The Great North

Two things. First, I learned tonight I've been pronouncing Cillian wrong this entire time. Two, I don't care. It's not worth getting mad over. This show is weird. As is the town of the show with their emergency drills. Sounds kind of fun though.

Moon is my least favorite character, but him getting into the office work was kind of funny.

I like when Beef describes the reason he never learned to ride a bike was because his parents were, what's the word, entirely absent. Right on the tip of his tongue, I'm sure.

Ron Funches continues to be a solid voice-over artist. His being upset over the macaroni salad being knocked over was pretty funny.

As was the episode. ***1/2.

The show has improved from its shaky first season, but one of the things I liked about the first season, (and that the show stepped away from) was that Judy was (for the most part) the center of the show. The Alanis Morrissette thing especially said we were getting a large part of the show from the perspective of a teenage girl. All the crazy fun stuff happening here was great. But what I loved most is that it was Judy's story again, and everything else was just happening around her. I miss that aspect of the show very much. I don't find Beef nearly as interesting a main character as Judy was.

I don't blame Judy for kissing Gill. The idea that it was one of his wildest fantasies? That's sweet as hell, as creepy as the list actually is.

I've missed Judy. ****.

I thought the premise was a little too ridiculous (and so is the town) but Wolf's speech at the end was still pretty great.

The final song over the end credits was awful.

The thing I like about Crispin is that he has a real person's voice.

My favorite part of the episode is that when Wolf says it should have been him, Beef corrects him that it's is NOT a bad thing a wooden dummy was burned up instead of his son. Just trying to keep things in a bit of perspective here, folks.

It was all right, but I feel like the show has been a bit off the rails in recent weeks. ***.

You know what? I hate Honeybee's version of Halloween too. And I love the moral is that it freaks Jerry out.

That lady asking Beef if his tail was in the front was made all the more delightful by Nick Offerman's giggle at that.

Judy's Slimer costume is hideous. I also was a bit surprised to see the Alvin and the Chipmunks sheet WAS an Alvin and the Chipmunks sheet. I was having a hard time visualizing that.

The scary doll talking about expectations about what women can and can't do was great.

And yeah, everyone knows A Christmas Carol. The Muppet version is the best.

If I was forced to pick I would have given the cat costume to Moon. Judy wanted it more, but her presentation was unintentionally creepy. Moon's cross between cuteness and madness was utterly convincing. Hopefully not catching though.

Solid. ***1/2.

I like the fact that the story went back and forth chronologically, but let me be blunt: I think Holden was a total dud even before he dumped Judy. Him dumping her was the best thing he could do for her. I'd hate to see her saddled with that loser.

The Honeybee stuff was even less successful. I was like "If the book is so bad, why do you still want to see the movie?" It felt like a problem that shouldn't actually exist.

I did like the brief Alanis moments though.

But I didn't respond to most of the rest of the episode. **1/2.

Oh, Tom Ellis. Neat.

Enjoyable episode. I liked how the story with Beef and his brother turned out. Richard actually learned something.

I do have a comment about Honeybee. When she says she's positive the dude is Wolf's Looper, part of me understands that's why Honeybee is lovable. But an equal part of me also groks that that kind of stuff is also why Honeybee is annoying.

I really liked this week. The various rich people jokes and puns the kids were coming up with were a stitch. ****.

That was SO unpleasant as it was going, so I was like, "This had better have good pay-off." And then it DIDN'T. So it sucked. Bummer.

Weak night of Fox Toons (Family Guy was benched for the week). Bob's Burgers came out ahead though. *.

I don't hate Skanky. But I can absolutely understand why someone would. But for the life of me I can't figure out how someone could possibly love him. Honeybee's complaints about him are the most accurate. He's dumb and gross. But I don't hate him. He's something I'd turn on for five minutes a year and then forget. The rest of the Toobins being obsessed with him is very weird.

I love Beef telling Moon he can't believe he has to say this but they aren't keeping five reindeer. I can't believe he has to say it either.

I like the female vet declaring herself a lot of fun. I believe her if only because she seems so damn sure of herself.

Amusing. 3 1/2 stars.

I really like Mr. Golovkin. He says a lot of funny things. Best bit was him bemoaning taking advice from a kid wearing bear pajamas.

The crab costume stuff reminds me that while I like the Tobins individually, as a family they suck. It's weird, I feel the opposite way for the Belchers on Bob's Burgers. Outside of Bob, I don't like any of that family individually, but think they are amazing as a group. The Tobins however are bad for each other, and make everything worse when they get a dumb idea into their heads. There isn't a sensible person like Bob there to keep them straight. Like, I enjoyed Moon this episode. But when he's a part of that dumb stuff I don't like him. I also love Honeybee, Beef, and Judy on their own. It's nonsense like this where they try my patience.

Has anybody pointed out that the woman who does Quinn's voice always delivers a terrible performance? I understand the character is supposed to be deadpan and emotionless, but so is Spock. That's doesn't mean the performance needs to be LIFELESS. Just saying.

I didn't like the musical number but the thing I did like is they found a canon explanation for it. Makes it automatically more tolerable than the numbers from Bob's Burgers. Also the actors on this show singing aren't as terrible at it as the cast of Bob's Burgers.

Pretty good. Only two Fox Toons tonight, but The Simpsons was better. ***1 removed link

The Bouchardverse is NOT good for Trilogy themed episodes so that was a bust.

I have another gripe. The idea that Wolf and Honeybee find the fruit bouquet delicious and irresistible is pure nonsense. Family Guy took a shot a fruit bouquets a couple of years ago, and called them slimy and gross and the worst present possible. That is the actual truth of them. **.

A mixed bag.

I like that Honeybee insists the Ghost reference is a good thing. Because I personally don't see it that way. Her and Judy have some Swayze movie binges in their future though.

I love the Trump pinata.

The thing is, I hated Beef's story. I thought it sucked. What Zelda did is played for laughs but it is the most inconsiderate thing another person could do to a person they barely know. The most detestable part about it is she does it KNOWING it's bogus, but she's clearly hoping that Beef is too chicken to correct her. The thing that pisses me off is he almost is. There is actually a debate involved, which makes me absolutely furious.

When Alyson says "She seems nice," yeah, that's a great laughline, but it's a reminder that this show's greatest strength has the potential to be a great weakness. The characters on the show are unusually nice. But that can lead to bad people taking advantage of them. Judy and Honeybee can take care of themselves when the feminist scammers lower the milk balloons, but it pisses me off that Beef is too nice to tell this rude wretch, "Get the hell out of my house. I never want to see you again. You are pathetic." Granted Bob Belcher would never say those words. But he'd also never let her in the house. (She'd only get in if Linda and the kids were there.) But the drawback to having nice characters is they can be portrayed as total losers and doormats. And the reason The Great North is so popular is because the cast is so nice. And despite taking place in a red state, it's nonpolitical, and whatever weak political stances it does take (like Wolf being a fan of Michelle Obama) are not the ones you'd expect. It's SUCH an easy show to like and enjoy, when it's just the cast goofing with each other (see the pickle runner at the end). Having an outsider barge in and create a crisis none of them want or deserve is not actually funny. It's annoying. It's infuriating. And it's the selling point of the show being used as a drawback, which is a red flag for any good show. It doesn't qualify as a shark jump. But the fact that it happened tells me the writers might believe the episode was dramatically interesting, and do it again a LOT. Peggy Hill wasn't originally envisioned to be the obnoxious buffoon should wound up as on King Of The Hill. But it got a HUGE laugh in the writers' room, and from that point forward that basically likeable show was essentially ruined. The good news for The Great North is that the show does not seem to be looking to make the Tobins themselves meaner or stupider. But this episode means they could be exploring conflicting them with those sorts of characters more often which is a HELL of a mistake.

I liked the stuff with Judy and Honeybee. I did. But I was disgusted with the Zelda stuff. **1 removed link

Not feeling it. Why? I think Lone Moose values and celebrates stupid things.

And you know, when Honeybee is offering comedy suggestions to Wolf, you can pretty much tune out whatever she's saying the second she advises him to remember the workshop by Carlos Mencia they attended. That joke is done to make Honeybee sound stupid and low-rent, but why would I appreciate the show doing that?

Annoying episode. *1 removed link

This was a very sweet episode for both Beef and Alyson and they are both adorable together. And I like the solution to the problem is that Alyson's would-be husband is actually awful. So she's now Beef's robot. These characters are so great.

I find Wolf's constant need of approval annoying, but I like how here they made him realize the guy he was chasing after was a total turd. I can get on-board with that.

Very, VERY enjoyable episode tonight. I will go so far as to say its one of the show's best. *****.

The Choir was super annoying. That being said, there IS something noticeable about them: Both the songs they sang were pretty good. Probably because they could actually SING, unlike the casts of both this show and Bob's Burgers. It's amazing what a difference that can make.

For the record, Jenny Slate could sing just fine on Muppet Babies. Her Judy being always off-key is a weird and annoying choice.

Is Wolf wearing a Sailor Moon wig? I think so.

It was all right. ***.