Staff Television Critic: Lisa Fernandes, formerly of Firefox.org, has been watching television for all of her thirty-plus years, and critiquing it for the past seven. When she's not writing, she can be found in the wilds of the Northeastern United States.
Tina and Louise team up (well, more like Louise wedges herself in there to make sure she gets the result she wants after Tina’s already been named head of the campaign) to help run Jimmy Pesto Jr’s school presidential campaign - mainly to keep Louise’s ever-creepy and obsessed “frenemy” Millie Frock from winning and thus ending up running the whole school.
ter Holt hands over Jake’s latest case to the organized crime unit and he starts cutting off all of the squad’s perks, Jake teams up with Gina and Holt’s professor husband Kevin to figure out why Holt’s been behaving in such a grumpy and cold manner.
It’s Valentine’s Day AND 1980-something, which means it’s time to revisit the Goldbergs after a few weeks away from their cozy abode. Adam’s been working strenuously on building his body up and gaining muscle – and well, growing up, because the rest of the kids in his class are developing more quickly than he is.
Romance – and madness – are in the air this week. Though they have a rough start of it, Claire and Phil manage to resume their Valentine’s Day identities as Juliana and Clive Bixby, but after a wild night at a hotel Claire’s left worrying that Phil’s more attracted to Juliana than to her; Gloria’s seemingly prim, servile and modest - and constantly jealous - sister Sonia visits from Columbia.
Our little Pawneeans are growing up fast and furious, which naturally involves a thousand stops and starts on the way to maturity. In “Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington,” April and Leslie head to Washington to stabilize federal funding for the National Parks Department and to ensure long-term funding for the new park they scored two weeks ago back in Pawnee.
Oh Tina Belcher. You’ve always been a lady of letters, quick to spin us a vivid portrait of erotic zombie-related butt touching. It turns out your weakest spot is the one thing quick clever wordplay can’t help you with: math. Under pressure to perform and knowing that another D means a summer of remedial math, she goes looking for a tutor, and ultimately turns to her friend Darryl.
Triumph over heartbreak – and paintballs – is the focus of this week’s episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine. Terry and Charles try to help Jake cure his broken-by-Sophia-last-episode heart by immersing him – and the team – in a terrorist training simulation, where Jake comes into conflict with an Agent Kendrick of the FBI.
The Archer Gang gets trapped together in an elevator when they rush to work to make an emergency staff meeting on Malory’s memorandum. With an RF jammer installed on the roof of the elevator and all exits jammed, the gang is stuck trying to make time. The rest of the episode tracks their desperate attempt at getting help, rationing resources, picking at each other’s faults and trying to figure out how to pee into a forty ounce bottle.
Frustrated by his son’s social snubbing, Phil buddies up to his mentoree in real estate Andy the ex-manny in his off hours, leaving Luke jealous. Meanwhile, Jay’s caught between a rock and a hard place when Joe develops a rash and Gloria becomes convinced he’s allergic to Stella the dog, forcing them to board the pup with Mitch and Cam for a week to test their allergist’s hypothesis.
As Donna and Joe’s wedding approaches, Maid of honor April is tasked with the duty of keeping the perpetually-feuding Meagle extended family from tearing into each other.