Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

 "I probably mentioned in the past my fondness for a TV program called Cougar Town ." -Abed Nadir "Critical Film Studies" picks up with Jeff (Joel McHale) on his way to a birthday dinner for Abed (Danny Pudi).  Strangely, Abed requested dinner at a very high-end restaurant, with just Jeff and no one else.  When they meet at the restaurant, Abed acts very differently.  He's very personable, makes physical and eye contact, and doesn't make any pop culture references.  When Jeff suggests going to a burger place instead, Abed declines.  He doesn't even seem to like Jeff's gift, a wallet that Samuel L. Jackson's character has in the movie Pulp Fiction , which is one of Abed's favorite movies. It's revealed that Jeff had set up a Pulp Fiction- themed surprise party for Abed at the diner where Britta (Gillian Jacobs) works.  The study group and Chang (Ken Jeong) are all dressed as characters from the movie and waiting for Jeff and Abed to arrive...

 "Insert action music." -Jawan Pitts Wow.  What a wild episode.  I don't think I've ever felt as bad for a single tribe in all of Survivor as I do for the Kele tribe.  This was a brutal episode for them and for Canada, as we lose both of our Canadian castaways in this episode.  It was cool to get such a behind-the-scenes look at the show, but it's a bummer we lose Jake this way.  At least he made it home for the birth of his kid.   Medical evacuation aside, let's get into who played well and who sucked. Who Played Well: Starting over on Hina, I only have one person to talk about here and that's Steven.  He formed a close enough bond with MC that she told him that she found the Beware Advantage.  Best case scenario with the Beware Advantage is that you don't have it, but you know who does.  That gives Steven a lot of room to work going forward. Over on poor Kele, Sophi B did the best on the tribe.  She got Alex and Jeremiah to t...

 "The aura was great." -Rizo Velovic This episode confirmed what I suspected last week; this cast is full of Looney Tunes.  What a goofy bunch and a really fun episode.  There was a lot of bad gameplay this week, but I enjoyed ever minute of it.  Let's get into who played well and who sucked. Who Played Well: We'll start over on Hina.  I have to give major props to the entire tribe for not only overcoming the Challenge Disadvantage played on them by Jawan, but getting 1st place.  It was extremely impressive all around. Steven, Kristina, and MC all got into a potential majority alliance of four.  If they want to go this route, they have the numbers to do so. I'm not sure how I feel about MC telling so much information to Sophie S.  She could use that info and turn the game on MC.  I guess it depends on MC's read of and relationship with Sophie S, so I'll trust her and leave her in the net positive.  Good job for Sophie S though for having...

 "I'm tired of confiscating saws." -Jeff Winger "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy" picks up with Annie (Alison Brie) throwing a baby shower for Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) and doing her best to make both Andre (Malcolm Jamal Warner) and Chang (Ken Jeong) feel included.  Shirley thanks Annie, but makes it clear that no matter who the biological father is, the baby will be raised by Shirley and Andre.  Chang says that if the baby is his, he at least wants to be an uncle to the child. Later, Shirley asks Jeff (Joel McHale) to help get Chang to sign a forfeiture of parental rights document since Chang is currently living with Jeff.  He reluctantly agrees, but when he tries to get Chang to sign it, Chang becomes emotional because he thinks this might be his last chance to be a father.  Jeff tells him he isn't fit to be a father because he doesn't have a job or a place of his own.  Chang misinterprets Jeff's words and believes that if he gets h...

 "Not everybody here's gonna make it to graduation." -Sophi Balerdi Survivor is back, baby!  And what's interesting this time is that we know two of these people are going to be on season 50 as well, so not only am I trying to guess who the winner is, but which two are returning!  The premiere was fun, but I have to admit that I don't think I would get along with most of the people on the island.  It looks like we have a lot of weirdos this season, but that can make for interesting TV and gameplay, but it does make me glad I'm not on this season.  Let's take a look at who played well and who sucked! Who Played Well: We'll start over on Hina, who we didn't see much of, but we did get to see Steven forming bonds with Matt, Jason, and MC.  It's a start for all of them.  I'm worried that Steven's paranoia may get to him sooner or later, but for now, all of them had a good enough start. Over on Kele, Sophi B had a great episode.  She isn...

 "That guy's such a mess.  It's like God spilled a person." -Troy Barnes "Intro to Political Science" picks up with Pierce (Chevy Chase) returning from rehab.  As they reluctantly prepare to actually study, the Dean (Jim Rash) arrives to let them know Vice President Joe Biden is visiting Greendale to meet with the Dean and the student body president, which currently doesn't exist, so they are having an election.  Abed (Danny Pudi) mentions that this must be why Greendale has been under so much surveillance recently.  The others don't believe him, but the Secret Service realize their surveillance operation has been compromised. Annie (Alison Brie) is very enthusiastic about running for president and asks the others to help with her campaign, but Jeff (Joel McHale) is so cynical about politics that he puts in less than the bare minimum.  After Annie insults him about not being a lawyer, Jeff decides to run as well and only says meaningless, patriotic r...

 "It takes a heavy sack to sign up for this contest." -The Major Every year, fifty teenage boys are selected to compete in The Long Walk.  Fall below the speed of 3 miles per hour too many times and the military convey surrounding the competitors will give you your ticket out of the competition.  The Walk doesn't have a finish line.  It keeps going until there's only one Walker left standing. What Works: So cards on the table, I love the book The Long Walk .  It was the first Stephen King book I ever read and it remains my favorite to this day.  I've always wanted to see a movie adaptation, but I was nervous that the filmmakers might not do it justice.  I was so excited to watch this, but I was also very anxious.  With a massive sigh of relief, I can say this is an extremely worthy adaptation. Let's start with what they kept from the novel.  Obviously the basic story is the same, but the most important feature beyond that is the dialogue. ...

 "Well, what do I know?  I'm Jeff Winger's dumb, gay dad." -Britta Perry "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" picks up with the study group arriving at the hospital after learning about Pierce's (Chevy Chase) overdose.  Abed (Danny Pudi) is already there because Pierce asked him to film a documentary on what is about to transpire.  Pierce tells the study group that he is dying and is going to bequeath gifts to all of them.  Pierce isn't actually dying, but is planning on getting revenge on the others for not treating him with respect. Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) is the first to receive her gift; a CD, which Pierce claims is a recording of the others talking badly about her behind her back. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) is next.  Pierce gives her a check for $10,000 to give to a charity of her choice, but, as she leaves, he mentions there isn't anything stopping her from giving herself the money, which makes Britta feel extremely guilty, as she could...

 "Books!" -Abed Nadir "Early 21st Century Romanticism" picks up with Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) both crushing on a librarian, Mariah (Maite Shwartz).  They get her attention by periodically yelling "Books!" before pretending like they are asleep.  Since they both like her, they ask her to attend the Valentine's Dance with both of them to get to know them and decide who she would like to see again.  Mariah agrees. When the study group meets, several of them express concern about the amount of painkillers Pierce (Chevy Chase) is taking.  Britta (Gillian Jacobs) arrives and the group sees her say goodbye to her new friend, Page (Brit Marling).  Britta tells the group that Page is a lesbian, so Pierce, assuming Britta is dating Paige, reads off a prepared statement, which is offensive, but surprisingly supportive.  Pierce then pops another painkiller and moonwalks out of the room.  When the rest of the group suggests an intervention, J...

 "I attack them using my...addition notes." -Troy Barnes A student at Greendale, Neil (Charley Koontz), is known as Fat Neil.  Everyone calls him that, which causes Neil to become depressed.  Surprisingly, the only person who seems to notice is Jeff (Joel McHale), who begins spending time with Neil and feigns an interest in Neil's favorite pastime, Dungeons & Dragons.  Neil ends up giving Jeff all of his Dungeons & Dragons books and claims he won't need them anymore, which causes Jeff and Annie (Alison Brie) to worry that Neil might attempt suicide.  Jeff and Annie gather, Troy (Donald Glover), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), Abed (Danny Pudi), and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) and they decide to play a game of Dungeons & Dragons with Neil to try and cheer him up.  They realize Chang (Ken Jeong) was in their planning session the entire time, but decide to not address it and let him play.  Pierce (Chevy Chase) isn't invited to play, but was secretl...

 "Well, that answers my question.  Jeff Winger is sexy even in a coffin." -Dean Pelton "Celebrity Pharmacology" picks up with Annie (Alison Brie) getting the rest of the study group to be in her play about drug awareness.  They agree to be in the play and start rehearsing, but none are overly enthused about being in the show.  Pierce (Chevy Chase) is especially upset because he doesn't have any lines, but is playing Drugs. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) complains to Jeff (Joel McHale) about a guy she is seeing who texts her too much and she doesn't like flirting over text.  Later, when Britta isn't in the room, her phone gets a message from someone named Marcus (Justin Marco).  Jeff decides to help Britta out by flirting with Marcus for her, but Abed (Danny Pudi) tells him that it's a bad idea. Pierce tries to get Annie to give him more lines in the play, but she brushes him off.  Later, he notices her collecting cans from garbage cans around campus.  He...