December 5, 2006: One Giant Dry Spell… Except for "Super-hot Fan"
I am absolutely loving this show. I'm tempted to quote too many funny lines, but I'll try to keep it at a minimum. I honestly feel that the timing of the casual back-and-forth of these characters is all too real for the usual comedy. Maybe the absence of a forced laugh from a live audience helps. Maybe it's a well-formed cast that fits more cohesively than others. But each person brings a certain element to the table - whether it's poker night or not.
Brendan ("Brando") has model looks combined with this weepy, soft personality and gives in enough for PJ to bring out some extra sarcasm. "You left something in the living room." The fact that he let Traci (Brooke Nevin), the "Super-hot Fan," drag her feet around the apartment for almost a week just goes to show how much Brando wants to be adored. I'm wondering if we're ever going to meet Wendy - especially after Kenny went through his cell phone and found out the two had still been calling each other. I'm pretty confident we will one of these days.
Another mystery is Andy's wife and kids. Will they enter the picture or does that expand the players too much? The whole build-a-farm story line was pretty funny. I like his relationship with PJ, because he has this weathered approach to life. He just seems tired, and PJ still has a fire in her belly.
As for Mike and Kenny - they work well as a team. Kenny's got this pathetic approach to women, and Mike is a big child who still revels in the frat-like mentality. So together, they are one huge social failure and find more laughs joking around on PJ's couch than out on the town. I did feel sorry for both of them individually - Kenny getting kicked out of the bar when Stephanie needed girl-talk, and Mike feeling left out when Bobby seemed to be filling his shoes.
Speaking of Bobby, looks like they're really playing out the friends card when it comes to him and PJ. Claire really seems to be in the picture - despite being "one of those girls" who celebrates two-week anniversaries. And PJ is being pretty cool-tempered about their platonic relationship. I wonder if we'll get any more interactions between her and Claire in the future, because when PJ's in a room with a girl who's pretty much the opposite personality - with the exception of best-pal Stephanie - her snarky comments spit right out! Some of my favorites from tonight's episodes:
- "Oh my god, that's amaaazing... words come out of her mouth, and I can't see your lips moving at all!" she says to Brendan about his flirty fan.
- "Why don't you go stay in her Barbie Dream House."
- "I think I just caught chlamydia," she utters when the group enters the Slug House on Guys Night Out.
Speaking of the "hunt" that was supposed to end the "slump," PJ did a horrible job being a "wingperson." And I think she said "dude" a few too many times for my liking, but that's pretty much the extent of my disappointment for this week.
I loved when Stephanie took her out for a sophisticated night, because she actually met someone other than an extension of her poker buddies. I hope this one sticks around for a while and turns the tables a little.
But aside from set-ups and slumps, the highlight of this episode for me was the "hook up" debate. An actual conversation I've heard in real life - no TBS involved - in which, I believe, the end result was that "hook up" meant more than "make out." But the fact that the whole PJ-Bobby secret came out with the entire group standing around was hilarious and very appropriate for this show.
I like hearing familiar conversations, because it makes this show more real, more close to home. If nothing else, any reference to Outward Bound gets an applause. Watching the chemistry between these characters is entertaining and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. And if we can pick up something along the way, even better. On that note, here's the lesson this week: Acting like a pig doesn't work.
