TV

A particularly busy TV day, which makes for a nice change.

Argumental
2x01 (23/3/09 edition)
After what seems like no time away, Argumental's back! Hurrah! (Look, forget I've already watched the next two, alright?) A particularly strong start to a new series too, packed with utter hilarity until the very last -- well, if we're honest, until the penultimate -- round.

I've Never Seen Star Wars
1x06 Nigel Havers
Havers made for a consistently surprising guest -- I'd never have expected him to give such high scores to McDonalds or getting a tattoo. How little he enjoyed the Smiths (which I can completely relate to) didn't seem to warrant a score as high as 7 though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mad Men
2x09 Six Month Leave
Mad Men's quality has been slightly variable in this second season -- never bad, but you get the sense proceedings aren't quite as focused as they were in the first year, especially when it comes to arc plots -- but this episode sees the show on blazingly good form. One of the best.

The Mentalist
1x03 Red Tide
Some dodgy dialogue (and delivery) aside, this continues to be an entertaining procedural that makes good use of the lead character's Derren Brown-style skills -- they're all believably grounded in truth and treated with suitable skepticism by his colleagues, rather than being some magic semi-mystical solution.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

The Wire
1x11 The Hunt
Following the shooting of a cop in the previous episode, the police -- as usual -- seriously mobilise their forces. One of the series' best episodes yet, for all kinds of reasons -- there's plenty of room for character, plot, subplots, themes, tropes, and more. Plus, a brief silent scene centered on a pen stain on a sofa exemplifies all that is so clever and so praised about this series.