More EPISODES On Showtime

Article first written for Seat42F.

Showtime’s EPISODES, which, funnily enough, doesn’t use episode titles, begins its third outing this week. Picking up the morning after the events of season two’s finale, much has changed for the characters, while at the same time, life continues as normal, too. Some jobs have shifted and some decisions have been made, but the show called Pucks must go on, and so they get back to work.

Merc (John Pankow) vows to cancel Pucks, if you remember, but that was when he thought he would continue to head up the network, which obviously is no longer the position he holds. Nor does he have a woman to stand by his side, his wife, Jamie (Genevieve O’Reilly), having gone home with Matt (Matt LeBlanc), and Carol (Kathleen Rose Perkins) dumping him when she finally accepts just what a selfish jerk Merc is.

Thus, Merc begins the new year on a terrible note, desperate and alone. I don’t think he’s going anywhere, as Pankow is too valuable a player to lose, and Merc is still a figure in too many people’s lives. But he won’t be the same Merc we’ve grown used to, or at least he won’t have the same power and control.

Carol spends the first half hour trying to get a hold of Elliot (Michael Brandon) so she can accept Merc’s job, which Elliot offered her. But, as we know, Elliot is leaving town and intends to name the new network head before he goes. Did Carol wait too long to change her mind?

If so, that’s too bad. Yes, she’s a little self-centered, as we see again in a lunch scene during the season premiere, but Carol is a good person, by and large. At least she’s honest about who she is, including the lies she tells, and those around her know what they’re getting with her. She deserves the job more than Merc did, and she can certainly do better than Merc in choosing her next lover. Whether she takes the office now or later, it seems like a strong possibility that it will happen at some point.

One question not so up in the air is that of Beverly (Tamsin Greig) and Sean’s (Stephen Mangan) relationship. After all, Sean comes to Beverly’s defense in the finale, and so the two are a couple again as season three begins.

But how long might that last? They both slept with other people, to be sure, and that could continue to hang over them. They must confess their sins, forgive one another, and move on. Keeping things from one another will destroy them when those hidden bits come out, as they inevitably will. However, fans of the show know how neurotic the two Brits can be, so forgiving and forgetting may be easier said than done.

I can actually live with a little tension between Beverly and Sean. What’s more important to the series is the dynamic between Sean, Beverly, and Matt as a trio. This fell apart quite a bit last year, and it’s nice to see it back on track now. They can have conflict, as that is entertaining, but things between the three can never be allowed to get so bad that they go their separate ways. That’s what would kill the show, but I think the writers are smart enough to realize that, pushing the characters as far as they can go, then pulling back just before permanent damage is done.

EPISODES is very, very funny. All these relationships above make up the story, but not necessarily the reason to tune in. Every installment has joke after joke that lands in the best of ways. From a secret that quickly spreads out of hand at the wrong time, to Sean helping Matt write an apology to his wife, to Matt’s charades behind Jamie as Merc attempts to win his wife back, there are amusing bits constantly in the most recent outing. Many of these are minor and lots are inappropriate, but the frequency, tone, and flow of them are what kick EPISODES up to a top-notch comedy series. This has not changed in the season three premiere.

Plus, unlike in previous seasons, there is no fretting about whether the often-on-the-bubble show will continue. It has already been renewed for a fourth season.

EPISODES premieres Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET on Showtime.

Episodes explodes

Showtime's Episodes completed their second season this week. Everything came to a head at Merc's (John Pankow) Man of the Year ceremony. The cheaters were exposed, someone got fired, and an estranged couple realized exactly how they felt about each other. It was like last season's car wreck, but bigger, more metaphorical, and affecting more people. Needless to say, Episodes deserves an as-yet-unordered third season.

Merc took on a greater importance in season two, especially in how the women in his life felt about him. Carol (Kathleen Rose Perkins) grew more devoted, while Merc's wife, Jamie (Genevieve O'Reilly) became less, cheating on him with Matt (Matt LeBlanc). Merc's bosses took a similar tack as his wife, and the show set Merc up to lose everything except Carol, whom he ends up not appreciating enough to keep, either.

If Episodes continues, it is possible it will be without Merc. He no longer runs the network, and Carol has shut off relations, effectively blocking him out of all proceedings. But with the brilliance Pankow plays the break down in the season finale, how can the show stand to let him go? Surely, he can be roped back into the proceedings somehow, maybe begging Carol into taking him back, and mooching off of her? It would be well within the bounds of how the characters have been painted up to this point. Carol may get angry with him, but she always forgives, no matter how little he deserves it.

Jamie, on the other hand, seems to be done with her husband. The question is, though, will Matt want a serious relationship with her? Or will he get bored, as he does the other women in his life, cheating on her, too? The two of them have been a fun pairing in season two, but there doesn't appear to be a path forward for them. The chemistry just isn't right, and Matt's womanizing ways have got to take over. He can show growth as a character, but Episodes can't make him do a 180 over night.

Beverly (Tamsin Greig) and Sean (Stephen Mangan), on the other hand, have got to make it work. After nine episodes apart, it is gratifying to see Sean forgive her after she is elbowed in the face. They may be a bit bumbling, but there's always been a strong bond of love between them, and it's obvious that they should be together. Episodes didn't force the split, keeping true to the characters, but it also couldn't leave them apart much longer and still feel authentic. Thank goodness that particular drama is over.

Which sets up the show within a show, Pucks, to have a smooth beginning of season three. With Carol in charge instead of Merc, Bev and Sean should be able to make the show they want, which should prove more popular than the current, failing model, as they've already demonstrated how great they can be with the original British incarnation. So what problems might crop up? And could they have anything to do with Morning (Mircea Monroe), who, as understanding as she appears to be about Sean and Bev's reconciliation, didn't seem all that happy to be going home alone?

Episodes is a great series that wonderfully balances huge slapstick, like the fist fight in this season finale, with more subtle charm and humor. Its audience may not be huge, but the acting is fantastic, and the writing is entertaining. It deserves to continue. Hopefully, it will.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing.

More Episodes to delight

Showtime's EPISODES is a terrific show not nearly enough people are watching, featuring some fantastic performances. Season two premiered last night, picking up four months after season one left one. It's time for the Pucks premiere, and Merc (John Pankow) throws a party. The show is getting terrible reviews, but the ratings for week one are fantastic. Is this good news for Bev (Tamsin Greig), who knows that returning home to England after a canceled series will mean losing separated husband Sean (Stephen Mangan) forever? Or is it bad news, as she won't be happy to learn that Sean is now with Morning (Mircea Monroe), and they will all have to continue working together?


The marriage issues in EPISODES stem from a comedy of errors. And while the dramatic pathos are moving, it's also pretty funny to see how things unfold. How perfect that Morning, the woman Bev believed Sean had an affair with, is now going to be dating him! And while Sean fought so hard to behave himself in season one, season two finds Beverly being the one to try to work on the marriage.


Will she be successful? They live apart, but still work together. If the great ratings of Pucks are maintained, they could be together for years, which would allow plenty of time for the couple to eventually work things out. However, being that EPISODES' main characters have terrible luck, it's much more likely that Beverly and Sean will soon be fighting for a series they don't even like, and there is no telling how the stress and camaraderie of being in the trenches together again might change their minds and behavior.


Oh, yes. Pucks, the show Bev and Sean make in EPISODES, sucks, as one review so "cleverly" points out in a rhyming headline. Viewers are told this over and over again, which does save the writers from having to worry about making the scenes of the show within a show that are shown any good, a lesson they perhaps learned from the short-lived Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip, whose comedy sketches were not nearly as funny as they should have been.


Morning foreshadows what might be a turning point when she mentions in the season premiere that she was part of a sitcom that had very high ratings the first week, then plummeted. Will the same thing happen with Pucks? Can Sean and Bev unite to save it, despite Merc and the network's interference, which is why the American remake of their British comedy hit is so bad in the first place?


While the stakes of romance and ratings might be a draw for many viewers, its the performances that really sell episodes and drive the series. Mangan and Greig are brilliant, capturing a rare chemistry, and making much of the humor at their expense seem unintentional. They have an ease in the parts that really makes every situation seem authentic, and keeps viewers rooting for both, no matter how many mistakes they might make, or offenses they cause against one another.


The third wheel to their marriage is Matt (Matt LeBlanc), who proves he isn't just Joey from Friends. This version of the real Matt is snarky and kind of a jerk, willing to sleep with anyone's wife, because, after all, you don't c***block yourself. His worrying over how the couple's spat affects his friendship and working relationships with them reveal a huge ego and self-centeredness. Yet, his endearing efforts to win them back, including giving Sean a cake for his birthday, keep him from being completely despicable. Even when he ignores learning any lesson, and fools around with Merc's wife, Jamie (Genevieve O'Reilly).


Will Matt's tryst with Jamie hurt the series Pucks? After all, Merc may want to fire Matt immediately for the affair, even though Merc routinely cheats on Jamie himself. Or will he make Pucks even worse, and punish Matt by keeping him on? Or maybe he won't even care, given his own indiscretion. Or maybe this will allow Merc to take advantage of some clause in his pre-nup, which will let him cut Jamie off financially. Who knows, with EPISODES, which way it might go? This unpredictableness adds another element of greatness to the series.


It should be mentioned that Jamie is blind. Merc likely thinks he's getting away with his cheating because Jamie can't see, which makes Merc the sole character fans of EPISODES can really hate. Jamie's actions could simply be justifiable revenge, rather than an attraction to Matt, because she knows full well what Merc is up to. After all, she can't be completely clueless, right? O'Reilly plays the character in such a way that it's impossible to tell, but Jamie probably is wiser than she lets on.


And then there's Carol (Kathleen Rose Perkins), Merc's employee and mistress. Interestingly, although Carol is growing to dislike Merc's games at the end of season one, she seems doubled down in the relationship as season two begins. I guess you can't help who you love. This probably comes from low self-esteem, but yet again, Carol stays a character viewers root for, mostly because of her friendship with Beverly.


Characters that are easy to hate but still enjoyable to watch, are nothing new on television. Seinfeld made it an art form years ago. Somehow, though, EPISODES seems fresh, with a completely new take on an old standard. Maybe it's the cheeky humor and the self-awareness. Maybe it's the sharp writing and the subtle nuances the actors bring to the roles. For whatever reason, EPISODES is one of the best shows on this summer, and should not be missed.


EPISODES airs Sundays at 10:30 P.M. ET on Showtime.