A quick review of tonight's “Enlisted” coming up just as soon as I convince an old Jewish couple I'm their grandson Jeffrey…
Oh, Randy Hill. I'll miss you most of all.
More than the previous two Sunday episodes, “Army Men” is the one where the show's cancellation really stings, because it sets up the possibility of a great character arc that, barring a miraculous pick-up somewhere else, we'll never get to see. I'm agnostic on sitcom love triangles, but the idea of Randy and Pete competing for the love of Jill, all while she's oblivious to it and doing things like blowing snot on the ground is gold, and the sort of thing I'd have enjoyed watching Biegel, Royce and company playing out at length. Instead, all we get is the main plot of this episode, which is a whole lot of fun in the flashbacks to Pete and Randy's lifetime of competition (and Derrick's lifetime of complaining, “Idiots!”) and in the present day as the two brothers finally come to blows. (A hysterical Randy scolding his fists: “You hit Pete! And you let it happen!”) Sgt. Major Cody's reaction to their idiocy was a good example of the show finding a way to have their exaggerated take on Army life intersect briefly with reality, and before things got too sappy with the brothers cheering Jill on through the monkey bars, we got Randy running away in tears yet again. Parker Young crying is funny, always and always and always.
Derrick enlisting the rest of the unit (minus Chubowski and Tanisha, and plus Ruiz) to make him seem more like a man was goofy but amusing – I particularly enjoyed JaMort calling out “FOOD!” after going through his superhero motions and noises – while also finding a core of something real in Erin and her son's complicated ties to her ex. (I also imagine a certain segment of the audience did not object to the amount of shirtless Brandon Routh in this episode.)
Good show. Funny show. Sweet show. One more to go. Sigh.
What did everybody else think?