heartion

For those still in withdrawal from the cancellation of Arrested Development, let me write you a prescription: Modern Family. The comparisons are obvious and with good reason. The postmodern comedy for the 21 century was ushered in by The Office(UK) and Arrested Development, but I, for one, doubted something could come along and satiate my longing for another truly, original comedy. Albeit, you may initially be wary to see yet another mockumentary-style show, but by the end of the pilot, you'll be smiling/laughing way too hard to stay cynical. Thus far, the plot lines have been really fresh and the characters are so, for lack of a better word, lovable. This show fulfills all my comedy needs, and I feel like I must resort to the listing of relevant adjectives: Witty, dry, smart, outlandish, silly, clever, cute, sarcastic, subtle, not-so subtle. HILARIOUS. I hate to say it, but the laugh tracks and raw goofyness of classic sitcoms like 'Seinfeld' and 'Friends' are obsolete and leave something to be desired. You will find that something in Modern Family. And who knows, maybe some of the more painfully funny and poignant scenarios will reveal insight into the changing dynamics of both the modern family and modern comedy. Great show. Period. And let's get it right this time around: don't cancel good TV shows. Pretty please?

What more is there to say about House? Albeit, in this episode, the dosage of drama was a tad outlandish and perhaps the ethical scenarios were a bit contrived, nonetheless, it really all was quite original. Besides, the rest of the episode had some of House's best moments.

From the self-reflexive jokes (when House remarks on Foreman's firing of Thirteen he says "it's not like she was the hottest girl in the world") to the clever incorporation of the 'mirror box' to cure the neighbor's phantom limb (inspired directly from the real-life work of neurologist Vilayanur Ramachandran) this episode ranks as one of the better episodes of House.