A review of tonight's “You're the Worst” coming up just as soon as I'm like Reese Witherspoon in that commercial for backpacks…
If the last few outings felt as if they were trying to squeeze a little too much into each episode, then “Side Bitch” had everything nicely in proportion. Lots going on, including the return of Ty Wyland, but nothing felt rushed, and everybody had their moment.
Lindsay's complete inability to function in the real world without Paul to take care of bill paying and basic maintenance, for instance, set up that great set piece of her trying and failing to walk, then bike, home from her lunch date with Jimmy, with Kether Donohue toggling amusingly between triumphant and trainwreck. And even though Collette Wolfe'ss only been around for a couple of weeks, Dorothy already feels like one of the more well-rounded characters on the show, and perhaps the most normal – though that probably doesn't bode well for her long-term prospects with Edgar. Still, I was afraid that his advice would not only destroy the improv group, which it did, but lead to an abrupt end to their budding relationship, which it didn't. One of the themes of the show is that people are more complicated than romantic comedy cliches make them out to be, and this was a nice example of an obvious and tired stumbling block that turned out, for the moment, not to be.
And the payoff to Gretchen's secret late night drives – that she just wants to be on her own so she can cry in peace while playing games on the old phone Sam gave her – not only gave us the return of Jimmy's terrible disguise mustache, but was unexpectedly strange and poignant and funny in all the ways that felt tonally appropriate to these characters (Gretchen is super damaged) and this show. Nicely done.
What did everybody else think?