Season 2, Episode 7
Never have I been so glad to see a group of aging males
It’s been almost five months since the last episode of Men of a Certain Age aired, and I’m pretty sure that tonight’s return, as well-hyped as it may have been, has thrown people off. TNT keeps referring to it as the “season” premiere as opposed to the midseason premiere, which is what it actually is. (The reason for this, if you’re wondering, is that TNT is trying to rebrand this series as a summer show, and since the first season aired during the winter of ‘09-’10, the show decided that this season will be split up into winter and summer halves to avoid an eighteen month gap between the first and second seasons or the second and potential third season.) Many critics posted overall reviews of this back half of this season, like it was its own entity separate from the first half of this season. And even I had to go back and read the review I wrote for “Let the Sunshine In” in order to get caught up (which, considering that was one of my first posts, wasn’t that good, and didn’t really help me).
In short, five months is a long time for a mid-season hiatus, and for a while tonight, I couldn’t tell if this episode was produced with the hiatus in mind, or if that was just something that I was reading into it. At least it certainly felt as if it had been a while since Joe and Sonia has finalized their divorce, and since Joe had found out about Manfro’s colon cancer, and since Owen’s attempts to revitalize the dealership, or since Terry had admitted that he was in love with Erin. Or at least it felt that way, but it’s all quite possible that it’s only been a week or two since the events of “Sunshine”, especially given that the characters has talked about events in terms of “weeks”.
But no matter, because tonight’s episode was a fantastic one, even if it did the one thing that upsets me the most. MOACA is at its best when it gives the maximum amount of time possible to the three of them shooting the shit at the diner; the second best option is for the three guys’ stories to share some sort of thematic relevance. Tonight’s episode did both and neither of these things, as used this to reflect back on what the group meant to each other. After a fairly brief scene at the diner, the episode spun the three guys of on to their own stories. Joe had to deal with his man-date with Manfro, Owen gets an interesting offer to sell the dealership, and Terry seems to fall ass-backwards into a serious relationship.
And though I was primed to write this episode off, about halfway through something started to change. There soon became apparent a trend in both the Owen and Joe stories, as each man began to bug those around him to be a sounding board for their problems. Owen kept pestering his wife who was trying work, and Joe tried to involve both Manfro and a stripper into his life problems. (And when you can’t get a stripper to listen to you, but your friend with cancer can hold another girl’s attention, that’s a low moment, my friend). It wasn’t until the next morning, when the three met up for breakfast once again, and Joe (and presumably Owen and Terry) got a chance to air out his problems that we the audience could finally feel that things are going to be alright. Because without that outlet, these guys feel lost a hopeless, as if nobody cares what they think at all.
I realize that this theory leaves Terry out of the loop, but that’s where the second part comes in, the part that sees each of these men taking small steps toward self-improvement. Joe and Owen’s stories are fairly obvious in those regards – Joe is finally out of the unhealthy dynamic with his ex-wife, and Owen once again asserts his authority at the dealership and quells his daddy issues for another week – and they play to the same beats that we have seen before. But Terry’s story is something new, as Terry is not used to dealing with an adult relationship. Notice how it isn’t until a series of events force that issue that Terry is even able to consider the idea of moving in with a woman. But once he does, he actually enjoys it, and that’s what really brings the pain – both for him and for us – when it becomes apparent that not only does Erin not want to stay in this relationship anymore, but she never even considered it a relationship in the first place. To her, it’s just a fling.
The question now is what does these small movements mean going forward? We have five episodes left this season, and at least one of them is going to be dedicated towards Joe’s golf tournament (I think) and it’s quite possible we could see that Mt. Whitney trip that Terry wants for his birthday. (Yet “Sunshine” was all about Terry getting a colonoscopy for his 50th, right? It’s best not to think about it.) Yet MOACA is also really good at inserting other bits of random plot into its episodes that don’t play into the season arc, and even its arcs aren’t all that arc-y. But with episodes this good, it’s hard to care, as long as the show keeps hitting them out of the park.
Quotes, Etc.:
Yes, this review was shorter than normal. And yes, it’s probably not up to the quality of my other reviews. But this show, with its small moments of pathos and victory, is quite different from most of what we see on television, and it may take me a few weeks to figure out how to tackle this excellent show week-to-week. Your patience is appreciated.
“What’s The Change?.....Dad?” “Yeah, I heard ya.”
“I’m gonna text you the thing about my pee.”
“Actually, she’s 58. She’s really good about using her sunscreen.”
You can’t rush risotto.
Unemployment is the key to being a good cook.
“Damn right I am!” “You sell that shit, big man!”
“I was old manin’ it. ‘Aww, kids these days.’”
“Stupid f-ing possums. I could just kill them with my bare hands.”
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