A quick review of tonight's “The Last Man on Earth” coming up just as soon as I tell you who edited “The Shawshank Redemption”…
I've been worried pretty much from the moment January Jones turned up – not because of any residual “Mad Men” feelings (if anything, it's a relief to see her relaxed and smiling so much of the time), but because the show's first few episodes were so creative and unusual, and now I feared the whole thing was going to turn into the story of a guy constantly frustrated because he can't have sex with the pretty blonde.
And for all of last week's episode and nearly all of tonight's two installments, that's unfortunately what “Last Man” became. Phil's annoyance at constantly missing his window with Melissa was both a thin joke and a really familiar one – even if the context is new – and it seemed a big step back for the show. There were several points in these episodes where his behavior was so annoying and pathetic that I wondered why I was even watching anymore, even as I was enjoying the work being done by Jones, Kristen Schaal and new arrival Mel Rodriguez (as nicest man on earth Todd), and laughing occasionally at set pieces like the malfunctioning dunk tank.
My hope is that the last two scenes of “Some Friggin' Fat Guy” was the writers putting a bow on this particular story, and that it's not just going to be a constant stream of failed cock-blocks and embarrassing seduction attempts. It's one thing for a guy like Phil to decide that this is his sole mission in this strange new world, and another for a writing staff that has so many options to play with in the world Will Forte created to devote all their time and energy to a guy being upset because he only gets to sleep with the second-hottest woman alive.
What did everybody else think? Are you happy with all the additions to the cast so far, or would you rather go back to the silent comedy antics of the premiere? And is anyone now a believer in the power of the Pilbasian Nudge?