A quick review of last night’s “Happy Endings” two-fer coming up just as soon as I do a run/walk for sexual blindness…
The timing couldn’t have been better for the first night of “Happy Endings” being a Tuesday night double-feature, as Penny got engaged in the first half-hour and then spent the second trying to figure out what the wedding might be. The problem is that sooner or later, the engagement has to fall apart, not because a happily married Penny can’t be a funny Penny, but because Pete is such a non-entity – other than occasionally commenting on how terrible the rest of the group is, which is a note that can only be played sparingly – that I just can’t imagine him as part of the long-term future of the show. (If, indeed, it has a long-term future.)
That said, these were two strong episodes of the show, the first playing off of both Max’s cruel streak and everyone’s expectations for Alex (the end was the best non-Manti Te’o-related Keyser Soze spoof I’ve seen in a while), with the second going crazy with the wordplay (Manny Petty’s Mani-Pedi), character histories (revisiting Dave and Alex’s wedding in a funny way) and the usual danger of assumed identities (“We are gay homosexuals who are in love and will be married”), along with the brilliant sight gag of Jane getting clocked while sprinting alongside the Trojan Horse Limousine display. (A great payoff to what we assumed would be her hiding inside the thing.) Plus, as a child of the ’80s, I’ve always dreamed of A-Ha’ing my wedding video (and also of acting out the popcorn prank from “Real Genius”) . Now I know that it’s possible!
Given Sony’s history with this kind of situation, I have to believe “Happy Endings” has at least a decent chance to be back on ABC next season. But if it’s not, it’s not going gentle into that good night.
What did everybody else think?