Happy Endings Season 3 Episodes 8 & 9 Recap
Thanks to ABC’s lame attempt to attract more viewers to the show (a.k.a burn off the remaining episodes of this season and then probably cancel it in May), we were given TWO new episodes of Happy Endings this week. For those who don’t know, the show will be airing on Sundays and Mondays for the next few weeks. I think this is an incredibly stupid idea, but as we’ve come to learn with ABC, unless you are a stable and decent sized hit, the network just doesn’t know what to do with the little shows that need that extra push (here’s looking at you, ‘Samantha Who?’). Hey, TBS, if you’re looking for a companion show for ‘Cougar Town’, I may have one for you…
I had a conversation with a friend yesterday and we briefly discussed why no one is watching this show. I love it and a lot of people I know love it, but no one else is watching it or knows it exists. In other news, the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory just hit record ratings. So what’s the reason? Is it the show? Is it’s ABC’s poor marketing? Is it a bit of both? I honestly don’t know. The show is polarizing, yes, and can be grating, of course, but that can be said of almost any sitcom, right? I don’t know what it is, because, for me, I’d rather watch this than Sheldon Cooper say “bazinga” every other scene, but then again 20 million people disagree with me. Can you guys just start watching this show?
I loved these two episodes. A lot. They were completely ridiculous (Sunday’s centered around Alex’s racist parrot dying and Tuesday’s was so ridiculous I can’t describe it to you, you just have to watch it) and over-the-top and like, if this was your first time ever watching an episode of Happy Endings you probably hated your TV, but God, they were glorious, weren’t they? No other show can do what Happy Endings does and manage to get away with it (ahem, Dave’s “coming” song? HOW?). Though both episodes were equally ridiculous, I thought they were completely different in tone and execution and both delivered solid laughs throughout.
Sunday’s episode with Alex’s racist parrot dying began brilliantly and ended perfectly. I told a friend that the cast rarely, if ever, improvises and she was shocked. I don’t remember where I read it or heard it, but I remember Adam Pally (Max) talking about how they never do and that they stick to the script 99% of the time. Incredible, right? You would think that Sunday’s opening scene would’ve lent itself more to the improvisational skill of the cast but it was so brilliantly well written (For the record, Breaking Out Into Song-Con would be an amazing Con) that it’s elevated even higher by the talented cast. The episode only went up from there and moved so quickly that you had to keep up or you’d get left behind. I thought that the entire cast was fantastic, but the episode belonged to Casey and Damon, naturally. How is this the first time (or one of the few times) that the two have been paired up? They were effortlessly amazing AND THAT ‘SCANDAL’ REFRENCE ALMOST CAUSED MY HEAD TO EXPLODE. If there was anything I didn’t enjoy about the episode it was the Jane/Max/Dave storyline. While it was nice to see Max be the straight man for once in the ensemble, this was a plotline ripped right out of an episode of ‘Friends’. You know the one.
Tuesday’s episode outdid Sunday’s in the ridiculous department and was so silly and stupid and I loved every single minute of it. I get a better sense of this show when I watch it twice and can collect all the references or jokes I missed the first time around but I thought this episode was so well paced and balanced and knew exactly what it wanted to do. Happy Endings has always been celebrated because its gay character isn’t a stereotype and I thought this episode’s ode to that was poignant and absolutely hysterical. The final scene of the episode where all the characters want to know what type of gay they are was outstanding.
Also: Jane in this episode was perfect and ridiculous.
Also x2: Elisha Cuthbert is beautiful.
Favourite lines:
“I keep my yard tidy”
“Jane, you’re a top”
“What would Kerry Washington do on Scandal?!”