Thursday Nights gets boost with workplace comedies

Bones

This past week’s episode focused on Bones and Booth investigating the case of a man murdered for his briefcase. The duo soon discovered a CIA link to the case, and a dead agent that acted like James Bond in his choice of car and weapon. Booth and Bones were able to discover whom the culprit was, all while discussing how much more Bones makes than Booth from her book publications. Finally, Jeffersonian intern Wendell loses his scholarship, which means he cannot work at the Institute anymore. However, anonymous sums of money are submitted to the office (most likely by the fellow team members), and Wendell is able to keep his job.

A solid episode, the mystery was very well done, and it was funny to see Booth and Bones tracking down someone who uses all the tools and training that James Bond did in his movies. As always, there are cute moments between the main couple that make the viewer wish that they would get together, but alas they remain platonic. The Wendell storyline was also a nice one, and it was good to see him not leave the show. Out of all the different and weird interns that were tried out last season, Wendell appeared to be the most normal and seemed like he could mesh with the Jeffersonian team the best.

The Office

The latest episode of “The Office” had Jim Halpert talking with David Wallace in a closed-door meeting. Michael, curious about what was going on, tried many different ways to find out the truth. After some problems and Michael making Jim look bad in front of Wallace, the end result is that Michael and Jim are made co-managers of the office, much to Dwight’s chagrin. (He yells at the camera in a confessional.)

Meanwhile, there were two other sub-plots featured in the episode. One was Pam trying to get people to respond to their RSVP’s for her wedding to Jim, while the other had Toby and Dwight investigating an injury that Darryl suffered in the warehouse.

The episode had a good balance in terms of comedy and drama. There were definitely some interesting moments, as Michael realizes he has screwed Jim for the job when Jim was in fact helping Michael to get a major promotion. Also, the big plot development happens at the end of the episode, where we see Jim being made into a co-manager of the entire office. This should certainly be a major storyline for the rest of this season.

In addition to that drama, there was good comedy that came from the two sub-plots. Pam’s trips around the office to get RSVPs were funny, and Toby and Dwight made a good duo as they investigated Darryl’s “accident.” Toby’s profanity laced outburst was the best part of the night, and seeing him and Dwight be a team rather than coworkers for once was quite amusing.

Overall, the first two episodes of this season have been very well done, and show that season six could become another great year from one of the best comedies on TV.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

The new episode of the show had the gang wanting to take a road trip to the Grand Canyon because Frank wanted to see it “before he died.” However, the trip is doomed as soon as it starts, with the gang getting into crazy situations and doing dumb things that cause their trip to continue to be delayed. Some of these events include cooking hot dogs in a moving trailer, hitting a bicycler with a beer bottle, Dee having to go to the bathroom every five minutes, and the gang stopping at an Italian Market to buy various items that they really don’t need for the trip. In the end, of course, the trip doesn’t happen and the Paddy’s Pub crew is back at work continuing their miserable lives.

Another hilarious episode of one of the best comedies on TV, the show delivered the laughs this week. Each character had a funny moment, whether it was Dee having to go to the bathroom constantly, Mac getting pee thrown on him, Frank haggling in the market, Dennis deciding to light chairs on fire to make hot dogs, or Charlie having never eaten pears, blueberries, or strawberries.

As stated previously, the show is pretty much the same formula week after week, but it remains hilarious as a result of the cast’s talent in their ability to garner laughs from the stupidity and ignorance of their characters. Even though most viewers probably realized that the gang would never make it out of Philly, the way in which they accomplished that feat was pure comedic gold.

Parks and Recreation

This week’s episode had Leslie overseeing a community garden in the pit where she hopes to one day build a park. However, she spots marijuana and decides to lead a stakeout with Tom to find out who is the culprit that is planting the weed in the pit. Also, she is able to spy on Ann in her first date with Mark. Many shenanigans ensue, and Tom arrested for being pervert. Meanwhile, Ron Swanson has a hernia, which he avoids hurting more by staying still for the entire day.

This was a pretty funny episode, though the Swanson hernia gag ran on for a long time. The character development has helped the show to grow from another version of “The Office” to a different feeling comedy. The people are starting to become their own characterizations, led by Leslie Knope, who has differed enough to simply be labeled as a female version of Michael Scott. Without a doubt, Tom remains the funniest character, as his offbeat and somewhat mysterious persona makes him a riot with whatever line he says. It is also good to see some major storylines forming amid the “plot of the week” scenarios as we see Ann and Mark going out while the park pit comes back into play.

This was a fun episode, but with the show experiencing low ratings, there is wonder on whether “Parks and Recreation” will even be able to air an entire season.