If there is any sign that ABC has an unfounded, irrational hatred of Better Off Ted, one of their best shows in years, it's that the network decided to air a new episode smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season. I'm not complaining, as any new episode of BOT makes me happy, but I also know that mistreatment like this is a pretty clear indication that the show's prospects for a third season aren't looking good. It's a shame, too, considering how consistent this second season has been. While there haven't been any major standouts yet, we're not very deep into the season. Heck, the best of Season One didn't happen until the second half. I've still got hope for this excellent comedy, but I can't say the same for the ABC execs.

Alright. Rant over. Now to tonight's episode.

I'll admit, I was actually pretty interested in the minor love triangle between Veronica, Ted and Linda that had a few brief moments back in Season One. I'm glad it didn't become the crux of the show, but it was surprisingly well-played when did occasionally pop up. So, when "It's Nothing Business" slowly veered in that direction I was glad to see that particular thread get some attention.

It seemed that the triangle was effectively over toward the end of Season One when Veronica revealed her secret romance with a stage magician named Mordor. They were oddly well-matched. Both were strange, intense and uncomfortably frank. A few months later and now the torrid relationship, what with the scuba diving and the goat slaughter, has started to take its toll on hard-working Veronica. Sleep deprived and generally distracted, her usually razor-sharp command of her department has been reduced to the kind of place where cream cheese gets spread on smart phones and major projects don't get the support they desperately need. I mean, that uncannily spoil-resistant cheese isn't going to develop itself.

Linda, always the meddler, decides to badger Ted into convincing Mordor to reign in his sexual appetites for the sake of everyone at the office, but this only results in Morder seeking thrills in the arms of various members of the accounting department. A spear gun wound, a trip to Veridian's second-smallest office and a Peruvian slap-fight later, Mordor is down one high-powered corporate girlfriend. Ted's last-minute show of chivalry scores him some points for both of his office love interests, if the the series ever gets a chance to cash them in.

In the night's obligatory B-plot, upper management decides to increase productivity in the research team by introducing a mysterious red lab coat to one employee at random. First it's Lem, then one of the as-yet-unnamed other scientists, then Phil two days in a row. Veronica quickly reveals to Ted that it's a meaningless element meant to stimulate workflow through sheer paranoia, though I wish it had remained a mystery a lot longer than it did. It's fun to be in on the joke, but so much more rewarding to be in the same position as the scientists until the very end.

Best Moment: Veronica "accidentally" shooting Mordor with a spear gun. It gets funnier the more you think about it. Why did Veronica have a spear gun in her office in the first place? Also, the layers of Veronica's mental process are hilariously convoluted.

Biggest Laugh: Call me simple, but I like a good sight gag. The absurdly tiny office will always be funny, especially when you consider the physical impossibility of placing the desk in the office by any means other than building the walls around it.

Episode Rating: 4/5- This one was pure goofing around, but in a good way. Again, I wish the red lab coat plot had gone in a slightly different direction, but it was still fun to watch the scientists freak out about it.

*Note for fans of Better Off Ted. In a continued display of hatred for this show, ABC is airing a new episode at 8:30 PM on New Years Day. Do your part and laugh away your hangovers.