'Better Off Ted' last night: 'If only I were a worm... '

Last night’s Better Off Ted was a cramped affair. When a toxic acid leak was discovered, a whole area of Veridian work-space had to be cordoned off, and workers had to share their offices with others. For Ted, this meant sharing his roomy office with the roomy bright eyes and (trust me, this isn’t sexist, it bears upon the plot) backside of Linda. He thought this would be fun, but Linda proved dismayingly neurotic (trying to teach her pet fish to talk) and lazy. Pretty soon, an unnerved Ted was swilling antacids and plotting Linda’s exit from his office.

For Lem, the situation meant the arrival of a lovely young woman who compelled him to overcome his shyness, flirt, and attempt a date. Not without misgivings, of course: As Lem phrased his ideal life: “If only I were a worm, I could cut myself in half and date my lower half.”

If the jokes weren’t quite as dense and thick as last week’s edition, this week’s Ted was still funnier and had more loony comic logic than any other sitcom on the air. At a time when HBO’s Hung is getting lots of attention because — well, because it’s HBO — Ted continues to be the zingiest half-hour in prime time.

Did you watch? Extra points for knowing what Phil’s shorthand term for “acid interface” is…