Community: Gettin’ rid of Britta

COMMUNITY: 1.08 “Home Economics”

Haha. I just got that title name. Sorry, I’m a pun nerd.

Abed is by far probably one of the most brilliant characters in television. He’s so minimal. Nothing bothers him. He’s content. There’s very little that he does–and yet that makes him perfect. It’s not that he’s not a round character; he certainly his. Instead, it’s just that he’s not a character that’s forced to show emotion and act a certain way. He does so much with so little. It’s fantastic.

This week, he brought Jeff in to live with him, while Jeff was having condo issues. By the end, he would have been happy to have Jeff say, even though it was time to go (which he even admitted). I just love that he’s perfectly content with his cereal and TV–and that we’re so ultimately humored by it!

Britta is, once again, developing. Clearly, she and Jeff are now friends–possibly more if you believe what Jeff said in the end. And who wouldn’t? She broke into a condo and stole all the designer hardware from the bathroom. That’s awesome.

Then again, she is pestered constantly in this episode by her ex, who has written a song about her. I loved that it had a reggae beat. And I love that Pierce actually co-wrote it with him (and that Britta didn’t realize that part). Sure, it’s not the most original storyline (there was an episode where Ben sang, “Oh, Holly Tyler, you are such a liar, you are such a liar, liar, liar,” in What I Like About You), but it was a great song.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the Pierce song. Maybe that’s because I couldn’t understand some of the lyrics. I got the poopy pants thing. Yes, he’s old. We got it.

And then there’s Annie. Oh, Annie. I feel like episode to episode, we’re watching Annie unravel before us. This time, her obsession with Troy grows, and she attempts to help him date (and the Randy joke was great). Of course, that all backfires when she doesn’t want him to date and claims appendicitis. Oh, the awkward situations these people get themselves in.

Anyway, I really wonder how much further she can go without just getting crazy. I really love her. She’s so adorable yet crazy, and you just want to give her a break. But I don’t want her going to extremes either…or do I? It would be funny.

So it’s another solid episode of Community. This show really has been a pleasure this year.

Oh, and yes, there’s a music video for “Gettin’ rid of Britta.” You can watch it over here. She’s a no good B…

Vampire Diaries: Are you keeping count?

VAMPIRE DIARIES: 1.08 “162 Candles”

I asked the question, “Are you keeping count?” It seemed to be all over this episode: how many years Stefan has been “alive.” How many people are tracking down the vampires. And most of all…

How many people have been killed off this series?

It’s not that I thought Lexie was long for the Vampire Diaries world. I actually thought it would be a one-off episode, and in the end, she’d leave Stefan with what he needs to either help him with Elena or supposedly get over her and we’d never see her again. Well, we got one thing right. We certainly won’t.

I’m incredibly amazed at how well the writers made the character of Lexie. She was equally likable and dangerous. And you really liked her by the end of the episode. Right up to the point that she was staked by Damon’s hand. Honestly, this loss–while not as dramatic and heartwrenching as Vicki’s–might’ve been more painful. I really liked her. And there was something especially upsetting to know that she’d survived 300+ years, was Stefan’s best friend, and was killed just like that.

And really, Damon’s kinda brilliant. Well, yes and no. True, the authorities now think that they’ve gotten the loose vampire (though I wish they’d just planted Vicki’s body somewhere and used her as a decoy as I read another blog suggest, though maybe they wouldn’t have believed it), but how will Damon sustain himself now? The deaths have to stop, now that there’s someone to blame–and that someone dead. Can he just feed and erase their memories? Elena caught Caroline’s wounds before she even realized vampires existed!

And what about Stefan? We all knew that Damon wasn’t going to die in this episode (though according to the executive producer, everyone will at some point). But the shift in discovering that Stefan didn’t kill him, just because that would prove him to be just like Damon, well, that was new.

But let’s not get vampire sidetracked. I’m so much more interested in Bonnie’s storyline right now (and you know I’ve always been a Bonnie fan). I’m really looking forward to next week when we find out more about her past. Right now, let’s just concentrate on the necklace.

We know that it’s a family heirloom and that she has to wear it all the time. We know that it shocks people who try to take it from her. And we know Damon wants it. Why? Why do you think he really wants it? Is the magic that’s held in the necklace something that helped kill Katherine so long ago? Is it something that charmed the rings he and Stefan wears–which means it could easily take that magic back? There are a lot of options, but either way, I think it’s ultimately dangerous for Damon, not something he can use. I think that’s in Bonnie’s hands.

So for an episode that was advertised as a ho-hum episode following the major tragedy, we were pleasantly surprised. Another big, dark episode for the series. I loved it.

I’m hungry for more.