"Something's Up There"
The good folks at WURG sure know their slapstick. It's been quite some time since I've seen good physical comedy on television, so what a thrill to see it make a comeback. Good slapstick, good slapstick. Now let's get to the better banter.
I'm not sure we've had an episode yet that puts the whole crew in one situation, so this week was a change of pace. Little Gracie's 11th-birthday party was basically over before it started, because the only one of the six adults there who had steeled herself to find and catch the raccoon in the attic was Kelly, and Chuck wasn't about to let her do it. I understood his reasoning (Kelly's done everything for Gracie and Chuck wants to contribute, even if she doesn't know he's her father), but that part felt a little far-fetched. Chuck strikes me as the kind who'll let anyone take a fall for him - in poor Ryan's case, quite literally - even Kelly, so why take a stand on this thing that he was obviously scared of?
Either way, the guys on this show had me in stitches tonight. Between the aftermath of their bowling game against a rival station ("They called us bitches last year, Gary. Bitches!") and their individual maladies after Ryan's ill-fated trip to the attic, including Chuck's smashed nose, Ryan's various freak outs, Marsh's concussion, and Gary's back and dissolving marriage, the writers gave us some wonderful physical and verbal pratfalls.
The girls finally got in on the action when the raccoon made his way downstairs. Kelly, of course, had the bright idea to try to force him out from under her couch with a fire poker, but neither that nor her "chalky" cupcakes seemed to work. His escape route took him through the fireplace and the back under the couch, setting it on fire in the process. Only Kelly had the bright idea to use the fire extinguisher, but her outburst managed to also extinguish a potential love interest in the form of Gracie's friend's divorced dad ("Actually, we're working things out"). Other characters fared just about as well, considering Gary decided to hobble down the highway back to his wife, Marsh didn't know whether he's coming or going, and Ryan had a panic attack about not being able to swallow following his ingestion of a Kelly cupcake.
It's hard to describe physical comedy, so let me move on to something easier and list the best lines of the week:
" Gary: "My marriage is ending and I'm listening to 'Hey Jude' on a pan-flute!"
" Montana: "OK, there is a possum on my car. Is this Pittsburgh or Narnia?"
" Montana: "I had no idea it was going to rain today."
Kelly: "You're the
weather girl."
Montana: "I know, right?"
" Chuck: "I happen to have a huge middle finger. You want to see it?"
Lastly, as far as I know, this is it for new episodes for the next little while. According to
this helpful chart that Michael Ausiello put together (which was written before this episode aired), there are only two more left in the can, and I don't have any information about when they'll air. Nothing left to do but wait and see.
Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!
Check out clips from Back to You
in our
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