Category: Television/Short Subject Reviews

Highs:
drunk confirmation
“The Car”
‘Eat’
Dr. Sam
curly swine tail
Dr. Woody
slow-moving doctor
rum + trail mix
new drink tears
doctors all over the world
Diane’s mood
Malone-fishing
big cat

Lows:
Sam’s date

Grade: A-

Highs:
Woody’s dream
alabaster skin
sound advice
infectious hum
Frasier’s reaction
career choices
Diane the Clavin
wrong number

Lows:
convenient plot devices
Steve

Grade: B

Highs:
Caesar Augustus w/Reeboks
mercy
Frasier’s putdown
probing/thrusting/stroking
legs
little fish
Lilith’s leap

Lows:
Football “enthusiasm”
Steve
ending

Grade: B-

Highs:
Al
the right words
Frasier’s attitude
building theme
Cliff’s opera glasses
Norm’s beverage
“Lucy Dadada”
Sam + Diane

Lows:
Only…bits of it

Grade: B

Highs:
Norm’s dream
Cliff’s turnip
“I thinks”
L. Manion
H.B. Wilson
old and alone in Boston
blubbering Woody
too big a deal

Lows:
radness
truss
Sam/Jack banter
longggggg slowwww pannnnnn

Grade: B-

Highs:
Ma’s pretzels
attempt at machismo
Lilith’s first appearance
JENNIFER TILLY!
Candi and Gandi
bell for Carla
Norm’s toast
beautiful thoughts
wedding song

Lows:
intermittent bits of patter

Grade: B

Highs:
long and hard
Road Runner discussion
sex, sex, sex, or sex
Love debate
pedestrian approach
filled…with…passion
passion
whatever
Frasier FINALLY saying what everyone was thinking

Lows:
Al

Grade: B+

Highs:
Woody’s book
ticked
5
ladies room meeting
Irving
Diane’s massive paranoia
heinous revenge
moldering in the grave
burst bubble
“Ode To A Cornish Hen”
outperforming chickens
Diane drenched

Lows:
unthinkable

Grade: A-

Highs:
Diane’s greeting
bleachbag
Diane amusing herself
Mr. Bobo
dead people w/o rouge
irritated shirt-buyer

Lows:
Diane’s denial
Sam’s rant

Grade: B

Highs:
HUMAN sexuality
God-awful haircut
crossing guard
receding Woody
in the flesh
84 snakes
crazy idea
Diane on “Trevor”
Sam + Diane
music discussion

Lows:
Sam’s speech

Grade: B+

Highs:
the usual
tree discussion
sensitive Sam
money irony
too many cookies
inflatable book
The Sun Also Rises (every other page)
book lust

Lows:
opening
Basil book Exposition
tidy profit

Grade: B-

Highs:
a cat’s pleck
scream of remembrance
tap operation
Andy Andy
one hitch
Norm’s 2 cents
babes
hot pants
old time’s sake
choker
Sam the intellectual
a spot of tea
new opera
P with a P
smokin
pipe

Lows:
Diane’s attempt at unbridled lust

Grade: A-

Highs:
Igor
unfair lining
Unca Jack!
And I U
lower regions
classy nooner
Jo-Jo the DFB
Stuart’s nice try
escape route
Sam’s jealousy
Diane the Pooh
Blanche
skin and brain man
Sam’s perception
Sam’s victory

Lows:
Sam’s lie service

Grade: A-

Highs:
open wounds
Diane’s big fat nose
Joan + Davids
Al
found weight
Frasier’s exploding analysis
the janitor’s views on sublimation
tryst w/ cheez whiz

Lows:
eating bit
ending

Grade: B

Highs:
Woody’s first appearance
pens
empty little holes
there you go
hungry probing tongues
messy nuns
sign from God

Lows:
Rice

Grade: B

Highs:
Bologna
local Europe
a kiss
standing by Sam
goodbyes

Lows:
Coach’s joke
Carla’s song

Grade: B-

Highs:
Cliff’s little world
Diane-isms
redundancy
Rueing
Bef
Al’s suitcase

Lows:
Not enough highs

Grade: B-

Highs:
Intro
light bulb
slower chimps
something
flogging
stepping in
the word
chase
disembodied Diane

Lows:
anonymous
when Dianes attack
ending

Grade: B

Highs:
a buck (w/o croutons)
lumpy mother-in-law
wrong bus
butterfly
“You”
last year’s charity
hineys
Campfire Girls All-Stars
no A’s
toast tragedy
Diane’s tone
lack of proms
Diane’s victory

Lows:
Steve again
ending

Grade: A-

Highs:
troubled lips
smelly guys
snipe calls
…moronic prank
boo-tiful guy
Diane + Frasier
screwing to the wall

Lows:
Taking this long to fully incorporate Frasier

Grade: B+

Highs:
Intro
Carla’s gifts
excitement, pleasure, and happiness
psychosomatic theories
little Diane
the voice
Sam not gloating

Lows:
bad edit
horny as a hoot-owl
voiceovers
ending

Grade: B-

Highs:
not being episode 51
tips for Diane
Dark Ages time
test of love
Hester’s psycho impression
yes…yes…yes.
taking stock
pricing revolvers
ending

Lows:
A little too dark for a sit-com.

Grade: B

Highs:
padded bra
imposing
not listening
trace of bravery
Juan Torres
unnecessary killing
Diane’s revenge

Lows:
the very ending

Grade: B+

Highs:
shame
Diane’s escape route
roach cologne
ewww
Goldenbrook
pager
dueling “could”‘s
career opportunities in psychiatry
restrained Carla

Lows:
Part 1 again
convenient plot devices

Grade: B+

Highs:
cheeks and chins
Diane’s guilt trips
Carla’s timing
Coach’s positive affirmation
alms
Sam’s story number 2
Diane’s tone

Lows:
Diane’s bags

Grade: B

Highs:
quiet beers
accent
Cliff’s crate knowledge
Cliff’s warmup
Sinatra!
Sam Malone – Voice of Reason
grinding
clever childish bickering
ending

Lows:
the tip
stupid childish bickering
Diane’s sleaziness

Grade: B

Highs:
Diane’s vague stirring memories
Sam’s thinking cap
Diane’s football strategies
real men + Cliff
Diane V. football
Cliff’s muscle
Mountain Lily V. Black-Eyed Susan
DING!
Louis’s change of heart
karate
Carla’s belief
Sam’s non-over-acting
ending

Lows:
Cliff’s laugh
guest star’s over-acting

Grade: A-

Highs:
Non-jealousy
table scraps
cat army
untouched area
large teddy
PPCOP
blubbering
Dames Not Aggressive

Lows:
Coach laughing
Most of Coach’s input

Grade: B

Highs:
Harry again
ticket winner
absolutely no ultimatums
stupid V. drunk
Carla’s response

Lows:
Sam’s speech problem

Grade: B-

Highs:
candlelit dinner for two
Specs’s impression on Diane
cute noises
banter
padpenpenpencilpencil
smoking problem
glad death
pad

Lows:
coal
Coach over-acting
poorly-conceived and played out “message”

Grade: B-

Highs:
Sumner’s face
difficult explanation
subtle difference
Norm’s nose
Sam’s religious observation
available Sumner

Lows:
random battery
unbelievably recurring extra

Grade: B

Highs:
carving
Andy Andy again
Norm and Cliff’s heroics
carelessness
Diane’s random French
drive-in skill
WONDERFUL!
scene set-up
Norm’s clap
second show
Sam’s extreme concern

Lows:
Fake tv commentary

Grade: A-

Highs:
The Blubberbutts
Diane-retrieval
derogatory tense
naked reference
poor Sam
Sam’s duty
proposal/counter-proposal

Lows:
Ms. Blubberbutt voyeur
extreme Diane-ism

Grade: B

Highs:
gentle beavers
fair apathy
Bobby and Susie
two boilermakers, Wild Turkey and Bud
slow Thursday
Sam and Derek
sore buns
Coach’s monologue
Cliff’s plea
goodbye/goodbye/goodbye/goodbye…
romance discussion
mutual disgust
door crowd
nibble discussion

Lows:
Recycled Chuck
Recycled Part 1
blackboard torture
silence inability
a bit of overacting

Grade: A-

Highs:
voting/driving cars
gym note
Mr. Subliminal
irritation
wisdom
heavy sleeping

Lows:
Persistent invisible brother
Sound FX

Grade: B-

Highs:
possible Titanic survivor
Norm’s observation
Boggs
Carla being delicate
marriage leer
original vows
embezzling
Boggs’s head

Lows:
Bonanza
Epilogue…
freeze frame

Grade: B

Highs:
glands on hold
information
Harry part 3
free drinks
Diane’s bar
Philly
coolers and hoptoads
The Guy Who Brings The Money
runaway chatter
bad bluffing
good sinuses
itchy nose
ending
earning it

Lows:
feeling used

Grade: A

Highs:
Tip O’Neill avoiding Diane
Coach’s explanation
Federal Express
Sam’s ultimatums

Lows:
Cliff’s chin-wag
Diane’s over-enthusiasm

Grade: B-

Highs:
Anchovie stuffing
persistent numbers
cute coach
Carla’s cackle
Andy Andy
claws
hired!
Sam’s little torch
Sam and Diane being childish

Lows:
Ending argument

Grade: A-

Highs:
Harry again
past lover quotes
scientific proof
snivelling bigots
noble preposition
better than Vera

Lows:
Coach’s story
Carla’s baby impression

Grade: B-

Highs:
Rosie McGonnigle again
Diane’s speech
unflushable cats
using words
secretive cat
Diane’s cat story
ending

Lows:
pretzel eating

Grade: B+

Highs:
Coach’s classy hold
Rosie McGonnigle
Enthusiastic Diane/Reluctant Walker
One question
Norm’s sudden departure
Ending that’s still powerful, emotional(in a SITCOM, no less) and realistic after 30 years

Lows:
Punchy SFX
Slap SFX

Grade: A-

Highs:
Elizabethan Poet Night
confused Coach in sea of accountants
one-woman charades
801
THE PHONE
a good beating

Lows:
Norman Exposition
Seeing Norm in a toga
limbo time
frozen hallelujah
casual attitude toward sexual assault
ending

Grade: B


11/24/14: Upon further review, not as good. Grade: C+

Highs:
Improved tv reception
old hag
‘Another Christmas Of Agony’
gay guy w/ war wound
stud service
headkiss
graceful fellow
Sam and Diane together/making fun of each other

Lows:
Ending

Grade: A-

4/20/16: I LIKE the ending…take it off the lows. But it’s still Grade: A-

Highs:
One beer
Harry’s first appearance
clip joint (ruff!)
Impressionism
rejection criteria
voice problem/approval
anger management
first kiss/practical feminism

Lows:
Dave Richards
The Flintstones
some of Coach’s lines
brief cheerleader story

Grade: B

Highs:
Louise dying
Big Pig Eddie
“No…”
gathered inference
convenient cards
Diane’s majors
kid avoidance
Diane’s Way
convenient baseball

Lows:
most of Coach’s lines
Indian Studies
extended HBP bit
Carla’s therapy bit
ending

Grade: B-

Highs:
military brat
mime class
Magnificent Pagan Beast
close call
surprise hooker
sweat contest
advance apology
Diane’s first laugh

Lows:
Plenty of kinks to be worked out
too much Basil Exposition
too much pretension
too much too soon from Carla
Sam and Diane trying too hard

Grade: C

8/1/13: I think I was a little too hard on it because I was hoping it would be great.  Nostalgia – it’s good and it’s bad.  Grade: C+

ABSOLUTELY redundant and useless to watch if you’ve seen the movie ‘Sling Blade’.

And if you haven’t, you should.

Grade: B

1/17/13: “redundant” and “useless” should have been a hint to me that this isn’t good.  Grade: D+

Highs:
Curly’s early arrival
long hallway
echo
Curly getting it
tearing off an arm and beating someone to death with it
scary face
Curly’s self-assessment
double lock
trombone talent

Lows:
knife-throwing
Wolfman escape
Hazel’s “friend rating”
Larry hesitation gag
ending

Grade: B-