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colestokley
Reviews
Abbott Elementary: Panel (2024)
Showcase of comedic timing.
Masterful interweaving of multiple fun plot lines, some of the best writing and pacing this season. What the episode lacks in plot substance it makes up for in wit, and more than a handful of genuine laugh out loud moments.
This is a lightweight episode that focuses on the quips. The scenes are quick, but the jokes-per-minute rate is through the roof- I'd go as far to say that the rhythm of the episode is evocative of Veep.
Definitely my favorite episode of the season so far, and would love to see the writers work more with this kind of pacing and levity, that showcases the actors brilliant comedic timing.
Frasier: Three Valentines (1999)
Amateur Farce
Unfortunately I believe this is one of the weaker episodes of the whole season. The episode is broken into "three acts" as we go through the ridiculous situations the main characters find themselves in on Valentines Day.
Yes, David Hyde Pierce's 5-min pantomime scene was a lovely homage to early silent comedies but not even his talents could compensate for the painfully vapid sequence of events. While Niles is indeed clumsy and neurotic, the scene lacked the narrative sensibility to make the pantomime performance enjoyable.
The remaining "acts" carried the same problems, overly relying on cheap farce and one-note narratives. The episode feels so much more like a high school play than top tier Frasier; absolutely stunned at the ratings folks are giving it. There are at least a dozen more comedically sharp episodes in this season.