When you make a show about a high school chemistry teacher cooking Meth, you need to have the high school chemistry teacher cooking Meth, and the writers--after a short 2 episode or so detour--finally reunited Jesse and Walter. Walter's obsession with taking control of his life--what little he has left--comes full steam in this episode, with an explosive ending (and beginning if you want to get technical). This is a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and Bryan Cranston pulls it off spectacularly. The rest of the cast has also settled into their characters, particularly Aaron Paul as Jesse and Anna Gunn as Skyler. Breaking Bad is one of the season's best new shows, and constantly keeps the bar raised every episode.

Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl is the best annual Super Bowl alternative. The geniuses at Animal Planet had a simple plan: Let's throw a bunch of dogs in a football-themed pen and let them goof off for hours. That's about it. With the water-bowl cam, plethora of toys, and goal posts, it's enough to satisfy any football and dog lover's needs. The addition of the Bissel Halftime Kitty show was also a plus, a true landmark of modern television. Okay okay, so it will never really live up to the Super Bowl, but with Super Bowl halftime shows going down the tube in recent years, the Puppy Bowl is the best diversion from the typically overhyped action of the Super Bowl.

This episode is one the best, and delivers some of the best lines in the series' history. As a parody of 1980s college movies and summer camp movies, Mars University hits the nail on the head. The dean's repeated exclamations of "ROOOOOOBOT HOUSE" are among the finest things ever to come from this underappreciated series. This episode also introduces Guenter, the hyper-intelligent monkey (thanks to the hat that Professor Farnsworth makes for him). When Guenter has to decide between losing his intelligence and opting for "ignorance is bliss" or keeping the hat and being the smartest damn simian on Mars, he blows a gasket. And of course, Fry can relate. He and Farnsworth set down the hat and a banana to let regular-old-monkey Guenter decide his fate of being released into the wild or staying a smart monkey and the exchange is hilarious. Leela: Professor, you'll offer Guenter the hat and, Fry, you'll offer him the banana. We'll let him choose whether he wants to be intelligent or just a mindless animal.
Farnsworth: Come on, Guenter, take the hat.
Fry: No, the banana, the banana!
Farnsworth: Consider the philosophical and metaphysical ramifications of the-
Fry: Banana, banana, banana!

Ah yes, Banana, Banana, Banana.

Showtime's Weeds is exactly what happens when great ideas come around that are too good for network TV. A classic example of a show that couldn't work anywhere except for pay cable stations, Weeds is a finely cultivated product that doesn't push it unnecessarily because it has a loose leash.

The show could easily feature more drug use, more sex, and more miscellaneous adult topics, but chooses instead to strengthen its core with excellent acting, strong writing, and excellent pacing. Mary-Louise Parker lead the cast as Nancy Botwin, a widowed mom with a family to feed and house to pay off. She turns to selling pot, and the adventure takes off. Weeds is at its strongest when it satirizes various cultures entwined in the suburban pot trade. Stereotypes are joyfully made fun of in equal servings, so much so that in the end all the viewer sees is each character's character. Kevin Nealon is excellent as Doug, Elizabeth Perkins is marvelous as Celia, Romany Malco is awesome as Conrad, and of course Parker IS Nancy Botwin. But for me, the real treat is watching Justin Kirk as Uncle Andy, the lecherous lazy cook who brings something new to the classic stoner role. Add to that his unusual ex-girlfriend played by the gorgeous Zooey Deschanel, and you've got yourself a cast, my friend.
Season 3 begins in a week, and season 2's cliffhanger finale was as fine an ending as I've seen in any show. Weeds is one of my favorite shows for the most obvious reason--it's damn entertaining and simply a joy to watch.