Grade: 89%
ABC’s HAPPY ENDINGS returns this week
with “Cazsh Dummy Spillionaires.” This being a sitcom, there aren’t a
lot of huge, game-changing moments. But there are some really amusing
moments, great one-liners, and plenty of laughs courtesy of one of the
best comedy casts on television. I guess what I’m saying is, it’s funny.
Very funny.
It will not be surprising to learn that
Max (Adam Pally) and Penny’s (Casey Wilson) plot is the most outlandish
of the three in the season premiere. Penny is hurt falling down a bunch
of stairs, and Max takes advantage of her injuries to move in on the hot
physical therapist. This goes as far as drugging her and putting off
her doctor’s appointment, keeping her in a body cast longer than
necessary.
Does this stray HAPPY ENDINGS away from
realism? Yes, yes it does. Unlike Better Off Ted and Community, sitcoms
that paint in broad strokes, and never try to pretend they are real,
HAPPY ENDINGS has the illusion of reality because it’s just about a
bunch of friends, bringing to mind shows like, well, Friends. But it
straddles the line between being relatable and being hilarious. Somehow,
it manages to stay a series that people believe, even after outrageous
events occur. What’s more, it manages to not always be completely
obvious that what is happening would never happen, until one stops to
think about it.
This is a deft trick that few can pull
off. Laughing at Penny falling down the stairs and ending up in a body
cast is cartoonish. Yet, because of the way the “ahmahzing” cast sells
it, it doesn’t take viewers out of the moment. Max relishing in the fact
that he’s mocking the film Misery makes him seem harmless, even when
what he’s doing is unthinkably horrible. And the pay off at the end
makes it all worth it.
Similarly, Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) lies
to Jane (Eliza Coupe), making her think that he is unemployed, spending
his days at home, pursuing hobbies. The lengths to which he must go to
convince her of this are crazy, and the fact that he doesn’t get caught
sooner than he does (it doesn’t spoil anything to tell you that, as
everyone knows she will, Jane finds out) is nothing short of ludicrous.
But again, seeing Brad soaking wet in a suit, covered in bubbles, is
enough to make you forget that HAPPY ENDINGS isn’t something that could
occur if you just had the right group of friends.
I think the reason that the show can
sell this is the authentic relationships and strong level of heart. Even
when characters are being mean or lying to each other, viewers can
totally tell that they love each other deeply. The actors have such fun
in the roles, playing together, it’s impossible not to have fun watching
them. They interact so well that they come across as real people, even
when real people wouldn’t perform the actions that they do.
In the third story this week, HAPPY
ENDINGS plays it a bit safer, going with a well-worn thread. Dave
(Zachary Knighton) and Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) announce that they are in a
casual relationship, sleeping together, but not committing to one
another emotionally. This goes exactly how one would expect it to, with
both dating other people, and seeing each other dating other people, and
then getting jealous. It’s completely predictable, and it’s been done a
million times.
Yet, like the rest of the episode, it
works with these particular performers. It helps that Penny’s role in
the triangle is kept subtle, not overdone, and played sweetly. It also
helps that Dave and Alex totally cheese to the camera, providing
contrast. But whatever the reason, it doesn’t completely feel like an
old premise, even though there is no denying the entire time that it is.
HAPPY ENDINGS is back in its best form,
maybe a little goofier than when we last saw it, but every bit as
entertaining. New episodes air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
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