, we’re delving more into the mythology and it’s actually fun and riveting at the same time. Nina Dobrev gets to show off her acting skills by portraying both the heroine Elena and her evil vampire doppelganger Katherine, and she knocks it out of the park every time. And of course, those Salvatore boys are just so hot, it’s really hard not to love this show. I mean, really.

7/ Raising Hope, Fox.

I wasn’t much of a fan of My Name Is Earl, so I didn’t expect to love this new show from Greg Garcia when it first premiered last Fall. But unlike My Name Is Earl, this show won me over in no time. Maybe it’s Martha Plimpton’s superb acting, maybe it’s the adorable baby Hope who I suspect may be a robot since she’s just way, way too cute, maybe it’s Bijou Phillips’ cameo as Hope’s serial killer on death row mom, maybe it’s Garret Dillahunt’s refreshing turn as a (not-so) deadbeat dad,  maybe it’s Cloris Leachman’s crazy antics as Mee Maw, or maybe this show is just that good. Whatever it is, I’m a fan, and I’m glad that the network seems to love it as well because it’s the first freshman show that gets a full-season pickup. Yeay!

8/ Fringe, Fox.

There aren’t too many sci-fi shows on TV right now, especially one with consistent quality and not-too-convoluted mythology. Fringe is one of those few. Now in its third season, the show upped its ante in the first half by alternating the episodes between two universes, which gives us an idea of “how the other half lives”. All the main actors, in the exception of Joshua Jackson, have to portray both their characters and the alternate versions of their characters week after week and they all gave such amazing performances, especially in the case of Anna Torv and the always fantastic John Noble. Not to mention, the deeper we get into the mythology of the Fringe universes, the more intriguing and fascinating it becomes. Fox may have lost faith in this show by moving it to TV’s Siberia – or Friday night – come January but I for one still think this is one of the best shows on TV right now and hopefully it’s not going away any time soon.

9/ Glee, Fox.

The second season of this mega hit may not be the best, but I still think this show deserves to be on this top 10 list. Because at the heart of it all, it’s still a lot of fun to watch. Sure, there are inconsistencies, and the writers do have a tendency of creating multiple plotlines only to drop them and not revisit them again a few episodes later, but the core struggles and the reason why I fell in love with the show are still there. And this season they have tackled a few sensitive issues, like faith, homosexuality and bullying, as well as body image issues quite realistically and with a lot of heart. Plus, they still charm us with their covers of everything from Broadway to Bruno Mars, not to mention their awesome Christmas album that is now playing on repeat in my iPod. Oh, and take heart, Finchel fans, the show will survive whether they’re together or apart. 🙂

10/ Parenthood, NBC.

A few years ago, ABC’s Brothers and Sisters charmed me with their big family dynamic and drama, but I grew tired of it after a while due to its inability to steer clear of the soap opera route: they keep adding illegitimate children and implausible plotlines that have nothing to do with what made the show charming in the first place. But NBC’s Parenthood is nothing like Brothers & Sisters. The drama is real and easy to relate to, the conflicts are relatable, and the plotlines are actually plausible. Sadly, it may very well be in danger of cancellation after this season wraps, but I’m hoping it’ll live to see another season because the Bravermans is one family I’d like to see more of.

So there you have it, my list of The Top 10 Shows of 2010. This television season is not exactly the best, but it does have its moments and I hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as I have. And now that we’re done with this list, check back in tomorrow, I’ll be counting down The Top 10 TV Screen Scorchers.

Until then, feel free to comment and share your top 10 shows of 2010.

xoxo

Binky Bee

Winning Moments of My (TV) Life

Sorry I haven’t been a very active blogger lately. Aside from still dealing with crappy internet connection, I also am still busy writing my novel (about 70% done now, yeay!) so I can’t always think of something clever to blog about, what with all my creativity completely drained out by my attempt to write the great American novel and all. 🙂 Okay, it’s not going to be the great American novel, so don’t get your hopes up. I’m not even American.

Anyway, I decided to take a break from writing because I feel like I’m rushing the plot of my novel a bit, and if I keep going it might end up being half-baked, and we don’t want that, do we? And what do I do when I’m on a break? I watch TV and I make lists. So yes, this is going to be another blog with another list about truly unimportant things again.

This week, some of my favorite shows are back after taking a Winter Olympics break – and with the return of these shows, I thought I’d celebrate by awarding winning moments of my television life: the moment when I smile, laugh, cry, cringe, scream, etc as these different shows take me on a roller-coaster life into some very bizarre and exciting alternate realities.

You can see the list of shows I watch here. For now, let’s get right to this week’s winning moments in TV Land!

This week’s “Best Inappropriate Mother-Son Relationship ‘Eww’ Moment” goes to Cougar Town, when Jules (Courtney Cox) asked her son Travis (Dan Byrd) to pull out her waxing strips from under her armpits. I thought Travis’ disgusted reaction when he finally did do what Jules asked him to was priceless. However, my favorite quote from this episode (What Are You Doing In My Life?) is from the always hilariously inappropriate Barb when Travis asked to see her “freshly” chemical-peeled face:

“No! Innocence should be lost in the bedroom… or on a commercial cruise liner.”

This week’s “Best Edge-Of-Your-Seat Action-Packed Crazy Cliffhanger” goes to Burn Notice,that wraps up their third season in a neat little bow this week, with a chilling and slightly confusing ending of Michael being chained and sent off to face… Martha Stewart’s living room. Or at least that’s what I thought of it when I saw the living room he was sitting in before the scene faded to black. This finale, written and director by creator Matt Nix, made sure that we all start jonesin’ for season 4 of this highly addictive spy series, and must spend the next four months biting our nails anticipating its return while twit-stalking actor Jeffrey Donovan for the tiniest hope of a free spoiler. The only disappointing bit of this finale is the lack of Michael/Fiona action. But after two seasons of “goodbye for now, my love” only to find themselves reuniting and bickering all the way to the bedroom again – I think Michael’s decision to just give Fiona a look that says it all is a much better choice. My favorite quote from this episode is actually from Simon, played by guest star Garret Dillahunt (who seems to love playing bad guys on TV, it seems):

“I want my life back!“

This week’s “Best You-Know-It’s-Bound-To-Happen-But-It’s-Still-A-Little-Sad-Anyway Break Up Moment” goes to newbie Life Unexpected, when at the “Hand on A Hybrid Contest” Ryan found out about Cate’s little secret and subsequently broke up with her. Did I see it coming? Yes. Did Cate deserve it? Yes, if Gilmore Girls has taught us anything, we know that sleeping with your baby daddy behind your fiance’s back is a surefire way to get dumped. Was it still a little heartbreaking to watch anyway? Yes, because despite Cate’s questionable actions, we know she’s just a woman desperate to hold on to her relationship and we can sort of relate to her. It’s nice to see Baze becoming a real father, but it’s still a little sad to see Cate all alone in that house at the end. Favorite quote of the episode comes courtesy of Cate’s producer Alice:

“You are so Days of Our Lives – I am going to have to tune in at one just to watch you.”

This week’s “Best Funny Outburst Moment” goes to Psych, when Lassiter is finally so rattled by Shawn’s success as a faux-psychic/real detective combo that he is adamant the body they found on the beach was not just some unlucky guy that a shark had for dinner, but a murder victim instead. After forbidding Shawn and Gus to join them in the crime scene, Lasitter barks at Juliet who tries to deter him from spinning out crazy theories, which sparks a frustrated rant that was both hilarious and a little endearing. My favorite quote from this episode also comes from Det. Carlton Lassiter’s mouth:

“O’Hara, I want you to RSVP to my invitation to SHUT IT.”

This week’s “Best Disturbing Moment” goes to Criminal Mind, in an episode directed by cast member Matthew Gray Gubler (Dr. Spencer Reid) where the female unsub puts a child in a box and cremates him with a smile on her face. I’m not a parent and I have the kind of mind that can tolerate a lot of disturbing things – but that scene was just so chilling that I found myself shuddering a little when I was watching it. Kudos to the actress playing the unsub, she deserved an Emmy for sure. Not everyone can portray the face of true evil quite like she does… and I don’t even know her name! My favorite quote from this episode comes from guest star Brooke Davis, who plays a woman whose daughter was kidnapped in a fair, it’s not zany or anything, but it’s just so sad and filled with regrets that it haunts me for a while:

“I shouldn’t have let go of her hand.”

This week’s “Best OMG I Can’t Believe That Just Happened Moment” goes to The Office for their JAM Baby episode, or The Delivery, Part 1 and 2 as it’s officially called. I admit, this episode wasn’t as strong as The JAM Wedding episode (“Niagara Falls”) but it still delivered classic Office funny moments, and my favorite was when Pam realized that she breastfed the wrong baby in the hospital and Jim, with a horrified look on his face, quickly returned the baby to its crib – and continued to look horrified as the mother said, “Oh, looks like she’s not hungry.” Priceless. I know some people thought it was a little too much, but I think it’s the kind of thing that can happen in this show – and the fact that it happened to Jim and Pam made it even more hilarious. my favorite quote of the episode however, is courtesy of Dwight Schrute when he wrote the Baby Making Contract with Angela:

“Child will be breastfed by the mother for exactly six months, then on to a nutrient-rich vegetable mash, provided by the father Dwight Schrute hereafter referred to as Morpheus.”

This week’s “Best Aww, Tear Moment” goes to newbie Parenthood, which just premiered last Tuesday night on NBC. Despite mixed reviews, I actually love this show – I thought it was nice to see Lauren Graham and Peter Krause back on my TV, and kudos to Lauren Graham who stepped into a role originally created for Maura Tierney so easily and seamlessly. She’s always amazing when she plays a mother, even though now she has two teenagers to raise instead of one and she doesn’t talk as fast. There are a lot of great moments from the pilot episode, but I thought the scene when Peter Krause’s character, Adam, is watching his son Max, who has just been diagnosed with Asperger’s plays in the puddle, is heartbreaking and haunting. I love it when his father Zeke, played by veteran actor Craig T. Nelson, gets impatient with Max and Adam turns around and tells him, “Dad, there’s something wrong my son.” Aww, tear. My favorite quote of this pilot episode is courtesy of Crosby, played by Kristen Bell’s beau Dax Sheppard, when he tells Adam that he has a son named Jabbar:

“I don’t know, maybe his mother’s into eighties NBA player or something.”

This week’s “Best Guys Being Guys Moment” (or more appropriately called “Best Barney Being Barney moment”) goes to How I Met Your Mother, naturally. The episode On The Hook, guest-starring Carrie Underwood and Neil Patrick Harris’ boyfriend David Burtka (as Scooter, Lily’s high school boyfriend) was not the strongest of the season, but it still merits a winning moment mostly because of Barney’s antics. I love Barney’s elaborate explanation of “The Hot Girl Profession”, dating back to the stone age, mind you, and my favorite quote of this episode is also courtesy of Barney. What can I say? I’m madly in love with Neil Patrick Harris. 🙂

“Last night I was hooking up with a pharma chick so hot that you should call the doctor if you don’t have an erection that lasts four hours.”

This week’s “Best Meltdown Moment” goes to Mercy, mostly because Veronica actually takes the ghost of the man she shot in the donut shop for drinks. We all know she was hallucinating, and that hallucination was caused by her PTSD, but it was still a great meltdown moment. Veronica is not the most stable character in the show, but she has so far managed to retain her sanity despite suffering with PTSD after returning from Iraq from two tours of duty. And it was kind of awesome seeing how she handled her meltdown in true Veronica style, taking the ghost out for a drink and have a long conversation with him about Iraq and everything else. The ending with her and Mike was also sweet, the way she suddenly remembered that she was in the beach that she and Mike used to go as kids, and how she just started calling out for him to save her. I guess this recent development means that Chris might be brokenhearted again since it’s pretty apparent that Veronica is in no state to begin afresh with him – but it’s interesting nonetheless. My favorite quote from this episode however, comes from Detective Nick Valentino, played by Charlie Semine, when Sonia gave him a flimsy excuse for her cheating ways (“I don’t know where my head was at.”):

“I know where your head was at. It was with the rest of the body, and the rest of the body was under Paul.”

This week’s “Best Dorky and Pointlessly Hilarious But It Totally Works Moment” goes to Community. The scene with Jeff and the pool teacher playing naked pool was priceless, hilarious and pointless – but it totally works in the show. But of course, nothing beats Abed and his many “personalities” – I especially love Vampire Abed and when he channeled Mad Men’s Don Draper with Annie, played by Allison Brie (who of course plays Trudie Campbell in Mad Men). The expression on Annie’s face when Abed – as Don Draper – made a move on her was so priceless, and fans of both this show and Mad Men must have been howling in delight (I know I was). My favorite quote of this episode was courtesy of Jeff, who has to give a “Black” equivalent to every pop culture reference for Shirley and Troy:

“We’ve all seen enough After School Specials…uh…(to Shirley & Troy) Fat Albert …to know that Abed just needs to be himself.”

Finally, I have to give awards to a few memorable characters this week:

Jim Halpert – He’s always such a sweetheart, but seeing him becoming a dad was so precious and John Krasinski did a great job in this episode.

Madeline Westen – Finally she’s no longer just a comic relief in the show, and I love seeing her defend her son and even sacrifice going to jail for him. Amazing acting from Sharon Gless too.

Sarah Braverman – She’s no Lorelai Gilmore, but I like how human this character is, and Lauren Graham did such a good job portraying a single mother who’s just trying to keep it all together.

And a few memorable for the wrong reasons characters:

Sonia Jimenez – Oh Sonia. Okay we can understand that despite having an amazing boyfriend sometimes a girl just gets an itch, actually we don’t. Your excuse for cheating was so weak, and Nick was right for choosing not to hear your excuse and walk away. Let’s hope you can salvage your lovability factor next week.

Chuck Bartowski – I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this, but I am so disappointed at Chuck at the way he broke up with Hannah. Sure I don’t want them to be together forever, but he used to be such a good guy and he wouldn’t do that to a girl he likes. I still have faith in the show, but I just wish Chuck still retains some of his sweet qualities that made us fall in love with him in the first place.

And that my friends, are the winning moments of my TV life this week. What’s your winning moment?