New-Old Christine, Carpoolers, Cashmere Mafia - Car-ma Chameleon

The New Adventures of Old Christine - Beauty Is Only Spanx Deep - Ep. 302
Carpoolers -Wheels of Fortune- Ep. 111
Cashmere Mafia - Stay with Me- Ep. 105, Yours, Mine and Hers - Ep. 106

Have you ever watched something several times and found it funnier each time? That's what happened with me when I watched Christine this week. When I watched it Monday, I thought it was amusing but somehow lacked a coherency like their premiere episode from last week. Then my sister wanted to watch the recording so I watched it again and LMAO the entire episode, somehow catching about a billion new laughs along the way (though again, I was REALLY jetlagged especially Monday night). Then my friends wanted to watch it after missing it Monday and I laughed even more the third time, finding Christine so dense with zingers this week that I've gotten a whole new admiration for it. (And yes, I've finally upgraded the show to 4 Stars on my (finally) updated Tapeworthy sidebar).

Between the sad (yet hilarious) truths about dating up (as Christine was the 6 who thinks she's a 9 while dating Blair Underwood's 10),

the plastic surgery consideration (Chirstine: "I don't want to turn into that", Plastic Surgeon: "That's You NOW"),

a reappearance of Sad Dad Stan (Andy Richter) ((at the plastic surgeon's) Christine: "What are you doing here?" Stan: "Oh, I come here all the time. I live close by and this is a great place to meet women with low self-esteem"),

a great opener with Old Christine, Daniel, New Christine and Richard on a double date where New Christine points out " I read that four is the perfect number of people for good conversation." (very long, awkward silence),

to Richard worrying about New Christine running off and instead, keeps accidentally proposing (with a VERY funny performance from Clark Gregg who I just adore more and more)

and anything that brother Matthew says, (Loved that Christine was willing to change it all for beauty and that Matthew called her out on it. Loved that she could reason with Richie about it with her lie about having a "good nights sleep". Loved that she said kids were stupid. Love that the TV sitcom kid Richie is actually not the sharpest tool in the shed.)

New/Old Christine is turning into the perfect biting social satire that still has heart.

Or maybe it's the strike drought and everything seems funnier. But I'd like to believe it's the first reasoning.

Though I did miss the mean moms and Wanda Sykes (just as she was added to the opening credits too) this week. Maybe that's why it felt off the first time I watched.

Meanwhile, I know Carpoolers is a total goner and again, this one really may be due to the strike drought (hurry up people, get back to work!) but I laughed out loud way more than I expected to. I mean, the show is already my guilty pleasure but this week's episode, when Laird tries to scam off using the wheelchair parking spot. Somehow the story goes all over the place ending up with karma coming back for revenge, sending two characters into a wheelchair for real and Scott Thompson presiding over the carpoolers in parking lot court. Nutty and was, dare I say it, starting to feel a lot like the nuttiness of 30 Rock except with one central storyline versus several various ones. I know it is still not close, but the show is funnier and zannier than you would expect. The Kids in the Hall background is starting to show through loud and clear. Just as ABC is probably about to pull the plug for good.

I was just saying that the only good reason to stick with Cashmere Mafia at this point was all the hot men they were sending in and out of the show (cast members Ovenden and Herrmann, gay-for-Jamie (Val Matt Emmich) and Chris Beetem etc. etc. etc.) but while the women were never as weak as the ones in Private Practice, it was nice to see them grow a bit of a spine this week as Mia dumps her ex (Tom Everett Scott) for good (though what happened to the Chinese doctor dude? I actually really liked that story and liked where it was going), Zoe quits after being overlooked for another promotion given to an old white guy, Juliet fights on with her divorce, and Caitlin... well, Caitlin should really just run back to Sam (Beetem, below) and run far far away from the pregnant lesbian (Lourdes Benedicto) just for being so flippy floppy (as she complained about Caitlin's sexual flip flop).

I still don't always buy the dialogue (can there be more exposition?), and I don't buy any of the wardrobe (by Patricia Fields of Sex and the City seemingly throwing these new girls in everything SJP must have rejected, now giving PF the chance to go wild with her "creative" side, darling, it looks like you're trying WAY too hard to be fashion forward), and I don't even believe some of the foibles these "strong, successful" women have but I'm still slightly attaching myself to these girls and enjoying it more than I probably should.

Again, it's probably the strike drought talking.