Hawaii Five-0 1×01 — “Pilot”: I chose this show as my new one of the season, and have to say that it does have some promise. I’m not sold on Alex O’Laughlin quite yet because his wooden delivery made me think of Keanu Reeves far too many times, but I could probably get used to him. I was pleasantly surprised by Scott Caan as Danno. I have not liked Caan in anything I’ve ever seen him in, so I was fully expecting to hate him here too. But he was the best out of the core four cast members. It’s going to take some getting used to Daniel Dae Kim as anyone other than Jin, and the jury is still out on the woman (forgot her name). The plot was forgettable, but then again, few pilots are ever strong in that area. I’m willing to give this show half a season to see if I’ll stick with it or not.
Cougar Town 2×01 — “All Mixed Up”: I enjoyed this premiere — even moreso than this week’s Modern Family, to tell you the truth. I just really like the dynamic that this ensemble cast brings to the screen in every episode. In fact, the core group is so tightly knit that even a guest-starring appearance by Jennifer Aniston — whom I usually like — felt very awkward and out of place. I think the group works best when they interact with each other.
Anyway, getting back to the ep. There were a couple of quotes that had me laughing out loud. First, this one from Laurie: “I don’t miss people, I dismiss them!” and from Jules, “It’s like saying ‘I hate you’ without all the mean words.” Ha! Loved the Travis/Laurie interaction, and thought the guy were funny as usual when they were together. Plus, wine-drinking for no reason, Grayson’s movie game, and 2pm siestas… this was a great ep! Oh, and I loved the “Still” in front of “Cougar Town” on the title card (a reference, of course, to how there was talk that the show should change its name since it’s not really about CC being a cougar.)
Criminal Minds 6×01 — “The Longest Night”: Hmm, I have to say I didn’t really enjoy this episode, which is odd because I liked the first part. I think the main reason was that Tim Curry and the girl Ellie were featured so prominently — and I found both to be extremely off-putting. The Curry character turned my stomach for obvious reasons. Kudos to whomever decided to fuck his teeth up like that because it just made Billy Flynn even more disgusting. But Ellie was troublesome as well. Was it just me, or was she smirking/smiling an awful lot for someone who is a hostage and who just helped — albeit inadvertently — kill an innocent man?
As to everything else… meh. Morgan being a jerk, JJ calling on her “gifts” as a mother, Dave being detached, Reid being Reid. This show is on the bubble with me for a reason. I’m going to give it five more episodes before deciding whether to dump it or not.