Happy Endings - "Secrets and Limos"

Season 2, Episode 4

Just frustratingly good

For me, the hardest thing about being a critic isn’t just when it comes to having to write about fantastic television – it comes when you have to write about fantastic comedies, and Happy Endings is just such a comedy. It feels like a weird statement for me to be making, considering how ambivalent that I was about the show when it premiered back in the spring. But since then, the show has managed to become perhaps the strongest of the four shows in ABC’s comedy block, and I’m even entirely sure why.

At first glance, “Secrets and Limos” was awesome for exactly the same reason that this whole season has been so strong: the show has found its comedic rhythms, and it’s not backing down from piling on as many quick-fire jokes as it can. But I hate the “this was funny” line of thinking; comedy is ultimately a subjective experience, and I don’t think it’s a really fair way to assess an episode. (Also, being constantly funny has the downside of making me frustrated as I scramble to write down as many quotes as I can, but that’s my deal.) So let’s try again, shall we?

Maybe it’s the fact that the show is working off of low expectations. I don’t mean this as an insult; the show wasn’t that great in the beginning, but it’s been slowly building in quality, to the point where it’s exceeding our expectations for what it could be, by being exactly nothing. This is a hangout sitcom, one which doesn’t have to do anymore than show us the lives of characters we love, and that allows them to pack in as many jokes as it wants to.

Or maybe it’s the fact that the show is doing some solid small world building. Tonight’s episode saw the return of both Max’s limo (for a second timed no less) and Penny’s declaration that it is officially “The Year of Penny” (or YOP, if you’re so inclined). These ideas might not be inherently funny, but they do give the characters so common ground to stand, and allow the show to build a string of running gags about them. And as we all know, running gags = comedy gold.

Or maybe it’s the show’s ability to make the unfunny funny. Let’s face it: Vision boards are a fairly passé topic, and this episode tackling them made me really worried about them. But luckily this story wasn’t really about vision boards so much as it was about Penny’s exasperation with life and Jane’s constant need to please. In the same vein, the idea of Brad having a boss who always has food on his face doesn’t really sound good on paper, but Damon Wayans, Jr. and Larry Wilmore make for an inspired pair, and of course throwing Max into the action to stir things up doesn’t hurt.

Or maybe it’s because Alex and Dave once again had a limited portion of the action. I know that sounds harsh, but we can’t ignore the coincidence. That being said, Cuthbert killed it with some of her lines tonight, and I think she’s improving greatly, and using Dave as a way to introduce chaos or outside elements to the group, this week in the form of a terrible girlfriend, does seem like a good use for him at this point. (Unfortunately, the day will come when the show won’t be able to keep this dynamic up, but for now, let’s just enjoy the formula that works.)

Or maybe it’s because tonight’s episode was scribed by Hillary Winston, former writer for Community, who was brought over by producer-of-both-shows Joe Russo, who also directed this episode. I mean, that’s a good deal of talent behind the camera, and Winston has proven herself at writing snappy dialogue and character driven stories.

Or maybe…aw fuck it, it was just really funny. And sometimes, that’s all that I need. (But if you have your own theory, please feel free to sound of below.)

Quotes, Etc:  

I wonder if Alex pigging out on all that food all alone is going to come up later. Because that sad, pathetic angle actually sounds like an interesting direction for her character.

“There's no way Edward James Olmos likes to be called ‘Eddie Jimmy’.”

“That waitress looks like she wants a piece of your downstairs goatee.”

“Maybe you should FORCE yourself on a girl…I’m no good at these games.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, and I listened to Dave explain the housing crisis.”

“The kind of guy who will buy me flowers and dinner and look at me during sex.”

“It feels like only yesterday I was bitten by your tiny little dog.”

“You cannot give up so easily. You’re not Lebron in the fourth quarter. I don’t get it either.”

“No, lots of people use Pedal to the Petal.”

“You’re putting the divider up? That’s my thing. What does ‘chop-chop’ mean?”

“Regretting that under-the-shirt stuff…”

“Okay, those are just the taglines of Bravo, TBS, and USA.”

“Although you’re a bit of a skinny bitch for a black guy to be with.”

“But now, I have to prioritize my hate, and it goes her, cooked green peppers, and then back to you!”

“I just thought it was a fashion choice, like leaving tags on hats.”

“I’m not sure what it says, but it can’t be good.” “How do you know?” “The skull and penis.”

“Aw man, another penis."