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Reviews
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye (2010)
Great Start!
What a wonderful first episode. It flies by (is over an hour but felt like 20 minutes to me) and does several important things. It introduces some main characters, especially Rick, a family man and cop. He wakes up from an injury related coma and finds lots of corpses, lots of zombies and a few people. The first two people he teams up with are father and son, and the camaraderie established between Rick and the father is amazing. I really felt for these characters, almost as though they were real people right in front of me, and found myself hoping they would protect themselves from the zombies. There is a very touching subplot involving the father and son that I will not spoil; it is painful without being melodramatic. The episode shows that people who are desperate can still have a sense of fun; by enjoying the first shower in a long time, or by riding an enthusiastic horse when one runs out of gas for a car. The episode is captivating but casually paced, until a thrilling scene at the end. My all time favourite TV show (The Wire) had a relatively dry and unappealing first episode; the Walking Dead has done the opposite, drawing me in right from the start. Well done AMC!
Law & Order: Bitter Fruit (1995)
Thrillingly Original
This episode had a unique and highly engaging story, as well as several other good aspects. A young child is found dead, and it turns out she was kidnapped, and her kidnapper killed her. Her parents, though separated, are equally devastated by this, and one of them becomes a vigilante. The plot line is initially similar to that of many other TV shows and movies that have featured revenge as a theme, but all of a sudden there is a huge twist, one which I will not reveal. It is completely unexpected, and thoroughly disturbing. This is perhaps the greatest aspect of the Law & Order series; a crime that at first seems straightforward but has a shocking complication. These complications are what make criminals and their crimes unique, and in the Law & Order series usually also reveal some terrible flaw of a character involved. Another good aspect shown is the drive and tactics of DA Jack McCoy; he is one of the most intelligent characters I have ever seen on the screen, right up there with Hannibal Lecter. He is ruthless in his quest for justice, and is willingness to bend and almost break the law is a startling difference from that of his predecessor Ben Stone. He upsets his assistant Kincaid by being so brazen, at one point basically encouraging a woman he is interviewing to lie for the benefit of her family. He is worthy of his own TV series, and clearly believes in the expression "The ends justify the means." Lastly, two other characters are worth noting, the cantankerous Lenny Briscoe and the young Ray Curtis, both detectives. Briscoe does not exactly embrace his young partner, making many sarcastic remarks about him, but Curtis quickly shows his merit, alertly moving them through the investigation. An exciting plot, a gem of a character in McCoy and two fine detectives make for an outstanding episode.
Law & Order: Harvest (1997)
First, Do No Harm
This episode contains two great aspects of the Law & Order series: an interesting story, and a disturbing villain. A woman is shot in what looks like a typical robbery or gang shooting; basically, she is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is shot by some young hoodlums. She dies later on in a hospital. The investigation starts by focusing on the street punks who shot her, but her actual death in the hospital begins to look suspicious. It becomes clear that a stylish, egotistcal doctor let her die so he could arrange for her organs to be used for medical research, resulting in him getting a more lucrative job. Law and Order has great stories with thrilling twists, and this situation is a fine example of such a plot. What seems like a simple crime, a person dying in yet another shooting by riffraff, actually involves a shocking and sordid incident in which a slithery person lets someone die, despite the saving of life being the whole point of his profession. And this doctor makes a great villain: he is smug, smooth and urbane, and it is revealed that his profession has let him enjoy the high life: multiple homes in New York City, fancy sports cars, and so forth. There is a great scene in which the doctor is indignant and outraged that he is being associated with the young punk who shot the woman in the first place, who he describes as "street scum." He seems to firmly believe he is a much finer form of human being than the other criminal. One criminal shot a gun at someone from a distance in the dark, another watched someone die slowly, despite having more than enough training and equipment to save her, and then lies about it repeatedly, all because he is rich, but not rich enough. He clearly is the more ruthless of the two criminals, yet his sense of entitlement is so profound he scoffs angrily at being associated with the other criminal. He also clearly believes that his job as a doctor is not to save lives, but to earn a high salary, and will sacrifice lives to do so. His motives and glaring lack of a conscience are held under a microscope for the viewer to see, and Law and Order allows us to see criminals and their crimes in detail, as opposed to the summaries of such incidents in the newspaper. Well done NBC.
The Apprentice: Rock the Catwalk (2010)
Good Episode With A Hilarious Remark
This episode was engaging, with one remark that caused me to laugh hysterically. The teams (men versus women, once again, I don't know why they do not mix them in a more interesting way) are tasked with showcasing a company's footwear by way of runway modelling. The women do an excellent job, especially Brandy performing as a captivating emcee. Their only misstep was having a model wear shorts despite having scabs on his legs, but aside from that they do a thoroughly outstanding job. At the other end of the spectrum, the men flounder tremendously. Their emcee, Gene, is hopelessly unprepared, and he stutters and mispronounces words constantly. In addition to his bumbling, almost incoherent, delivery, the content of his speech is uninteresting, as he focuses on the scientific and technological aspects of the shoes rather than their appearance. In the history of The Apprentice, there have only been a few episodes in which the disparity between the quality of the performances of the two teams has been so glaring. In the boardroom, Mr. Trump first praises Brandy for her role as emcee, then dismisses the women quickly, saying there is little to say in terms of criticism. He then aggressively derides the men, particularly team leader Wade and Gene. The best moment of the episode, and perhaps of the entire series, comes when Mr. Trump asks two men why they did not offer to be the emcee, and another man suddenly interjects, accusing the two men of harassing women. This type of spontaneous remark is what makes reality television entertaining; impulsive, outrageous comments like this cannot be scripted. It is hilarious for four reasons. It is harsh and uncalled in terms of the accusation it makes. It also came as a complete surprise, as the person making the remark had been excluded from the conversation for several minutes, and he suddenly jumped into the discussion. Furthermore, the person making the accusation had contributed absolutely nothing to any task, choosing either to argue and swear at other team members or withdrawing because of a tooth problem. Lastly, he was criticizing the only two members of his team that did an acceptable job, as they were in charge of the wardrobe the models wore, and these outfits drew praise from the judges. This person could not have been in less of a position to criticize others, yet he did so harshly, loudly and spontaneously. I cannot recall laughing so hard at anything on television, and only in reality television can such a remark be made.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Uncivilized (1999)
Very Good, Very Disturbing
This is episode is excellent, and deeply unsettling. The plot involves the molestations and murder of a young boy, and the detectives convoluted investigation of this crime. The episode is thoroughly gripping, and has two outstanding aspects, the first being the depiction of an outraged public. When a suspect is arrested, and this individual has been convicted of a similar crime, his neighbors are furious that they were not warned they were living near a convicted sex criminal. The angrily accost the police, and their anger is understandable. However, some civilians take their outrage too far, and one even lies to the police to improve the chances that this suspect will be convicted. The irony is that the actual suspect is innocent, and thus the civilian who was trying to help was only helping the actual perpetrators of the crime by steering the blame towards someone else. The mentality of the public shown in this episode reminded me of people on a witch hunt several hundred years ago, and also shows how difficult the investigation is for the police, as they must be careful about what evidence they consider valid. Not only are the guilty criminals often lying to the police, sometimes even civilians lie as well, making the investigation that much more cumbersome. Even more impressive is the depiction of the actual perpetrators of the crime. When they are finally cornered by the police, the two criminals have very different reactions. One is sincerely remorseful, and also horrified by what him and his friend have done. He cries and squirms in his chair as he describes the crime as "awful," and clearly wishes the whole incident never happened. The performance by this actor is exceptional, as his distress is so convincing and he appears to desperately wish he could erase the whole incident from his memory. At the other end of the spectrum is his friend, who also confesses but shows no remorse at all. He describes first reading about sex crimes on the internet, and how he got an idea in his head to commit one himself. He talks enthusiastically about his growing interest in molesting a boy, then insists he is not gay, He justifies killing the victim by saying the victim was crying and he had "to shut the kid up." He refers to the victim as "a loser," and is very forceful in describing the incident in which he acknowledges no wrong doing. His facial expressions are difficult to read, but in addition to being completely unremorseful, he seems perhaps slightly proud of what he has done. I had two ideas as to his thoughts: either he enjoyed the sex crime and is completely indifferent to killing the victim, or he enjoyed the sex crime and has a sick sense of entitlement that caused him to enjoy killing the victim, partly to quiet him and partly to make his domination of the victim absolute. The different attitudes of the two perpetrators was interesting to me for two reasons. First, it shows how extreme an influence one person can have over another. One person who is evil to the core can encourage a weak willed but decent person to do things they normally would never do, and for which they are haunted by remorse. Also, when we hear of these disgusting crimes being committed, we are so appalled it is natural to just regard all perpetrators of these crimes as monsters. This episode showed a deeper analysis of sex criminals, as they do not all have the same mentality. This episode was entertaining and thought provoking.
The Sopranos: Members Only (2006)
Beginning of the End
Seasons 1, 3 and 4 of the Sopranos are among the greatest TV seasons ever, and are great art. Seasons 2, 5 and 6 are very good, though not as great as the others. Season 6 was not as good as earlier seasons for two major reasons: it is too obvious in terms of the points it makes, and it includes too much of the New York family. One of the things that surprised and impressed me about the Sopranos is that often it made its points in subtle ways. For example, Paulie is a weasel, but this is never directly stated by anybody. Rather, it is shown, as in Season 3 at the ceremony when Christopher is made, Paulie says any problem Christopher ever has should be brought to Tony. Only a couple episodes later, Christopher has complained to Tony about Paulie sniffing his girlfriends underwear, and Paulie is furious, saying "You ever go whining to Tony about personal stuff between me and you, we'll have a big problem." Paulie is fiercely loyal to Tony when Tony is around, but completely different when Tony is not. Now, season 6 has none of this subtlety. A lot of obvious jokes about Vito being gay are made, like him nibbling on a sausage. Everything is spelled and out and obvious, like Phils obsessive hounding of Vito, as well as his grudge towards Tony and disdain of Johnny Sack crying. Also over the top is Paulie and Vito giving Carmela money while Tony is in the coma, but being unhappy about doing so, as if Tony dies then they feel that money will have been wasted. The Sopranos went from sophisticated programming with subtle, clever messages to obvious and simple. Secondly, there is way too much stuff in season 6 showing the NYC gangsters. There are actually scenes where no jersey gangster is present, just Phil and John, or Phil, Gerry and Butchie. The first four or five seasons of the show are about a community in New Jersey in which Tony Soprano is both a gangster and a loving family man. Then, the writers started including all this stuff with the NYC gangsters, which waters down the show and adds extra characters who are not worthwhile. Imagine if in season 6 of Seinfeld four characters living in Brooklyn were all of a sudden introduced, and shown as neurotic and very similar to Jerry and his friends in Manhattan. One of the things that made Season 3 so great was the introduction of two fascinating and vivid characters in New Jersey: Gloria Trillo and Ralph Cifaretto. Then in season 6 they introduce Gerry and Butchie, who do not even live in Jersey, and are not developed as characters at all. As earlier stated, Season 6 of the Sopranos is was too obvious and wastes time on meaningless characters in NYC. This episode does have good aspects, like a compelling story in which Eugene Pontecorvo wants out of the mob and is tormented by family problems, particularly his son using drugs, is interesting. The actor portraying Eugene does an outstanding job, as the desperation he shows is very convincing. The episode also suggests that Tony has been too forgiving of Uncle Junior, as the old man already tried to have him killed, and many thought Tony should have taken Juniors life. Tony chooses to maintain his relationship with Junior, and now must pay a huge, and perhaps fatal, price. The episode shows, in classic Sopranos form, the complexity of human relationships. Phil Leatordo has taken over for Johnny Sack as acting boss of the NYC family, because John is incarcerated, and Tony respects the job Phil does. One of the great things about HBO shows is that the characters and situations they are in feel vivid and real. Tony and Phil do not have a good relationship, however, Tony speaks admiringly of how Phil handles the business, and this is similar to real life relationships. Rarely do people dislike every little thing about another person, and even in their enemies people can usually find some qualities. Contrarily, even in our best friends we can always find faults. Another interesting aspect of the episode is Carmela worrying about Adrianna. Adriannas mother has shared her concerns about Adrianna with Carmela, and Carmela becomes very worried. This type of situation is unique to the Soprnaos, and shows the day to day troubles that a gangster has. Tony had to have Adrianna killed, but now his wife is intensely worried about Adriannas whereabouts. Obviously, Tony cannot tell Carmela what actually happened, and this is quite a troubling situation for him. When we hear of mobsters offing informants in the news, we never imagine the problems it could cause them in their personal lives. The Sopranos adds this other dimension to mob stories. Also, an ironic situation involves several gangsters praising a recently deceased gangster for his loyalty to the mob, when the viewer knows this person was actually an FBI informant. Lastly, this episode shows the staggering misfortune experienced by Johnny Sack. He is a very ambitious mobster, and for years he yearns to have the top spot in the NYC family, and as soon as he gets it, he is locked up with a long list of charges against him. Not only is it a crushing blow to his career in the mob, but shows a life that will be squandered. Here is a man who is intelligent, elegant, and worldly, and has an appreciation for the finer things in life, such as travelling to Europe and stylish clothing. And this man is locked up in a jail cell, stripped of his dignity and cut off from his family. This is a clear message that crime does not pay. In summary, this episode has its good parts, and is a good opener to a season in that it is dynamic, and much happens. However, earlier seasons of the Sopranos are a very tough act to follow.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Car Pool Lane (2004)
Hilarious
This episode is one of the standouts in a terrifically funny show. Without giving too much away, Larry winds up with a prostitute in his car, and the rest is unrivalled comedy. One of the many great things about HBO shows is that the characters and situations feel real and vivid, whereas conventional TV (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) often feels artificial by comparison. This is very true of Curb Your Enthusiasm, a showcase for Larry David, who has a rare gift of taking an already funny situation and making it much funnier with his unique wit. The scene in which he introduces his "friend" the prostitute to the snooty gold club employees at the baseball game is surprising and hysterically funny, and also very reminiscent of Seinfeld. While the comedic qualities of Curb Your Enthusiasm are too plentiful to list, the free and unstructured nature of the dialogue and interactions, much of which is improvised, is perhaps its greatest strength. This episode is so funny it makes for a good ab workout.
Law & Order: Consultation (1992)
Different Cultures
This was a good episode, which made an important point about the world we live in, and how cultures in our world are vastly different. A drug smuggling ring in NYC is uncovered, and it appears that a very prominent member of the Nigerian community is running it. He is both a diplomat and a chief in a tribe in his homeland, and of course has many character witnesses praise him as a man of tremendous integrity. The investigation is interesting, as is the result in court, which I will not spoil. Most interesting for me, however, is a point made about the cultural differences between the USA and Nigeria. A man suspected of smuggling drugs insists he is innocent, and it looks as though may go free. However, all the prosecutors have to do is suggest he might be extradited to Nigeria to face justice there, and he suddenly cooperates with the District Attorneys and is desperate to do whatever they want. This shows the extreme differences between the two cultures, and, not to offend anyone from Nigeria, but how lucky we are in the free world to have a high standard of living and basic human rights. This episode made me think.
Dexter: Popping Cherry (2006)
Engaging
This episode got me hooked on Dexter. I was intrigued by the premise of the show, a man with a compulsion to kill being careful to choose victims who themselves are killers, and enjoyed getting to know Dexter in the first couple episodes. However, the series really came to life in this episode, as compelling subplots were introduced. The subplot in this episode involves a colleague of Dexters named Doakes investigating a powerful gangster. It starts off conventionally, but when Doakes gets involved with some other cops things quickly become both complicated and disastrous for Doakes, as well as gripping for the viewer. As I watched this subplot unfold I did not want to blink as I was so thrilled by it. I also realized that what I thought was a show with a great idea was actually a great show. Well done Showtime!
The X Files: Hell Money (1996)
Scary & Interesting
A scary and effective episode. This episode was of better quality than most TV shows, and resembles a very good horror movie, albeit a short one. It involves an investigation into some gruesome murders in San Fransiscos Chinatown, which uncovers a lottery in which the losers pay a huge price. I found it very creepy, with people running a lottery that preys on people who are desperate and near hopeless. The revelation of the lottery, which I will not spoil, shows criminals whose ruthlessness is simply limitless. Also, one method of killing people in this episode, burning them alive in a crematorium, is probably the most horrible death I can think of. These killings are shown involving people being surrounded by flames, conjuring up images of Hell and the devil, who certainly seems to inhabit the criminals shown here. This a scary episode depiciting people who are not merely criminal, but profoundly evil.
Law & Order: Menace (1997)
The Best of Law & Order
This was a very good episode of Law & Order, and displayed the best elements of the show. First, an initial investigation into a woman so terrified of a man chasing her she jumps to her death leads to a connected crime that almost escaped detection. This second crime, an arson, is extremely difficult to prove, and requires a legal genius like Jack McCoy. McCoys passion and brilliance are the greatest part of the entire Law & Order series, and he is at full strength here. He carefully manipulates the criminals into helping the prosecution, and narrowly avoids breaking the law to do so. When we as a society hear of trials in the news, we get the big picture, but do not get to appreciate the diligence and resourcefulness of the attorneys involved. McCoy is such a genius and so shrewd he deserves a show purely about himself. In addition to an elaborate story and masterful handling of the case by McCoy, this episode shows how difficult it is for the police to do their jobs when the public is afraid to cooperate, and a compelling situation where a man must choose between being honest or being loyal to his family. A must see episode.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Slaves (2000)
Psychos Seem Normal
This was an excellent episode. First of all, it is better quality than a typical TV episode, and seems more like a suspense or thriller movie, albeit a short one. It involves a woman who has been held captive and abused, hence the title, "Slaves." The detectives investigate, and the suspects seem like successful, healthy people, who would blend in easily at a party or other social gathering. They live in Manhattan, a crowded and civilized part of the world, and have their own evil little kingdom going on. It is disturbing to see people, who seem ordinary and have lives that seem enviable, who have a darker side and private life involving unspeakable acts. This insight that psychos hide in plain sight in our society, perhaps very near us, is disturbing. Another plot line involves Detective Stabler causing those around him to worry about his psychological well being, as he seems extremely fed up with the people he arrests. Well done NBC!
Law & Order: Flight (1998)
Brilliant Episode with a Brilliant Lawyer
This episode was well written, and showed how extremely intelligent and effective Jack McCoy is as a District Attorney. A total sleaze bag is accused of fatally poisoning his son, and McCoy needs the mans employers to cooperate. The employer, a pharmaceutical company, is reluctant, and McCoy makes a deal with them. I do not want to spoil his sophisticated courtroom tactics, but it shows how rare and gifted he is as an intellectual. This episode is Law and Order at its best: showing us the legal strategies and tremendous amount of work the lawyers invest in their cases. Sure, the public can read about such a trial in the newspaper, but not get the whole picture. Law and Order gives us a look at the lawyers, behind the scenes. Also, in Canada and the USA the alleged perpetrators have so many rights, it is often difficult for District Attorneys to make any progress at all. Watch this episode and you will see Jack McCoy as a lawyer, and as a genius.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Mary, Joseph and Larry (2002)
A Very Good Episode
This was a very good episode of CYE, and the second best of the third season, after "The Corpse Sniffing Dog." The story involves Christmas, specifically Cheryls parents visiting for the holidays and their Christmas spirit making Larry uncomfortable. It also involves Christmas tipping, as Larry tips people at his club and insists he accidentally tipped one guy twice, and then tries to get his money back. He also is accused of tipping one of his employees more than the other, and has a couple Spanish speaking employees gossip about him right in front of him, but in their mother tongue. A side plot involves Jeff having Larry lie for him about a late night phone call Jeff made to a woman. Larry, who has no qualms about lying, tells Jeffs wife he made the call to his housekeeper, and was staying at Jeffs because of a fight with Cheryl. There are many funny moments, including Larry eating all of Cheryls Christmas cookies, thinking they were animal crackers: "That was Jesus? I thought it was a monkey!" The funniest are when Larry, who went down on Cheryl and now has pubic hair stuck in his throat, coughs constantly in front of Cheryls parents and feels awkward about telling them why. Larry shows his usual lack of tact in leering at a woman acting as Virgin Mary in a church production, and this results in a fight. I found it funny because it has those unique CYE moments, like Larry choking on his wifes pubic hair in front of his wifes parents, then being asked for an explanation.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Corpse-Sniffing Dog (2002)
Hilarious
The funniest episode of CYE I have ever seen. I starts off with classic Larry David, as he is interviewing a man to be a chef in his restaurant and they bond because they are both bald. Larry displays his trademark eccentricity in many ways, including saying Hitler should have killed all men who wear toupees. Then the plot begins, with Larry agreeing to help his friend Jeff by giving Jeffs daughters dog (who Jeff is allergic to) to another family. Things get complicated, as the dog first results in the police tearing up Larrys restaurant, and then Larry offends the family to whom he wants to give the dog. He also accidentally gets Jeffs daughter drunk. My favourite part of the episode is Larry interacting with the woman who he offended. Larry, Cheryl, and this couple go out for dinner, and when the man in the couple pays for meal, Larry will only thank him, and refuses to thank his wife, pointing out that she does not work, and has no money and thus did not pay for the meal. On several occasions he refuses to thank her, and makes hilarious comments to her and throughout the episode. Another funny episode in the funniest show ever.
Seinfeld: The Bris (1993)
Very Funny
This episode was very good. One of the great things about Seinfeld is that not only are the main characters funny, but some of the characters with minor roles are also hilarious (like Georges' parents, Kramers' lawyer, and David Puddy.) A very funny character is in this episode, the mohel. He makes valid points but is so over the top, like he criticizes Elaine for putting a glass close to the edge of a table, where it could easily fall, but is just so funny and melodramatic about it. The central plot involves Jerry and Elaine being asked to be godparents to a friends' baby, and assissting with a bris. Jerry and Elaine plan the bris, with Elaine making funny remarks about how unattractive uncircumcised penises are, and then at the actual bris the mohel steals the show. George and Kramer also have funny scenes: Kramer accuses a hospital of creating a breed of mutant pig men based on seeing a man he feels resembles a pig, and George tries to get the same hospital to pay for damages to his car. A thoroughly funny episode.
Married with Children: A Little Off the Top (1993)
Funny but Stupid
This episode was representative of the whole series: funny, but stupid. Al is injured playing sports, and, by mistake, circumcised at the hospital. This sets up all sorts of gags, including Al shown in the maternity ward crying with tiny babies, and Peggy and Marcie giggling excitedly about how much better sex will be for Peggy now that Al has been circumcised. The characters in it are the Bundy family, and Marcie and Jefferson. One hint is that circumcision is best done an babies, so they will not remember it, as Jefferson got circumcised as a baby but says he does not remember it whereas Al is shown in clear discomfort. The story does not make much sense, as it is unlikely a man of Als generation in the USA would have not been circumcised as a baby. Furthermore, he complains about the recovery afterwards but does not consider suing. Not very profound, but funny.
Sex and the City: Old Dogs, New Dicks (1999)
Excellent Episode- HBO at is Best!
This was an outstanding episode. One of the great things about HBO shows (especially Sex and the City, The Wire, and The Sopranos) is how the characters, and the situations they are involved in, feel vivid and real. This episode has an interesting variety of situations that the girls encounter. Carrie and Miranda have problems that probably every woman has faced; the guy Carrie is dating (Mr. Big) is constantly staring at other women, and Miranda has trouble making time for her boyfriend. Mr. Big is quite open in his leering at other women, and Carrie feels under-appreciated. She explains her problem to a friend, and her plight seemed so convincing I felt as though a friend of mine was actually going through this. Miranda is a successful attorney, who is obviously busy every working day, and her new boyfriend, Steve, is a bartender, who works evenings, the only time Miranda is free. Steve attempts to spend time with Miranda late at night (after he finishes working) but she feels she needs to go to bed early so she is rested for the next working day. He also tries to spend time with her in the morning, almost causing her to be late for work. Steve is sympathetic because he cares for Miranda deeply, and genuinely wants to be around her, no matter what. Miranda is a little more pragmatic; she also enjoys spending time with Steve, but insists on sticking to her work schedule. Charlotte and Samantha have problems that are a little less conventional. Charlotte is dating a guy who she likes a lot, but is very taken aback to find he is uncircumcised. This discovery leads to her not wanting to have sex with him. Her boyfriend picks up on this, and decides to get circumcised. What surprised me about this is that Charlotte is usually so sweet and easy going, yet here she is completely put off by her boyfriends uncircumcised penis. I expected her to just go with the flow, but she does not. A beautiful woman like her can afford to be selective, and she is quite happy her boyfriend gets trimmed, though it leads to something unfortunate for her. On the topic of surgeries, Samantha encounters an ex who has undergone a sex change operation and named himself after her. Samantha, who usually is hard to fluster, is quite disconcerted by this. As mentioned earlier, this episode has great variety, and that makes it great entertainment.
The Simple Life: Play Ball (2004)
Entertaining
This episode was very entertaining. The Cash family, who are deeply religious, welcome Paris and Nicole into their home. The father makes it clear profane language offends him and his family, but Nicole repeatedly swears, and the obvious distress her cursing causes the father is quite amusing. Nicole also describes seeing uncircumcised men at a nudist colony as disgusting, and makes it clear she only likes her guys "clean cut." An attractive, rich woman like her can afford to be selective. It is ironic, as Paris received top billing for this show and generated most of the hype, but Nicole is the more vivid personality of the two. This episode is a good example of what The Simple Life has to offer: short and funny escapist entertainment.