One of the consequences of Happy Endings getting Dave and Alex back together is that it kind of limits what they can do with the other characters in the show. If you give the new/old couple the required screen time that it takes to advance that particular story, much like the way it works in an actual relationship, sometimes they have to be out on an island away from everyone else, and it’s not as easy to pair people off for other stories in all the combinations you could before. To get more Dave/Alex, you have to sacrifice a little Dave/Max and Alex/Jane, and so on. That’s just how the math works out. Since Brad and Jane live together, and Max and Penny play crazy off each other so well, the concern is that you’ll end up in a rut where those three “couples” go off and do their own thing in each episode, and end up back at the bar to share some giggles about their various adventures for 30 seconds as the credits roll.
That is why I liked last night’s episode. It seems like the show is acutely aware of this potential pitfall, and so they gave us Brad/Max and Jane/Penny stories immediately after hooking Dave and Alex back up. I’ll be honest, you could do a spin-off titled Brad & Max Just Doin’ a Bunch of Stuff and Stuff, and I would probably set my DVR to record the whole first season. Do I still have some concerns about how the group dynamics will work out going forward? Yeah, sure. But this was a nice start.
And now, the highlights:
- Penny’s plan at the car dealership was diabolical. and borderline evil. I used to work in sales, and customers like Jane — “I AM VERY TOUGH AND WILL THEREFORE DRIVE A HARD BARGAIN LET ME SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER” — really didn’t bug me that much. I played sports all throughout high school, so paper-mache hardasses yelling about stuff wasn’t exactly a new experience, and if anything they just made me more resolute to eek every dollar out of them that I could. A female customer getting emotional, on the other hand? No thank you. I would happily throw all the discounts and add-ons and extended warranties I could at that situation to make it stop.
- Speaking of Penny at the dealership, Casey Wilson’s stunt double had to go to the hospital and get 16 stitches after crashing through that glass. Worth it, I say.
- Alex? Kind of racist. In a cute way. You know, like, cute racism. That’s a thing, right?
- The scene with the pinata killed me because pinatas are awful. CANDY ALREADY COMES IN A WRAPPER. DON’T PUT IT INSIDE SOMETHING ELSE. THERE SHOULD BE LESS BARRIERS TO CANDY.
- “Sup, guys? You talkin’ boogs?”
- I feel bad for all the overweight gay people in the world after last night. You’re GFFs (Gay Fat Friends) now. Own it or buy a treadmill. These are your options.
- Sound advice, from the scene where Jane was negotiating with Rob Corddry:
- As far at Alex and Dave’s apartment hunting goes: “Let’s die in this bitch!” > “Too Shia LeBeouf-y”
- Remember last week when I said people should stop comparing this show to Friends? Throw that in the toilet. Dave and Alex affording that apartment on their food truck and customerless boutique earnings is the new “Could Rachel and Monica’s Manhattan apartment BE any more out of their price range?”
- Crapdammit is a thing I say now. Make a note.
- I WANT TO HEAR THE STORIES ABOUT MAX’S DAD AND THE ICE TRAY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD.
- I was a little disappointed that they didn’t do more of a Halloween-themed episode this year, but their group Jackson 5 costume does give me an excuse to post this video of the real Jackson 5, which features a young Michael Jackson wearing one of the greatest outfits in the history of clothes.
