Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

The Neighborhood: "Welcome to Thanksgiving"

In this episode, actress Marilu Henner of Taxi fame plays a racist grandmother who hails from the state of Michigan.

For what it's worth, I, Tonio Kruger, also had a racist grandmother who hailed from the state of Michigan -- and Marilu Henner's character is so mild compared to her that I can't help but wonder how many real-life racists the producers of this episode ever actually met.

I realize that there's not much room for intellectual discussion in a thirty-minute TV show but I can't help thinking about the many Norman Lear sitcoms I saw growing up that were far more edgy than this. Whatever happened to them?

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Speechless: "C-E-- CELEBRITY S-U-- SUITE"

Ah, Speechless is another one of those shows that I watch every now and then but never get around to writing about -- perhaps because I've been so backed up on this blog due to various health problems and other complications that it sometimes seems quite foolish of me to even think of trying to catch up.

That said, I must note that the part of me that still remembers the days when movies like Good Will Hunting and Grosse Pointe Blank were still new releases can't help but feel a bit shocked that actress Minnie Driver is now old enough to be playing a mother. Worse yet, she's playing the mother of teenagers. (I knew it had to happen eventually but still...)

She is still as attractive as ever -- in my eyes, at least -- and has the ability to make her lines seem a lot funnier than they should be. Nor does it hurt that she has a good cast backing her up. Plus this week she has assistance from actress Sarah Chalke -- best known for her starring role on the long-running comedy Scrubs -- who plays the mother of a special-needs child who competes with Ms. Driver's character -- Maya DiMeo -- and her special-needs son J.J. for the use of a celebrity suite at the local hospital.

Confused? Don't be.

The episode starts out with Ms.DiMeo staring at a raw turkey and trying to come up with excuses to not go through with the usual Thanksgiving ritual. Unfortunately, when Ms. DiMeo's obnoxious brother-in-law comes for a visit, she gets her wish when J.J.'s caretaker accidentally gives J.J. a pill of her in-law's heart medicine and forces them all to make an emergency run to the local hospital. Ironically, once they get there, Ms. DiMeo immediately starts improvising an impromptu Thanksgiving banquet only to be stymied by the lack of space and supplies. Then she finds out about the celebrity suites. However, only one is available and to get that, she has to compete Sarah Chalke's character Melanie, which is where we came in...

Of course, a lot more than that happens like an encounter between Ms. DiMeo's youngest son Ray and a young single mother (played by actress Azura Skye, best known to me for a memorable guest role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) Since this is a comedy, everything ends on a relatively positive note though I can't help but wonder what happened to Ms. Skye's career that she is now playing such conventional roles. Oh, well. I wish her well regardless.

And I hope my average reader's Thanksgiving holiday goes smoother than that of the De Meo family.

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

The Munsters: “Low-Cal Munster”

Dammit, Herman! Don't bogart that turkey!

After all, there are other people in this world who would like a piece of that bird as well. Some of them in that very house that you just invaded.

So what does it say about you that you just feel free to wantonly invade some neighbor's home and devour their entire Thanksgiving dinner?

What? You say you're just rehearsing for Black Friday?

Well, why didn't you say so?

Thanksgiving TV Shows

Dexter: “Hungry Man”
The Munsters: “Low-Cal Munster”

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Dexter: “Hungry Man”

In a special Thanksgiving special, Dexter Morgan gets together with his would-be mentor for Thanksgiving dinner and discovers said mentor’s family life is not quite as blissful on the inside as it seems from the outside. Indeed, it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone having a more dysfunctional Thanksgiving than the one Dexter has in this episode.

Perhaps they should have just called this episode, “So You Thought Your Thanksgiving was Bad.”