Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 - "Daddy's Girl"

Season 1, Episode 2

Since most of my thoughts about Don’t Trust the B----...that I posted last week were based on the pilot and this week’s episode, I don’t have a whole lot of thoughts that differ from what I already said, but I’ve got a few specific details to discuss, after the jump.

As is the case with most post-pilot episodes, this is the one where the show has the awkward and unenviable task of discovering itself and how it will work from week to week. Granted, this means that the episode was freed up from a lot of the histrionics that cripple so many other pilots. Without the concern of having so much set up, the show could get to the business of exploring the Chloe-June dynamic a little bit further.

The problem is that the show had to do what so many other shows have to do after a premise heavy pilot – they have to roll back on the progress that the pilot bothered to show. While it seemed evident last week that June and Chloe living together was going to result in some sort of eventual attitude change for both of them, this is one of those arcs that’s best played out in the long-term. Thus it’s better for the show to hit the reset button and change the pace with which these character change. Yes, it’s a little off-putting to see the reversal in action, but it’s one that’s better for the show in the long run, and even allows for the benefit of watching the two personalities bounce off one another.

In that regard, there was a lot more pop to this episode, as the established dynamic allowed for more interaction and jokes from each of the characters. While this was a large boon to seeing Chloe and June bounce off one another, this was also a great episode for Mark, who evolved from just a few lines in the pilot to having some bits of characterization start to form. It’s probably not the strongest effort the show could have put forth, but it does bode well for Mark’s future on the show, as well as for Robin and Eli. (Well, maybe not Eli. It’s probably best he remains at the same prominence level that he’s at now.)

It was also another solid showcase for James Van Der Beek, whose storyline this week was once again centered on his past on Dawson, but at least felt more substantial than last week. While the jokes about The Beek were mostly centered on his fancy and crazy life as a celebrity, tonight’s teaching plot showed the sadder side of celebrity, how the pressure of being Dawson affects him. I hate to oversell this plot, since it still ended with the Beek embracing and enjoying his celebrity status, but it shows that he doesn’t have to be such a one-note character.

I’ve saved discussion about the A-plot because it was perhaps my least favorite element about the whole episode. For starters, much like last week, there was a big twist here that was meant to be both shocking and surprising. While the show did better on the latter part, it’s attempt to be “edgy” by having Chloe set June up with her father felt a bit too calculated to really land comically. The same thing can be said for the joke about Chloe's mom being in the wheelchair, which was not only cheap, but also a bit exploitative, even if it eventually and thankfully shifted towards Chloe's own selfishness.

Speaking of whihc, the show seemed to be making inroads towards deepening Chloe’s character in regards to filling in her backstory and revealing why she is such a, well…title character. Much like how the show had to role back the character arc that was started in the pilot, it’s probably too early for the show to tackle that particular issue, but I was happy to see the show flesh the character out much as it did with Mark and the Beek. Instead, we got another comedic reversal that worked fairly well, but was frustrating for halting the progress that I thought the show was making. Because if the show is going to succeed in creating a successful comedic anti-heroine, then it should probably start soon on defining Chloe beyond the titular description.

Quotes, Etc.:

“Red and big. Like an angry Montanna sky.”

“You know, Pooh didn't wear pants either.”

“I hate that guy ever since he beat me out for the role of Harvey Milk's lover.”

“It hurts when I hug her. We can only make love in water...”

“I touched him through bike shorts! I can't get clean!”

“Half of Chloe came out of you. My compliments to the chef.”

“Seems like a real-messed up situation.” “Yeah, but nobody's to blame here, and that's what's important.”

“I was in Ke$ha's 'Blow' video. I was in an all-white production of Raisin in the Sun.”

“Hey, a stuffed animal from a much older man. Nothing weirder than that.”

"You're everywhere and nowhere, Dawson!"

“Look, I'm not a fan of the lady cave, but in a pinch...” “It would have to be a really big pinch.”

"Don't talk during the movie, June."