Things are starting to really heat up as we head toward finale time, and it was a stunner of a week on many of our favorite shows (okay, my favorite shows, but you should really be watching them, too). Let's review the top five TV moments from this week:
#5) The return of the Cockamouse on How I Met Your Mother - Our favorite rodent-insect hybrid was back this week! Apparently the Cockamouse settled down and started a family of cockamice in the Arcadian, the building Ted is trying to have torn down and Zoey is fighting to save.
#4) Donal Logue on House - I'm still not recovered from the loss of the magnificent but short-lived Terriers, on which Donal Logue played the quick-witted, wonderfully tortured protagonist. At least Logue is still getting work as a guest star while he awaits the meaty lead role on a great show that he so deserves.
#3) Sam on Glee - He might be the last likable character on this show (aside from Kurt, whom I often think of as on his own separate show, which has actual character development and continuity). While his storyline about living in a motel with his family after losing their home was sappy and a little predictable, it was still probably the most solid part of the episode (and one of the less annoying plot lines of this season). Seeing Sam try to be strong for his younger siblings, and then break down when Finn and Rachel told him they'd do anything to help keep him in the Glee Club, brought tears to my eyes, and it solidified Sam's position as the most adorable character on the show. I hope they let him stay this way instead of ruining him like they have so many of the other characters on the show.
#2) Julianna Margulies' performance on The Good Wife - Do you smell that? That, my friends, is the rich, shiny smell of Julianna's Emmy, wafting its way from the future. Her performance in this week's episode, in which she told her teenage children that she had separated from their father, was so powerful, it was like a physical blow to the chest. Julianna's fantastic acting is just one of the many things that make The Good Wife one of the best shows on television.
#1) Paintball Part II on Community- Community's epic paintball episode last season was a hard act to follow, but somehow they managed to make this season's sequel to the most intense game of paintball in TV history have a totally different tone, so it didn't feel like we'd seen it before. First off, this episode had a Western theme rather than the action movie homage of the first paintball episode. Secondly, this episode included Lost alumnus Josh Holloway as The Black Rider, a mysterious competitor in the paintball war who flustered Annie with his handsomeness. (Best. Stunt casting. Ever.) And the best part about this episode was that it was just part one. The paintball madness continues next week, and it involves an ice cream company conspiracy. Don't miss it.
Womp of the Week: Why is Chuck ruining everything on Gossip Girl? - The writers have to know that the only thing the fans care about on this show is Chuck and Blair....So why are they making it so hard to root for our dark and brooding (anti-)hero? I realize that, plot-wise, it makes sense to have Chuck hit rock bottom, alienating himself even further from the people he loves (especially Blair). But as a Chair fan who can't stand any other part of the show anymore, it's hard to watch Chuck spiral out of control and become the unlikable character that he should be. Also, the scruffy brood-beard was sexy at first, but now it's just creepy.
Defies Numeric Classification: The Fringe season finale - I can't even talk about it, partially because I still don't understand what happened, and partially because I'm still working on my recap for TheTelevixen.com. But mostly because I'm still in shock. Can it be September now? I need season 4 ASAP.