stinging the competition

This recap is for the fifth episode of the seventh season of The Office. I know, I know, I'm a little late in the game, but this season, like the last three seasons, has been lacking. So without further ado, I give you our first bit of coverage on this season's The Office.

Thoughts on Cold Open
-Oscar has a new bike, and OOOOOO, it's the same model that Lance Armstrong uses-snazzy!
-And of course Michael wants to get in on this so he mounts the bike and starts to ped--yeah he can't ride a bike.
-Physical Comedy and Steve Carell are a beautiful match but I was so-so with this open. Not great. I remember every detail of some of The Office's cold opens from the past, and only a week later, this is all I can tell you about the one we have here. Yikes.

So the big to-do in this episode was a VIP sales call. It is the duty of Jim and Dwight to get this client and their confidence suddenly goes awry, upon seeing DANNY CORDRAY. I know, that name means nothing. It's actually the name of guest star Timothy Olyphant's character. Seems he's a razzle-dazzle salesman and Dwight and Jim are so scared, they call in Michael to save the day. The day goes unsaved, and Mr. Cordray runs away with the account. Darn. What makes him even MORE of a villain in this story, is that he dated Pam a few times and apparently never called her.

OK. So this problem needs a solution, don't it? Solution: a con. Not just any con, a sting. And YES, Michael referenced the classic and utterly wonderful film, The Sting. And my heart immediately melted at the sound of a film starring the late and great and at one point THE MOST DEVASTATINGLY HANDSOME MAN IN THE WORLD, Paul Newman. My colleague and I are sort of fans of his. So, Michael comes up with a fake company, Solar Tech, and a fake boss, played by Meredith of all people (her lunch break coincided with the timing). But of course, all does not go as planned, when Meredith starts flirting with Danny, and it gets AWKWARD. It gets even more awkward when one after the other, Oscar and Ryan go in to pull her out, but instead are made to be her cleaning men. It's a mess. And to be honest, the storyline itself is a mess. Eventually, Michael comes to the rescue by actually hiring Danny as the company's traveling salesman, forgetting the fact that Todd Packer already has that position, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it?

To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of this episode (a usual case with The Office nowadays). In my opinion, Mindy Kaling (the writer responsible) concocted a far more superior sidestory with Andy trying to form a band. Feeling belittled by fellow Cornell classmates, Andy decides to really get his singing career off the ground, and recruits Kevin and Daryl (with payment in Daryl's case). In the end, I loved them. Who knows, they could turn out to become quite the novelty band. I'm happy to know Creed is a fan of Andy's work--I trust his opinion greatly.

So that's pretty much the gist. And what will I leave you with? What do I want you to leave this post thinking of? What is the very image I want ingrained in your mind? That's easy.



You're welcome.

mad men trivia time

As we all know, Mad Men is sadly over for the year. BUT that doesn't mean we're not still learning new Mad Men-related tidbits every day. Today, for example, I randomly learned that Freddy-Peed-His-Pants-Rumsen is played by none other than Joel Murray, brother of Bill Murray! I know! Mind. BLOWN.

Do you see the resemblance?

And I'm sure most Mad Men watchers are aware that the former Mrs. Roger Sterling (Talia Balsam) is the current real-life wife Mrs. John Slattery, but did you know she was once also the one (and only!) Mrs. George Clooney?

The 90s were a blur for many.

And 60s sex symbol The Man from U.N.C.L.E's Illya Kuryakin (aka the object of Sally Draper's, er...affection) and eccentric Dr. "Ducky" Mallard from NCIS are one and the same!

Left: Russian spy. Right: British bowtie enthusiast.

This information may be useful in the event that you find yourself playing Trivial Pursuit: Pop Culture Edition.

This post is dedicated to lovers of useless information and IMDB devotees everywhere.

you can go far with a newer and bluer pair of scrubs

Another day, another dollar at Seattle Grace. Actually, it's 1 MILLION DOLLARS to be exact. For some, unexplained reason, the hospital has a 1 million dollar surplus from the year before and for the sake of inspiration (and exciting television) the chief has decided to create a little competition. Each department head is given an opportunity to pitch why their department deserves the million dollars, and the chief will pick a winner at the end of the day. Nothing like a little healthy competition, right? Meanwhile, Meredith and the gang have moved on up from residents, to attendings. This could only mean one thing: NEW SCRUBS! NAVY! Oh, they also get the opportunity to officially perform solo surgeries...I guess that's just as exciting. So the regulars of Seattle Grace are all up in arms about pitches, surgeries, and of course, their personal drama. Let's break this down.

Meredith, Derek, and Avery
-Mer and Ave are both focusing in neurosurgery, so Der is their mentor.
-Cue surgical patient: a woman who gets headaches because of fluid in her skull...yuck.
-Cue BEST GUEST STAR THIS SEASON: um, yeah it took me a while to figure it out (and I had a major freak out the moment I actually did), but the partner of the patient is non other than Randee Heller aka Ida Blankenship from this season's Mad Men! I was sad to see her go, yet happy to see her pop up in "lesbian life partner of 40 years" form, on another show. Though I secretly wish she was still around as the "Queen of Perversions."
-Competition: Oh-so confident Meredith actually loses to a hustling Avery in the game of carving your initials on an egg without breaking the membrane. Avery gets the solo surgery. And as Derek assured the patient everything will go smoothly. Of course it will, because this is Seattle Grace, and all surgeries always go smoothly.
-Yeah, um Avery for some reason screwed up and Derek saved the day.
-Meredith herself was busy with her own surprise solo surgery, a brain bleed fix, thanks to Lexie being her knowledgeable self and catching it in a post-op patient.
-As far as Derek's pitch to the chief, it was all about Alzheimer's and finding the cure. Bold, Derek. Bold. But I'm not gonna lie, his rant about Meredith and how he's scared to death that she has the gene, was touching.

Cristina, Teddy, and April
-Everybody get ready 'cause it's CARDIO TIME!
-Patient: Roy, a sweet old man who has no family by his side (daughter's estranged) and he simply CAN'T BREATHE (lungs are worth zilch).
-Cristina is a total zombie. Seriously, it's getting really frustrating; she really needs to snap out of it! I'd always thought of her as a doctor with terrible bedside manner because of her "get 'er done" attitude, but this just made it worse.
-April, not really sure how to handle the Cristina situation, sets up a panel to discuss putting Roy on the waiting list for a lung transplant.
-From their examination of him, he wouldn't be a good candidate, and April explained the situation to the panel.
-But, for a nice perking up, all you need is a cheery dying man, and he'll boost you right out of your slump!
-Christina--motivated by Roy's vigor to live--finally speaks up as her old self and defends his right to be on the list--AND IT WORKS. The old gal is back!

Alex, Mark, and Arizona
-Plastics and Pediatrics combined equals Plasdiatrics!
-It's breast reduction time...with a BOY. Yes, a teenager would like to have a breast reduction. His father has the same issue, but that's not gonna keep this boy from making it a non-issue for himself. He's going into high school, and I completely understand why he'd want surgery.
-Meanwhile, Arizona manages not to cry--but becomes quite angry--while giving her pitch about the needs of "tiny humans" to the chief.
-Mark tries to charm the chief into giving him the million dollars for a burn unit combined with a reconstructive surgery center...not a bad idea.

Biggest Surgery Cringe Moment: I'm fine with brains bleeding, but seeing Alex slice into the boy's areola and seeing it ooze with blood was a bit much.

Most Strategic Pitch: Owen using the shooting from last season--particularly Dr. What's His Name's death as an example on how trauma surgery is an absolute necessity...AND HE WON THE MILLION.

Most Honest Pitch: Miranda (where have you been this whole time?) had a simple request: fix the broken machines in the hospital, while adding another night nurse to the schedule. Easy. I really thought she had this one in the bag. It seemed like the perfect underdog. If I was the chief, I would have given her the million.

Cheesiest Piece of Dialogue (That I Ate Right Up): The breast boy (sorry) in post-op saying to Alex, "You're the man." And Alex responding with, "No, you are." Classic.

the same color does not a collection make

$9,000. 6 weeks. 10 looks. 4 remaining designers. 2 episodes. I quite enjoy this, but I won't go on in fear that I'll lose your attention. But yes, here we are in part one of the season finale of Project Runway. We left last week seeing April auf'ed (she had to go, she could do nothing but black and emotional) and Michael, Gretchen, Mondo, and Andy remain in the game. Final 4. But as Heidi reminds us, only 3 will be competing at Fashion Week. So, going back to my vague reference at the beginning of this post, the designers are given $9,000 and 6 weeks to go home and create a collection made up of 10 looks.

Cut to Tim driving all around America. I would love my role on Project Runway if I was Tim Gunn. Think about it. You get to pop in and out of each episode as mentor to the designers. You get to tote around a black velvet bag full of buttons. You get to visit Mood everyday an in doing so, visit their adorable mascot, Swatch. And finally, you get to travel to different parts of the country and visit the designers in their natural habitats. Not bad, Tim. Not bad at all. His first stop is Hawaii, where he's visiting Andy on the island of Oahu! We learn that Andy's collection is inspired by his home and his family (yes, that's quite original, isn't it?) And while his collection of masks and head gear is quite spectacular, he's lacking garments. Oh, no! Andy only has 2 weeks to come up with a complete collection! Whatever will he do? What if he doesn't finish? THEY ALWAYS FINISH. You know, for once, it'd be nice to see a designer come back to the show with only half of a collection--just to see what happens.

Tim leaves Andy in Hawaii, and meets Michael in Palm Springs, California and it is a SCORCHER! He also meets Michael's partner, Richard--and with Richard, we learn of some DRAMA. So, to be brief, Michael's family does not support him. We've seen the same story in many a Project Runway. It seems that an aspiring designers family is either 100% behind them, or not. And Michael's family only started supporting him after he got on the show. To heighten the family drama even more, we learn that Michael's partner outed him to his family. Michael even remembered the exact date it happened. Ouch. I have so many questions about that situation alone, but for the sake of the length of this post, I'll refrain from asking them. Let's get to Michael's collection. His inspiration apparently comes from the feathers and the sky. He loves feathers. I love feathers too. In elementary school and beyond, if I was bored in class, I'd often draw a feather. I was not a very talented sketch artist, but feathers I could do, and they were fun. I think I'll draw one once I'm finished writing this. Um....where was I? YES! MICHAEL'S COLLECTION! OK. So, in Michael C. fashion, the man has created well over 10 designs. Now he just needs to narrow down the "design diarrhea" as Tim put it.

While Michael works on his collection issues (seems there are some beyond his collection), our buddy Tim heads east to Mondo's house in Denver, Colorado. I love Mondo. I love him. I'm not shy about expressing my love for him. If I haven't been clear enough already, I want him to win. I think his inspiration is the best out of the four designers. He designed his collection with the vintage circus of Mexico City in mind. Awesome. And totally Mondo. Circus means color. Mondo means color. We have a match! I'm already dying to see his collection.

From Denver, Colorado, to Portland, Oregon. Now, do any of you remember Leanne? I remember when we first met Gretchen, I thought that she and Leanne were quite similar. Both designers from Portland. Both indie-hippie kind of dressers. Both dark blondes with the blunt bangs. Leanne won her season of Project Runway. Does this mean Gretchen has a chance? Well, technically she does, but perhaps because she--ah, what am I saying? I just wanted an excuse to bring up Leanne. I loved her designs and was so happy to see her win. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Sorry for that little tangent. Back to Gretchen! To add more drama to this episode, we learn that Gretchen came home to a not-so-great situation. The details are a bit fuzzy, but she apparently had a nasty break up which caused her to have to move out of her house. And her bank account is apparently empty. So yes, I guess you could say she could really use a high-five right about now. Her inspiration stems from rural western roots. Personally, I've been a fan of Gretchen's designs. I know she's insane and a bit grumpy and doesn't take criticism well, but I find that the clothes she both wears and makes are kind of awesome. I've said my peace, let's move on.

Back to New York! All of the designers are back and once they settled down in their hotel room, it's back to the work room. And Tim has a SURPRISE (of course he does)! As we learned in the previous week's episode, the final four would be competing for only 3 spots in Fashion Week. Now, we learn that they'd compete by showing a total of 3 looks--one which has yet to be created. Back to Mood! Now, back to the work room! After individual critiques from Tim, and a bit of sprucing up for the models, everyone was ready for their final runway before Fashion Week.

The Runway
-LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE MONDO! Colors! Patterns! All the best! And they're all wonderful as separates! The judges' only worry is how people will react to Mondo's collection: take him seriously, or dismiss him as a joke? I honestly can't agree with them. Mondo's collection is bold and colorful, and it'll make the show fun, which is what it's supposed to be.
-Andy's is fine. I know, I know. I shouldn't be so detailed with one designer and do the whole "fine" thing with another designer, but that's how I'd describe Andy's pieces. They're fine. They'll get him into Fashion Week. The judges would have liked to've seen more than just a bathing suit and a couple of layered mini dresses. But apparently Andy wanted to keep the "wow" until Fashion Week--understandably--but I risk nonetheless.
-Michael's designs are literally the same colors: pink and brown. I was personally not a fan of any of them. And while they were well-made, the judges knocked him for using the same colors as a way of forming a collection. Oh Michael, you are so naive. That is a rookie mistake! Then again, who am I to judge? I can't even sew a button.
-Poor Gretchen. She keeps getting the "crunchy granola" label. I know this girl has a "wow factor" in her, but for some reason, it just didn't show up. And wow, it was super awkward when Gretchen told the judges she wanted to "pique" their interest and Nina immediately retorted, "My interest was NOT piqued." HARSH NINA. HARSH. T
-The judges all agreed that there were issues with the designers' editing.

The Results
-Mondo's in (obvi)! I can't wait wait wait to see his collection.
-Gretchen's in. I know she's a crazy, but I'm REALLY looking forward to what she brings...especially her version of a red-carpet look.
-Andy's in. I'm curious. That's all I'll say.
-Michael's out. He's out. And it gets AWKWARD. He basically loses it. I don't think I've ever seen anyone react like that. And I know, it sucks. But thanks to spoilers, we all know that he shows at Fashion Week. If you're wondering what his collection looked like, you can see it here. BUT DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER. I've struggled, but I've managed to stop myself from looking at the final 3 collections. OVERT YOUR EYES.

OK. So my money's on Mondo. Though I expect greatness from Gretchen and Andy, Mondo's got "winner" written all over himself.

Michael Kors Quote of the Night: "IT DOESN'T LOOK EXPENSIVE! THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM." -On Gretchen's looks. It was all in the delivery, people.

well, at least no one offed themselves

I can't believe it's the last episode of Mad Men season 4. That certainly swooshed right by, didn't it? This finale, Tomorrowland, seemed to get a lot of mixed reviews and I personally thought it was...okay. It doesn't hold a candle to the finales of seasons 1 (Peggy was pregnant!) and 3 (Sterling Cooper Draper Price!), nor to the much-beloved season 4 episode The Suitcase (pretty much my favorite MM episode, bar none). It was just kind of..odd. Everything was predictable and unpredictable at the same time. I know that doesn't make too much sense on paper (er, on LCD screen), but it makes sense in my head. The foreshadowing was so obvious, yet we were still saying WTF when it happened. Case in point:

early in season four, Faye predicts Don Draper will be married within a year. We see him (and Sally) get closer to Megan the receptionist. In this episode, we get the horribly unsubtle engagement ring appearance. Yet Don getting engaged to Megan = a WTF moment if there ever was one. I even saw spoiler pictures of Megan and the Drapers in California and I was still flummoxed. Let's get on with it:

The good:

Pete Campbell is a great character: spineless, simpering, hilarious. But can we discuss the awesomeness of Ken Cosgrove, the Toby Flenderson to Pete's Michael Scott? How lucky is that Alex Mack Ken refuses to jeopardize his marriage for his job, he has no problem letting Peggy control the meeting with the Topaz pantyhose guys, he and Peggy have cute celebratory hugs sans drama! Matthew Weiner, please let's not pull another Harry Crane and slowly turn Ken from a cute, normal guy into a smug lecher.

I may be torn on Megan (more on that later) but the scene with her in the diner having lunch with the Drapers was hilarious due to Don, Sally, and Bobby's reaction to her non-reaction to the milkshake spillage. I love how they were looking at her like she'd sprouted antennae from her head.

Peggy and Joan's bitchfest was so great. I loved how Peggy called Joan on her bullshit.

The middling:

Joan's pregnancy. Did we all call it when we saw her slightly swollen abdomen in her first scene? I'm glad Joan's having a baby and it sure will make for an interesting season next year, but I'm not crazy about the whole passing-off-someone-else's-baby-as-yours thing. And, uh, her husband is a doctor. Also, he can COUNT. Is she really going to be able to pull that off or will it not matter when he kicks it in Vietnam? And I'm pretty sure Roger will notice eventually.

I was never very fond of Dr. Faye Miller but she definitely got the fuzzy end of the lollipop this season. Is this the last we're going to see of her, or will she go all Fatal Attraction on Don next year (let's hope)?

The downright ugly:

Betty. When Betty fired Carla I wrote HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE (yes, seven times) on my scratch paper. Congratulations on making Betty as hateful as she's ever been. We get all these sympathy-inducing snippets of Betty's issues, but they are almost always completely overshadowed by her CRAZY BITCHINESS. There'll be a lot of digging to get Betty out of the "Worst Mother in the World (Who Doesn't Have A Problem With Wire Hangers)" ditch, writers. Though Glen continues to creep everyone out, Betty's fixation on him is downright weird. We're almost starting to feel a little sorry for January Jones.

Don Draper does not do doe-eyed well. Mon Dieu, he was like a pod person! What exactly comes over Don whenever he hits the Best--I mean West--Coast? As far as I know, there's nothing floating around in the air (well, unless it's Venice Beach or the back of some dorm room) so why does Don go all dreamy when he's in California? Too much sun? (By the way, I love how in the Mad Men universe, California is so perfectly sunny with cloudless blue skies, like a Hollywood postcard or a Doris Day movie locale.)

What, what, WHAT are you doing? Did you really propose to your 20-something secretary that you slept with all of three times simply because she is good with your children and (let's just admit it) has really cute dresses? You're in love with her, you say? WHEN did that happen? Oh Don, you are such a moron.

Okay, Megan. There appear to be differing opinions on her. My dear colleague is taking the glass half-full approach in her assertion that Megan is just a beautiful, smart, French-speaking pseudo-nanny who is going to get burned when Don inevitably screws up. Or maybe he won't this time (lol, yeah right). I'm taking the glass half-empty approach in that Megan may be more calculating than we've been shown (coming in to "check" on the kids in her Whiskey-A-G0-Go dress? And does she really want to be a copywriter or was that BS?). Either way, we can agree that 1. we really don't know too much about Megan (whether it's due to bad characterization or deliberate ambiguity remains to be seen) and 2. things probably won't end well for Don.

By the way, how crappy was it that Don basically told Peggy that Megan was just like her, only Megan is pretty! Peggy should have slapped him silly.

Minor notes:

-Is it weird that I love Sally's little jumpers? If I were ten I think I'd love having a plaid jumper with suspenders.

-Lane Pryce is a good guy. He had good intentions with Joan's promotion-but-no-pay-raise thing (which of course, just means more work for the same amount of money). He seemed more chipper, so maybe we can take him off Suicide Watch until next summer.

-It was beyond cute when Don flopped on the bed with Sally and Bobby.

-I'm no Betty fan, to state the obvious, but I did like her scene with Don. I can't help it, I'm such a sucker for their dysfunction.

Characters who were/are probably too good for this show:

Ken Cosgrove

Carla

Mrs. Blankenship

This season's depressing coda, in quote-form:

"Things aren't perfect."

"So you'll move again."

This is why I sometimes I think it's a lost cause to hope that this show will eventually end well for Don. He tries to change but always defaults to the easy way out. He just makes the same mistakes over and over and over again.

And on that uplifting note, we're dunzo! That is, until next summer, when we find out how many inches Sally grows, how Don will mess up yet again, and whether Megan makes the opening credits.

(P.S. It's the last episode of the season and so I went a little crazy with the tags and Blogger has the nerve to tell me "the combined length of all the labels must be at most 200 characters." Way to stifle my creativity, Blogger.)

oh now this is ridiculous

Glee was not new this week. And I'm not crying any rivers. So in place of a recap, I'm recommending that you quickly read one of Entertainment Weekly's bloggers, Ken Tucker's recent take on the show. If any of you are having the same issues I'm having with Glee, you'll appreciate his words. If you're a super "gleek" and have ABSOLUTELY NO QUALMS WITH THE MOST AWESOMEST SHOW IN THE WORLD, then you probably won't like it.

But I have issues with it. My beloved colleague has issues with it. In the past, I've compared Glee to a boyfriend who you feel no one understands the way you do. Well, I'm beginning to lose my patience with this boyfriend. Yes, I will still watch. No, I will not stop rolling my eyes. The show continues to go way over the top. And I understand that this is a musical television show, so "over the top" is a given, but there has to be a limit. Glee is about an Ohio high school's glee club made up of quirky characters who all have great singing voices and are gifted with comic timing. I realize that with a musical tv show, I give in to the suspension of disbelief and allow these characters to have duets in the library, as well as random dream sequences. But with all of the constant bickering about the club's meager budget, I'm really starting to get frustrated with the spectacular numbers they're putting on for...Mr. Schue(?). Ryan Murphy, could you please explain those musical numbers? Because from the looks of it, they seem to just be all-out performances for a near-empty auditorium. Remember the pilot? When the original members sang "Don't Stop Believing" for themselves, in costumes that you could actually believe they brought from home? Yeah...those musical numbers have really changed. Let's take Kurt's most recent solo duet (yep) performance of "Le Jazz Hot" from Victor/Victoria. Really? That all-out performance was just for an assignment? For a club that is constantly given the unpopular reputation, it's definitely able to scrounge together every ounce of production material needed for a showstopping performance.

I know, I know. I shouldn't get caught up in the logistics of it, but when they hit you over the head with it in every single episode, it gets to be unbearably unwatchable. If you go back and look at the musical performances in Season 1 and look at the ones in Season 2,there is clearly a difference. And you know why? Not because the Glee Club's budget is bigger this year (though I'm willing to bet the show's budget has gotten WAY bigger), it's because the show, Glee, has become a disgustingly huge phenomenon that seems to be taking over the world. The show has moved beyond the storyline. And I'm constantly bothered by the overlapping of the two. Again, I know--SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF--but to that, I say, "WHATEVER." It seems that the show isn't even about its characters anymore--but about the starlets and young actors taking part in the show. It's about attracting viewers.

Oh hey, and speaking of attracting viewers, what about that sweet little photoshoot that has just about everyone talking? I'm not going to get into it. Enough has been said about it, and yes, I agree with the majority of people who've written about it. And I'm not a Sally McPrudey or anything, but c'mon, the photos scream desperation, cheese, and over-the-top (in Glee fashion) in your face sexuality, all at the same time. And in my mind, that spells out RIDICULOUS.

I just don't feel like talking about this anymore. Bleh.

new isn't always better

I'm going to be really obvious right now and say that on my list of "Reasons I Love New York," architecture is pretty high up there. Now I'm not an architecture nerd, so I'm not about to get all "oh the gothic scaffolding combined with the pre-war blahbbity blah blah" on you. But yeah, I often find myself walking around this city in awe of the buildings that surround me.

In Monday's episode of How I Met Your Mother, our singleton hero, Ted, was faced with quite a dilemma--being a big fan of architecture himself. As we all know, Barney officially gave Ted a major break in offering him the opportunity to design the newest building for Goliath National Bank's (GNC) headquarters. Understandably, Ted was super excited about the idea. That is until he found out the building would be located where the current landmark, the Arcadian, stands. What was once a classic hotel, is now a place surrounded by not so classic people. And while Ted stands there, admiring the building, he runs into a lovely lady, Zoe, played by guest star Jennifer Morrison. First question: Is she the mother? No. Second question: WHO is she??? She actually turns out to be a crazy and maniacal activist out to save The Acaradian. And Ted, being the "change yourself for a girl" guy he is, decides to join her. And while he lies to Zoe about his involvement on the project, she soon finds out, thanks to a bitter Barney arranging for a billboard showing Ted to be the architect heading the project. But don't worry, everyone, all ends well. Barney gave Ted a bit of artistic freedom, letting Ted incorporate the old facade of The Arcadian into the new GNC building. And yes, Jennifer Morrison's character was still protesting Ted right to the end, but hey, at least the classic hotel isn't completely lost, right?

In the other storyline of the evening, Marshall was having trouble dealing with the fact that Robin told Lily that Marshall's law school buddy (who she is currently dating) has a small...uh...piece of equipment used for sexual activity. Yep. And he just can't deal with that kind of knowledge. What's worse, is that he finds out that Lily talks to Robin about their sex life. Cue a Marshall freak out. In the end, everything is fine, and Marshall just deals with it, but yeah, I guess I can understand why he'd feel self-conscious.

Memorable moments:
Zoe's wardrobe. They always tend to dress Ted's love interests so well. I very much enjoyed her hats.
Barney. Yeah, just Barney. The guy doesn't change. Neil Patrick Harris never fails to impress.
Marshall having a lot of trouble being subtle on his and Lily's double-date with Robin and Max. If it's one thing Jason Segal is a pro at, it's freaking out and having a hard time covering it up.
Marshall having Lily read off a legal pad a description of just how amazing their last sexual encounter was, to an all-knowing Robin on the phone.

A moment I would have like to have seen: Barney, realizing that his theory, "new is always better" does not work when it comes to drinking the bar's newest scotch, "Jim's Grape Scotch."