Season 2, Episodes 15-16
As a show that's usually, purposefully, and relatively plotless – and all the better for it – it can be hard to pin down just what we should expect from Happy Endings when it comes to issues of continuity. Sure, all comedies seem to have their running gags that seem to make their show richer, but those are so far infiltrated into the world of TV that even a show like The Big Bang Theory, which essentially hits the reset button every week, has it's own share of them. The problem with Happy Endings is that it seems to want to work in both of these veins, and the juxtaposition of these past two episodes suggest that maybe that isn't the best idea.
Say, do remember that episode a few months back when the show hinted that maybe Dave and Penny might have a thing for one another, and that maybe possibly probably the show was going to do something with that? Well, if you're reading this post, you probably do, since it caused quite the stir among the show's (admittedly small) fan base, since it was a development that A) made a good deal of sense and B) existed on a show that usually doesn't deal with things like plot developments. I myself was originally skeptical of the idea, and I still am, but I feel like the show's been keeping us waiting so long to return to that story that my anticipation, which was originally born out of anxiety, has now turned into something closer to excitement to see how the show will pull it off.
Yet the show keeps stymieing this at every turn, and it's becoming increasingly frustrating, no more so then with “The Butterfly Effect Effect”. As if to shove it in our faces that this show doesn't care about sticking to continuity, the entire premise of the episode is based in part on the fact that it's snowing quite heavily in Chicago, something that we haven't seen before or since on the show. The episode continues this blatant disregard for continuity by giving us stories that all revolve around one specific time frame, thus limiting their use a way to tells us more about the character's daily lives, and it even goes so far as to eschew Grant from the story, even thought supposedly everybody loves him.
This is actually quite workable on the episodic level, and the show gets some great mileage out of it. Seeing Max adopt the mannerism of a bear and the grunts of Tim Allen was just flat out hilarious, and it's a testament to Adam Pally's skills as a comedic actor that he can me me laugh that much without uttering a single word. And while the beats of Brad and Jane's fake-fight-turned-real-fight were quite predictable, it did provide the show the opportunity to split the group among the gender divide and find some appealing character dynamics therein.
Again, all this works on the individual, and it's not like I'm all that upset that the show decides that it's going to be snowing one week and then warm enough for Dave to host and outdoor cocktail party the next. Or at least I wouldn't be if the show didn't decide in “Cocktails & Dreams” that it's suddenly interested in continuity again, or if – and this is even more important – the return to continuity didn't make for such a high quality episode.
The idea that Dave's cocktails giving the members of his group sex dreams about him alone is enough to fuel the episode, as seeing each person freak out at the thought of having sex with Dave provides plenty of solid laughs. But the show took this story further on two fronts. First, we saw that Penny's sex dream was in fact a proposal dream, something that's she's not ready to understand with the rest of the group. Second, the episode ended on a fairly predictable note, as Alex and Dave hook-up not in her dreams, but in reality.
While the implications of Penny's dream are obvious – and I thank the show for remembering this ongoing plotline – it's Alex and Dave's hookup that holds the more immediate interest. Now, the show already had the pair sexually reconnect back in season one, but in that instance it a perfunctory story, and it suffered because of it. Given that episode and the way the premiere was likewise brought down by an unnecessary Dave/Alex focus, one would think that this would be a bad move for the show to make. However, with the stakes now raised thanks to the reminder that Penny has feelings for Dave (and that the reverse is probably also true), his and Alex's rendezvous now takes on more weight. It now means something, even if the couple that it means something for isn't the couple that actually slept together.
That wasn't the only moment of continuity within the the episode, as we also reached the inevitable end of James Wolk's arc on the show. In terms of an exit for the character, it's a fairly pat one, as he and Max break up over the latter's desire to have children someday. It's also a partially pat story for Max, as his growth in the face of a serious relationship was predictable even from three episodes prior. However, I did like how the show handled Max's realization that he might want to have kids, considering that he's expressed disdain for such creatures in the past. There was a good deal of confusion and consternation to Adam Pally's performance here, and his realization that he may want kids was written and played far more believably than the fact that he enjoyed being in a serious relationship.
All this points to a strength that I don't think Happy Endings exercises enough: it's ability to tell well-developed character arcs. Theoretically next week's episode will deal with some of the fallout from the closing minutes of “Cocktails”, and if that is the case, then I believe we will receive another crackerjack episode. If not, well then it's not like everything will turn to turn to crap. The episode will still be good; I'll just be disappointed.
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
“It's called a Bro-zillian.”
“Next thing you're going to tell me there's no such thing as the scrot-tee.”
“Alex, you're drunken chipmunk impression is hilarious.” “Thanks. It's just a variation of my Renee Zellweger.”
“It what world is she the together one? She polishes her fax machine.”
“I will call Taters and see if we can get a seat next to the omelet bar.”
“WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HARD COPY? I LIKED THAT SHOW! IT WAS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO A CURRENT AFFAIR!”
“How mad are you at Brad? And to what degree would you say your life in in shambles right now?”
“We'll play MASH. I get to be Hawkeye.”
“Rage get-caught-up-on-Downton-Abbey.”
“You get to live with a bear that sounds like Tim Allen.” “Ruuuh?”
“Burn! Freezer burn!”
“She really marches to the beat of her really, really slow little drummer.” “Sweet, sweet bird.”
“Oh look, I have three missed calls from Penis. Why? Because all of my contacts have been changed to 'Penis'.”
“It's time for a little open hear (sting!) surgery.”
“That is the last time I administer an at-home bro-zillian. By the way Dave, we need more duct tape.”
***********
“Wow, we really are losing the War on Drugs if animals are doin' rails.”
“Drunk Jane loves a good cleaning. You should have seen me on New Year's – I was fall-down mopping.”
“Didn't you have a sex dream about Fran St. Clair, the mom dinosaurs on the show The Dinosaurs?”
“This poison!” “Have you been eating that?” “One time. I thought it was my pirate cereal.”
“Hey Brad, be a dear, and take a bite of your sandwich and blow it into my mouth.”
“Gotta run, Colin's running on empty. I hope I don't accidentally called him Tom.”
“I'm not actually black. This is just a mole that covers my entire body.”
“It was like that scene in Varsity Blues, except Dave had sex with me repeatedly.”
“Dave is like Freddy Kruegering us in our dreams. With sex.”
“Oh, and I signed us up for a mini-triathlon. So if anyone asks, we're dwarves.”
“I knew you had my My Morning Jacket jacket.”
“Oh, floor bacon! Oh, you know what? It's just a loaf moccasin.”
“Penny, judgments are the gluten on thoughts.”
“By the way, I'm kind of the Sean Brumner of my group...”
“Dave, there are two things I say: One, yes that Hanks...”
“Classic Caliendo!”
Yet the show keeps stymieing this at every turn, and it's becoming increasingly frustrating, no more so then with “The Butterfly Effect Effect”. As if to shove it in our faces that this show doesn't care about sticking to continuity, the entire premise of the episode is based in part on the fact that it's snowing quite heavily in Chicago, something that we haven't seen before or since on the show. The episode continues this blatant disregard for continuity by giving us stories that all revolve around one specific time frame, thus limiting their use a way to tells us more about the character's daily lives, and it even goes so far as to eschew Grant from the story, even thought supposedly everybody loves him.
This is actually quite workable on the episodic level, and the show gets some great mileage out of it. Seeing Max adopt the mannerism of a bear and the grunts of Tim Allen was just flat out hilarious, and it's a testament to Adam Pally's skills as a comedic actor that he can me me laugh that much without uttering a single word. And while the beats of Brad and Jane's fake-fight-turned-real-fight were quite predictable, it did provide the show the opportunity to split the group among the gender divide and find some appealing character dynamics therein.
Again, all this works on the individual, and it's not like I'm all that upset that the show decides that it's going to be snowing one week and then warm enough for Dave to host and outdoor cocktail party the next. Or at least I wouldn't be if the show didn't decide in “Cocktails & Dreams” that it's suddenly interested in continuity again, or if – and this is even more important – the return to continuity didn't make for such a high quality episode.
The idea that Dave's cocktails giving the members of his group sex dreams about him alone is enough to fuel the episode, as seeing each person freak out at the thought of having sex with Dave provides plenty of solid laughs. But the show took this story further on two fronts. First, we saw that Penny's sex dream was in fact a proposal dream, something that's she's not ready to understand with the rest of the group. Second, the episode ended on a fairly predictable note, as Alex and Dave hook-up not in her dreams, but in reality.
While the implications of Penny's dream are obvious – and I thank the show for remembering this ongoing plotline – it's Alex and Dave's hookup that holds the more immediate interest. Now, the show already had the pair sexually reconnect back in season one, but in that instance it a perfunctory story, and it suffered because of it. Given that episode and the way the premiere was likewise brought down by an unnecessary Dave/Alex focus, one would think that this would be a bad move for the show to make. However, with the stakes now raised thanks to the reminder that Penny has feelings for Dave (and that the reverse is probably also true), his and Alex's rendezvous now takes on more weight. It now means something, even if the couple that it means something for isn't the couple that actually slept together.
That wasn't the only moment of continuity within the the episode, as we also reached the inevitable end of James Wolk's arc on the show. In terms of an exit for the character, it's a fairly pat one, as he and Max break up over the latter's desire to have children someday. It's also a partially pat story for Max, as his growth in the face of a serious relationship was predictable even from three episodes prior. However, I did like how the show handled Max's realization that he might want to have kids, considering that he's expressed disdain for such creatures in the past. There was a good deal of confusion and consternation to Adam Pally's performance here, and his realization that he may want kids was written and played far more believably than the fact that he enjoyed being in a serious relationship.
All this points to a strength that I don't think Happy Endings exercises enough: it's ability to tell well-developed character arcs. Theoretically next week's episode will deal with some of the fallout from the closing minutes of “Cocktails”, and if that is the case, then I believe we will receive another crackerjack episode. If not, well then it's not like everything will turn to turn to crap. The episode will still be good; I'll just be disappointed.
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
“It's called a Bro-zillian.”
“Next thing you're going to tell me there's no such thing as the scrot-tee.”
“Alex, you're drunken chipmunk impression is hilarious.” “Thanks. It's just a variation of my Renee Zellweger.”
“It what world is she the together one? She polishes her fax machine.”
“I will call Taters and see if we can get a seat next to the omelet bar.”
“WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HARD COPY? I LIKED THAT SHOW! IT WAS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO A CURRENT AFFAIR!”
“How mad are you at Brad? And to what degree would you say your life in in shambles right now?”
“We'll play MASH. I get to be Hawkeye.”
“Rage get-caught-up-on-Downton-Abbey.”
“You get to live with a bear that sounds like Tim Allen.” “Ruuuh?”
“Burn! Freezer burn!”
“She really marches to the beat of her really, really slow little drummer.” “Sweet, sweet bird.”
“Oh look, I have three missed calls from Penis. Why? Because all of my contacts have been changed to 'Penis'.”
“It's time for a little open hear (sting!) surgery.”
“That is the last time I administer an at-home bro-zillian. By the way Dave, we need more duct tape.”
***********
“Wow, we really are losing the War on Drugs if animals are doin' rails.”
“Drunk Jane loves a good cleaning. You should have seen me on New Year's – I was fall-down mopping.”
“Didn't you have a sex dream about Fran St. Clair, the mom dinosaurs on the show The Dinosaurs?”
“This poison!” “Have you been eating that?” “One time. I thought it was my pirate cereal.”
“Hey Brad, be a dear, and take a bite of your sandwich and blow it into my mouth.”
“Gotta run, Colin's running on empty. I hope I don't accidentally called him Tom.”
“I'm not actually black. This is just a mole that covers my entire body.”
“It was like that scene in Varsity Blues, except Dave had sex with me repeatedly.”
“Dave is like Freddy Kruegering us in our dreams. With sex.”
“Oh, and I signed us up for a mini-triathlon. So if anyone asks, we're dwarves.”
“I knew you had my My Morning Jacket jacket.”
“Oh, floor bacon! Oh, you know what? It's just a loaf moccasin.”
“Penny, judgments are the gluten on thoughts.”
“By the way, I'm kind of the Sean Brumner of my group...”
“Dave, there are two things I say: One, yes that Hanks...”
“Classic Caliendo!”
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