Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 - "Pilot"

Season 1, Episode 1

I posted a full review of Don’t Trust the B----…yesterday morning, and I have a few more specific thoughts about tonight’s premiere after the jump.

 I’m not going to spend too much time rehashing what I said earlier, but I do believe that Ritter, Walker, and Van Der Beek all made strong first impressions in the roles they are given. (Eric Andre will have a better chance to make an impression as Mark next week.) There’s an immediate and likable chemistry between Walker and Ritter that’s obviously and smartly at the core of the show’s humor, which will help as the show sets about ironing out the rougher patches.

Speaking of rougher patches, the character of Eli and Robin are perhaps the most jarring elements of the pilot, existing solely so that the show can deliver the “shocking” laughs that it clearly defines as central to it’s humor. (Ritter of course has her own share of these sorts of lines and action, but she’s a likable presence that they don’t appear nearly as bombastic.) They don’t really work here, being perhaps over-the-top compared to the rest of the laughs that the show delivers, so it will interesting to see if the show will temper them in future episodes, or if it’s even interested in that.

As for the twists that I mentioned in my pre-air review: That Chloe turned out to be bitchy (and specifically by trying to scheme June out of rent money) wasn’t exactly shocking, given that it’s impossible to go into the show without knowing the premise. However, the show did good by showing June striking back and selling all of Chloe’s furniture, even if it lead to the obvious reveal that Chloe wanted the ottoman back for reasons that had nothing to do within an emotional attachment to the furniture.

If you liked this episode, even a little bit, I would suggest coming back for next week’s episode, which I found stronger, and not just because it doesn’t have the burden of pilot-y exposition.

Quotes:

“Don't buy bread! I will send you bread!”

“A little advice? Adopt a looting mentality.”

“We met a few years ago when I was shooting a rap music video. She was a PA, I got champagne sprayed up my ass...”

“I wrote a rap at Christian camp. It was called 'Jesus is my N-Word'.”

“Things are crazy with Jeremy. He has developed a fear of bicycles. So I've put him in the wind chamber.”

“So you like to rubba-dub-dub in the tub?”

“I like to watch the flames from across the street. It reminds me of Christmas.”

“Anybody want to get weird and play Mario Kart?”

“Don't be a blonde dude in a Vietnamese jail, June. That's the real life lesson here.”

“Dawson is the MOOOOOOOON!”