FTW vs. WTF: The TV Week in Review (March 15–21)
It's March Madness, everybody! (For you non-Americans, just pretend it's the World Cup but you can use your hands and the tournament doesn't run as long and the goals are 10 feet in the air and much smaller.) That means everyone will be talking about rankings and upsets. But even if you don't know a thing about basketball, it doesn't matter, because you can still talk about rankings and upsets from a TV point of view. You want rankings? How about the top 30 shows of the decade so far? You want an upset? Try watching The Slap! Anything that basketball can do, TV can do better. And it's on all year long!
Also, here's what we liked and didn't like from the TV week that was.
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't finished watching this week's new episodes (of The Walking Dead, The Flash, The Americans, etc.), we suggest that you hold off on reading this story until you do.
FTW:
We'll never see another show like The Jinx, even if we live to be a million years old
Andrew Jarecki's six-part HBO documentary about Robert Durst, a man who'd dodged three murder charges, was captivating television from the get-go as Jarecki laid out the details of the unusual, decades-old case. But the ending yielded a surreal and haunting viewing experience. In the second of two interviews with Durst, he forgot his mic was on and seemingly confessed to the killings when he was talking to himself alone in the bathroom. A murderer confessing to his crimes on television? Woah. And that wasn't even half of it, as Durst had been arrested for murder the day before the finale aired. The intersection of current events and a pre-taped documentary reminded us how powerful the medium can be.
FTW:
iZombie is full of life
Who said all zombies had be horrifying, decaying creatures that crave human flesh? The CW's newest drama quickly turned that notion on its head with its compelling series premiere, as Rose McIver's Liv Moore is a fully functioning zombie who sustains her need for brains by working in a morgue... and did we mention that she also solves murder cases after checking out the memories contained within the grey matter she ingests? The show is funny, it's witty, and it's got a lot of heart, and even though it sometimes feels like Veronica Mars with brain-eating, it's different enough in tone and style to stand on its own. Plus, David Anders as Blaine? Easily his best role since Alias's Sark.
FTW:
Community returns for its online course at Greendale with more freedom to be silly
Unshackled from the binds of network television, Community's Yahoo Screen debut was an impressive one, filling the void left by Shirley, Troy, and Pierce with more zaniness and more Leonard. The series may not be back to Season 2 and 3 form, but so far it's better than Season 4 and 5.
FTW:
The Flash goes BIG in its season final—wait, that was only Episode 15?!
The Flash returned from its most recent hiatus with a whopper of an episode that saw Cisco unearth the truth about Harrison Wells before dying by the Reverse Flash's super-speed hand, Meanwhile, Joe was kidnapped by the new Weather Wizard, and Barry revealed his quick-footed identity to Iris right before running off to create a barrier of speed intended to stop a tsunami from destroying Central City. But whoops! Barry ran so fast that he ended up like Huey Lewis and the News and went back in time! Can he undo all this insanity without ripping a hole in the space-time continuum?! We only have to wait a couple more days to find out!
FTW:
The Americans hosts a human barbecue
Never one to shy away from a bit of the old ultra-violence (see: Annalise and her suitcase), the FX drama took things a step further this week with a pretty graphic immolation death. You see, South African agent Eugene Venter had planned to mastermind a bombing at George Washington University via student groups—and when it came time to dispose of him, freedom fighter Reuben Ncgobo broke out a tire, a gas can, and a lit rag. The Jennings watched grim-faced (they only wanted to shoot him), as Venter's human form stumbled and staggered quite realistically, complete with popping sounds and trachea-melting audio. It was a pretty rough experience, but we got through it together and we're all closer now!
FTW:
Man Seeking Woman uses time travel to fix Josh's relationsh—ALL HAIL TRACKANON
In order to snag another shot with his ex-girlfriend Maggie, Josh swallowed a few time-travel pills to right some past wrongs and make a future with Maggie a reality. The result was easily one of the series' best visualizations of modern-day dating... the only problem was that going back in time messed with the space-time continuum and Josh's bliss came in tandem with alien rule over humanity, courtesy of a sex-crazed triangular blob named Trackanon. Eventually, Josh realized that changing himself for Maggie wasn't worth it, becoming an enthusiastic single person who badgers his friends into going out and having fun. It was a sweet, insightful ending to a solid first season.
FTW:
Broad City finishes Season 2 on St. Marks
Abbi and Ilana were just chilling on the Lower East Side's most happenin' street, hanging out on a busy night and taking in the sights and the people. And it was fantastic. There was no real plot other than their celebration of Ilana's birthday, but the episode didn't one because the show's two stars can fill a half-hour just shooting the shit and talking about how pizzas are squirrel sleeping bags unzipped. (Sweet-ass .GIF courtesy of Previously.TV)
FTW:
Grimm goes rabbit-hunting
The monster drama returned from a month-long hiatus with a tragic case o' the week, some Hexen-trauma, and MonRosalee going all "undercover lovers" at a crooked fertility clinic. Spring has sprung!
FTW:
Glee stages a sweet swan song
Whether you view the series finale of Fox's musical drama as the end of an era or the end of an error, Glee wrapped things up with a two-hour finale that took us back to 2009 and then flung us forward to happily(ish) ever after, providing a fitting conclusion for a series so infamously uneven.
FTWTF:
The Walking Dead puts a literal spin on its revolving door cast
This week's fantastic episode really brought the blood. While out on a supply run with some incompetent Alexandrians, things went to shit and Glenn, Noah, and that prick Nicholas found themselves trapped inside a revolving door surrounded by zombies. Nicholas saved himself and it cost Noah his life as the guy was ripped apart in front of Glenn in one of the show's most gruesome (and awesome) deaths. Everyone ate Chris!
FTWTF:
The Royals is a royally entertaining train wreck
No one expected The Royals to be good, right? Ahem: Elizabeth Hurley as the queen? The character is basically The O.C.'s Julie Cooper without the hilarious antics, and her party girl daughter is a wannabe Marissa Cooper (who in their right mind wants to be Marissa Cooper?). The show also features that guy from The Chronicles of Narnia, but he isn't exactly a Ryan Atwood or Seth Cohen equivalent, which is a real shame. And yet, the show is sooooo amazingly trashy that we're already feeling compelled to stick around for awhile.
FTWTF:
Empire delivers the goods and the bads, but we love it anyway
The Season 1 finale of the new Fox megahit was absolutely bonkers, tearing through story like a freestyle rapper on speed. The two-hour spectacle featured a pregnancy, a murder, a cat fight, some sexy sex, a misdiagnosis, an IPO, Snoop Dogg, and, of course, Cookie. The pacing was enough to leave viewers dizzy, which hurt the effectiveness of the storytelling, but it's hard to say it wasn't incredibly entertaining.
WTF:
Chasing Life breaks the girl code
Come on, Natalie. You're like 22 and you're part of the Mean Girls generation; you don't get to be mad because April is bothered by you dating her former boyfriend. Exes like Dominic are off-limits to friends, and especially to half-sisters. That's just, like, the rules of feminism!
WTF:
The Emmys be categorizin' everything
The drama vs. comedy problem needed addressing, but we hate the way the Emmys are handling it. This week, the Television Academy declared that Shameless, Jane the Virgin, and Glee are comedies while Orange Is the New Black is a drama. It's like, you can't put labels on things, man. That's just so not cool.
WTF:
CNN's version of Too Many Cooks
We don't dislike all WTFs. In fact, there are some we actually love—including this bizarre political parody of Adult Swim's already insane Too Many Cooks short. But seriously, WTF MAN?
WTF:
New Zealand's The Bachelor becomes The Flatuler
Hey guys, a woman farted on TV!
What's on YOUR list of TV loves and hates this week? The series premiere of One Big Happy? The series finale of Perception? The Season 1 finale of Eye Candy? Lena Dunham's guest appearance/terrible wig on Scandal? Share your own FTWs and WTFs in the comments!
