Men of a Certain Age: "Whatever Gets You Through The Night"

Season 2, Episode 11

The penultimate episode finds the show returning to its own path

One of the major complaints lodged against last week’s episode was the fact that the storylines all seemed to borrow (at least in part) from other, well-tread TV tropes. That criticism can also be lodged against parts of this half-a-season in general, especially at all of the personal backslides our character went through. In its first season, MOACA was very good at telling these rambling, shaggy dog kind of stories that usually ended poignantly yet somehow managed to defy any sort of easy classification as to what the “lesson” or “moral” was that the characters was supposed to learn. This was a good thing, as it meant that the episode could focus on giving us these real, visceral, emotional moments for each of the three guys, and it also meant that the show closely resembled real life by avoiding such traditional things as “neat” and “efficient” storytelling and plotting.

Luckily tonight’s episode saw the show return to that form, as it also saw a rejection of some of the tropes that the show has been so fond of adopting lately.

I would like to start first with Owen:

The complicated mess: The complex layers of shit Owen has bearing down on his head concerning the dealership

The avoided trope: The “you work too much” home squabble

I often place Owen at that end of these reviews for two reasons: A) His plots are almost always about the dealership which means that B) they never feel as fresh – and I never have as much to say about it – than I do the other two guys’ plots. Yet while tonight’s Owen plot was once again about his life at the dealership, tonight’s offering took on a whole new (and needed) sense of urgency, and we found out just how deep in the shit Owen really is. Owen has always exhibited some level of frustration at his job – which is frankly Andre Braugher’s best mode – which makes it hard to differentiate one mess from another in terms of the emotional impact each even has on Owen. But here, with us learning just how in the red the company is, and that Owen can’t seem to go home at night, and that he is clingy to this new commercial idea as a life raft to distract himself and the company from the awful state there in, it finally becomes apparent just how stressful this must all be on Owen. For the first time in the series history, a Thoreau subplot became legitimately gripping.

Yet as dower as this plot was, it actually ended up on something of a high-note, with Lawrence stepping up for the dealership by participating in a wide array of awful – yet ingratiating – holiday themed spots that would mean Thoreau would have television presence year-round. It was a funny scene to be sure, but unlike previous funny scenes at the dealership, this one felt far more earned, as we got see just how far Owen got dragged down that he would resort to such cheap ploys. It was a moment that could only be made believable by understanding the pure desperation that was driving Owen.

Owen’s plot also gets bonus points for avoiding the standard “spouse gets upset because the breadwinner works so much” plot that usually accompanies such ordeals. Not only would such a development have come across as just a bit too much for Owen to handle, but it also would have gone against what the show has established to a be a very loving and understanding relationship between Owen and Melissa.

Joe

The complicated mess: His past actions come back to haunt him as he seeks to regain control of the old life that he threw away

The avoided tropes: Any long term work crisis, an immediate renewal of a lost relationship

Joe’s storylines, no about as a consequence of Ray Romano’s status as co-creator/co-executive producer, have always been the most complex of the three men, something that causes inequality among the cast, yes, but also tends to deliver some big moments. Tonight’s complexity derived from Joe’s attempts to once again quit his gambling ways by closing down his little side bookie business and rededicating himself to the party store. It also involves, for reasons not entirely clear to Joe, his friends, or the audience, simultaneously moving is romantic life forward by making the first move with the Fantasy Woman, but also tossing out his old life raft of the Senior Tour. Joe may not understand how to fix everything in his life, but he’s certainly going to try to change everything and hope that one of those changes hangs around for the better.

Yet even not all of these changes stick quite like their supposed to. Joe’s attempts to take back the store meet up with some resistance, as both Maria and DeShaun quite over not being compensated for the increased workload Joe has had them under for the past few months. (Or was it more? Or less? The timeline of this show is ridiculously hard to figure out.) Ultimately he gets them back, presumably by ponying up the money, but it becomes clear that Joe is no longer meant to cover the store’s day-to-day operations; his aspirations have moved beyond that, to greater things.

Joe’s attempts to leave his latest trip through Gamblingland hits an even rougher patch, as, after he shuts down The Guy From That Restaurant’s attempts to place another bet, he gets a visit from Manfro, who has been clued in to what Joe’s been up to. In a highly dark and visceral scene – most likely the scene most people will associate with this episode from here on out – Manfro confronts Joe and trashes his store, not just because Joe acted like a lowlife, but because he’s both hurt by and disappointed in Joe for what he did. It was a great scene for John Manfronetti, who was able to display both Manfro’s rage and the fact that part of him still likes Joe.

This confrontation ultimately leads to Joe’s reunion with Dory, thanks in no small part to the Terry’s singular mind in getting Joe to the nearest dentist. While most people will likely see this as a sign that Joe and Dory will come back together romantically – and I don’t doubt this to be the case – the show avoids such thoughts for now, instead using this moment to have Dory serve as Joe’s conscience. It is her talk of Good Joe and Bad Joe that keeps Joe from wallowing in self-pity like he usually does every time he defeated, and it instead gives him to boost to rejoin the Senior Tour, and this time he’s seems primed to treat it far more seriously.

Terry

The complicated mess: Spent a good deal of time in the plots of the other two, allowing a stealth moment of his own to pop-up

The avoided trope: The “we’ve just moved in together blues”

Terry seems to be the man with the lightest load this week, though it suits him considering all that he went through in the past few episodes. His move-in with Erin (technically, her move-in with him) thankfully went off without a hitch – the last things I think I could stand was yet more relationship drama between the two – and just played to the sweet side of their current standing.

Terry’s involvement in Owen’s commercial was likewise set up as something equally low key, where it appeared as if Terry was just going to be enabling Owen in his plotline. Instead, in a moment where Owen is at his lowest, Terry takes charge of the situation and becomes the de facto director of the new, awful commercials, and it becomes heavily implied that this will be Terry’s new arc going forward. (His time as script editor last season for his actor friend seems to indicate he might be successful in the creative side of the biz.) While I’ll wait to pass judgment on this new plotline, I must admit some trepidation at seeing Terry attempt enter Hollywood once again; I’m not sure what new angle such a storyline could hold for the character.

Regardless, it was nice to see the show return each of these characters to their own unique paths, and to do in such a dark, moving fashion. While I doubt that next week’s finale will be able to wrap all of this up – and I’m excited that that could mean a third season – I still nevertheless have high hopes that it will be able to wow us in a way that we’ll never expect.

Next Week: Joe goes back on the path to the Senior Tour, while Owen deals with the aftermath of his crappy commercials, vis-à-vis his father. (Okay, that second part is just an educated guess.)

Quotes, Etc:

This may just be a personal thing, but my go-to memory for this episode is actually going to be Carlos ducking under the paint tarp in order to call up his friends to help paint.

“You need an emergency bag of Lucky Charms?”

“Normally that’s bullshit, but that had a no-bullshit inflection.”

“I gotta run this off.”

“I have to check out this pressure pump, and this guy Chet is about to cry…”

“You know, you could maybe make it on the señor tour.”

“I think this is more of a beaver.”

“Oh god, you didn’t rap, did ya?”

“You know you can save the tooth sometimes if you go to the dentist right away…And put it in milk!”

“I thought I pushed down.”