Article first written for Seat42F.
ABC’s SUBURGATORY, a charming little comedy about a father
and daughter who move from the Big Apple to the suburbs, returns for a third
season this week with “No Me Gusta, Mami.” Season two ended on quite the
cliffhanger, with Dallas (Cheryl Hines) dumping George (Jeremy Sisto), her
daughter, Dalia (Carly Chaikin), moving in with George, and George’s daughter,
Tessa (Jane Levy), running off to stay with her mother in the city. Now we finally
get to see how that all turns out.
Well, it’s a bit of a letdown because order is restored
before the opening credits roll. Dalia is still mad at Dallas, but she’s back
in her mansion. It takes no time at all for Tessa’s mom, Alex (Malin Akerman), to
abandon her, leaving Tessa back with George. George and Dallas don’t get back
together, but other than that, everything seems to be back to normal in
Chatwin. That’s not the end of their story, but it is a quick reset, too quick
in my opinion.
This isn’t a complete disappointment; the chemistry of the
principal cast, especially these four, is great the way it is. Shaking it up
too much could have hurt the series, and the efforts of three of the four
players to make up with their relations are sweet and touching. Thus, it’s an
emotionally satisfying story, even if one might wish for a bolder plot twist,
such as waiting a few episodes before sending the girls home.
SUBURGATORY is, by and large, a comedy, but it’s also pretty good
at portraying the interactions between parents and children. George and Tessa
have a unique relationship, as do Dalia and Dallas, and these are a major draw
for the show. Their chemistries do shift and grow over time, but love always
underlies them.
This may not completely carry over to the Shay household.
With Ryan (Parker Young, now starring in Enlisted on FOX) off to college, Fred
(Chris Parnell) and Sheila (Ana Gasteyer) are in full empty nest mode. That
means Fred is on the couch reading magazines, but not an unhealthy amount of
them, and Sheila is patrolling the neighborhood in camouflage, fervently
hunting down an escaped dog. This might be a natural reaction for a couple to
have, except their nest isn’t really empty, as daughter Lisa (Allie Grant)
still resides at home.
Now, fans of SUBURGATORY will accept this as quite expected,
but it’s a little sad. As loving as George and Dallas might be towards their
offspring, the Shays have always treated their natural-born daughter far worse
than their adopted son. It’s a shame, and explains many of Lisa’s neurosis,
including her talent for emotional manipulation of her friends. Unfortunately
for Lisa, her lot isn’t likely to improve anytime soon.
By and large, “No Me Gusta, Mami” is a funny episode. There
are bits with a big pooch, a creepy baby, a tranquilizer gun, take-home
accountants (Parenthood’s Phil Abrams, Better Off Ted’s Gary Rubenstein, and Arrested
Development’s Bob Glouberman), a ditzy dog groomer (Natasha Leggero, Burning
Love), a smoldering jersey, a tweaked theme song, and other vague references I
won’t explain to avoid spoilers. Mostly, it’s quite good, and as amusing as
ever.
There is a tense bit of “No Me Gusta, Mami” in which a couple
of characters contemplate leaving the suburbs behind. But given the premise of
the series, any such musings are purely hypothetical. The show may lose supporting
characters like Noah (Alan Tudyk) and Mr. Wolfe (Rex Lee), who have been
dropped from the main cast this year and will be missed, but the setting itself
will remain, as will the core cast.
What would be the real shame, though, is if this series were
canceled. It’s not highly rated, and the late start this year does not bode
well for its long-term viability. Yet, the slightly hyper-realized world and
charming, zany people that populate it would definitely leave a whole in the
television landscape if it disappeared. So tune in and encourage your friends
to do the same.
SUBURGATORY airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.