Take Home a TROPHY WIFE

Article first published as TROPHY WIFE Review on Seat42F.

One of ABC’s new sitcoms is called TROPHY WIFE. Young-acting party girl Kate (Malin Akerman, Watchmen, Childrens Hospital) meets the guy of her dreams after falling off the stage while singing karaoke. But she soon learns that marrying him means taking on three children and two ex-wives, giving her an instant family.

The name of the show may be TROPHY WIFE, but Kate is anything but that negative label. She is a warm-hearted individual who puts her all into everything she does, including being a wife and stepmother. Kate wants to be the best parent she can be for the kids, plays nice with the exes, and truly seems to love Pete (Bradley Whitford, The West Wing, The Cabin in the Woods), her new man.

We see this when Kate eagerly takes a parent-teacher conference with stepson Warren’s teacher (Phyllis Smith, The Office), and as she covers for Warren’s twin sister, Hillary (listed as Once Upon a Time’s Bailee Madison on the show’s official website, though played by someone else in the “Pilot”). Even when Kate is mad at Hillary for bringing vodka to school or uncomfortable about Warren’s (Ryan Scott Lee, Super 8) seeming lust for her, Kate tries to make the situation right without judgment or anger.

Not that Kate’s best is good enough for Warren and Hillary’s mother, stuffy Doctor Diane (Marcia Gay Harden, The Newsroom, Mystic River). Diane is icy from the start, definitely not approving of Pete’s latest relationship skewing younger, or having her children around such an influence.

Still, Diane is preferable to Pete’s second wife, Jackie (Michaela Watkins, Enlightened, Wanderlust), a flighty, sneaky, liar who has no trouble hiding the death of her son, Bert’s (Albert Tsai), hamster from him, or hiding a key to get into Pete’s house. Jackie is trouble, especially when she considers herself still part of the family, clearly having nothing else of significance going on in her life.

Now, as I recently complained about in another review, there are a lot of family sitcoms out there, so we don’t necessarily need any more. Yet, TROPHY WIFE doesn’t feel like most others. It’s sort of a mix between Modern Family and The New Normal in tone, showing a more blended clan much more common today in the world, though underrepresented on television, than in years past. As such, it’s another type of family series, not the same old thing over again.

It also helps that Akerman is a capable leading lady, playing both the emotionally charged scenes and the over-the-top physical comedy with great acumen. In the presence of Whitford, Watkins, and Harden, all very talented in their own right, this group delivers a very funny premiere episode.

Kate is a very likeable character who seems authentic, even if she isn’t relatable. She is still in touch with the things that make up her personality, maintaining a great relationship with drinking buddy and bartender Meg (another wonderful performer, White Collar’s Natalie Morales). Yet, as Meg takes Kate’s developments in stride, it helps the viewers understand that Kate hasn’t changed and isn’t trying to, just moving into the next phase of a full life.

One does begin to wonder what kind of man Pete is. We see him as the calming influence when everyone is together, but there are definitely some different facets to him to marry three so very different women. He seems to be totally committed to Kate, and one assumes he was equally so to Jackie and Diane during their tenures, though I’m curious to see why those pairings feel apart. He’s a loving father, but one with flaws, such as having trouble being honest with a child about a dead pet. I look forward to learning more about him.

Now, this being a pilot, there are a few things the show can improve on. For one, it would be nice if it was a little more consistent with its tone. I’d also like to see more cohesive, focused stories, as this episode meanders around a lot among the various characters. But I dig the energy and the cast quite a bit, so I think it will be something worth keeping an eye on. As long as it allows Akerman the opportunity to continue on Childrens Hospital.

TROPHY WIFE premieres Tuesday, September 24^th at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and the “Pilot” is available on Hulu now.

Raise an "A.A.R.M." for The Office

Article first published as Raise an "A.A.R.M." for The Office on TheTVKing.

Things have mostly gotten back to normal for The Office in "A.A.R.M.," a fine example of a classic episode, while still allowing those emotional, end-of-the-series plot developments to creep in. Jim (John Krasinski) plays a huge practical joke on Dwight (Rainn Wilson), Pam (Jenna Fischer) questions whether she's going to make Jim resent her, Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) gets jealous when baby Phillip is in the office, Andy (Ed Helms) tries out for a singing competition, and Darryl (Craig Robinson) tries, and fails, to leave without saying goodbye.

I love "A.A.R.M." because it has something for each member of the cast. While the main story sticks with the characters who have been front and center this season, the rest of the supporting players get focus and moments, too, both in the normal plot, and in their interview cut scenes. Yes, they are all sort of lumped together with saying goodbye to Darryl, but doesn't that just feel right, that they don't want to lose one of their own? Watching the culmination of the plot, where Stanley (Leslie David Baker), Phyllis (Phyllis Smith), Creed (Creed Bratton), Meredith (Kate Flannery), Erin (Ellie Kemper), Toby (Paul Lieberstein), Nellie (Catherine Tate), and the others dance with Darryl feels special.

Then, they all go to a bar together to watch the premiere of their documentary. What this episode reveals is that these people are a family. We've known it all along, of course, but the point is driven home now. They could be by themselves, watching the show on their own television sets. Instead, they choose to be together, off the clock, to face this new adventure among people that are their family. And hearing Michael Scott's voice in those final moments brings back the one person missing, making the clan complete. It's a perfect episode ending.

Even Andy attends the viewing party, as no matter what he does, he is one of them. Sure, he's gone all day, trying to be famous (which is a funny little side story with wonderful guest stars), but when all is said and done, he returns to the group.

Jim feels that his family in The Office is enough. Pam questions that she is holding him back, and she should feel bad, but he tells her this is his decision and he won't regret it. In fact, Jim does everything he can in "A.A.R.M." to prove that this is where he wants to be, with Pam, even getting the documentary crew to make a video tribute of the two of them over the years, and giving her a long-held-back card. It's hard to understand how Jim could give up his dreams and be happy, but seeing him with Pam, and with the others at the end of this week's installment, Pam, and I, finally believe it's true.

We don't need to know what's in the note. As not much has been in these people's lives, it's private.

It helps that Jim has his "brother," Dwight, around. Jim teases him mercilessly, tricking Dwight into being the assistant to his own assistant, and mimicking many of the things Dwight did when he was assistant to the regional manager. But there's no cruelty in it, the two seeing each other as comrades. Dwight seems to be in on the game, as, when Dwight really needs Jim, he tells him so, dropping the charade they have been perpetrating the entire hour.

Jim is there for Dwight when Dwight needs him. Dwight isn't sure if he should marry Esther (Nora Kirkpatrick), the woman who is perfect on paper, or Angela (Angela Kinsey), whom he has always carried a torch for. Jim helps Dwight figure out his feelings, and gives him sound advice, which Dwight acts on. To me, this is the culmination of everything there is between them, and it's a very satisfying story.

Angela doesn't make it easy for Dwight, refusing to acknowledge that Phillip is Dwight's son until Dwight proposes. This makes sense, as she doesn't want him with her out of obligation, but instead, out of love. Yes, this plot develops a little quickly, but at the same time, it's been years in the making. And seeing Dwight, Angela, and Phillip end things as a family is almost as satisfying as the final Jim / Dwight story. So thank goodness Dwight's spin-off did not get picked up, or this may not have been possible.

I also really enjoy the dynamic in Accounting when Angela brings in Phillip, with Kevin acting as the insecure big brother, growing jealous of the attention Angela and Oscar (Oscar Nunez) give the baby. For anyone else, this story could come across as dumb, but the three actors involved sell it so well, and the resolution is so perfect, that it is enjoyable, rather than annoying.

That's long been a theme of The Office, taking tales that, in lesser hands, wouldn't be funny, and creating characters that, without such brilliant performances, wouldn't be sympathetic, and making them both. It isn't just a realistic look at life in an office environment, but also a celebration of people that make things work, even when they shouldn't. Despite a recent rocky path, The Office is doing the finale right, and "A.A.R.M." is the perfect penultimate episode to set that up.

The Office concludes next Thursday, with a retrospective at 8 p.m. ET, followed by a one-hour-and-fifteen-minute episode, set six months after this one, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Office celebrates a "Dwight Christmas"

NBC's The Office continues the emotional journey of its final season. In "Dwight Christmas," Pam (Jenna Fischer) manipulates her co-workers into throwing Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) dream holiday celebration as a gift for Jim (John Krasinski). It works, and Jim is giddily amused. But when he cuts out early to head to Philadelphia for his new job, Dwight feels slighted, and calls off the celebration.

"Dwight Christmas" makes obvious what many of us have long suspected, and what The Office has allowed small glimpses of from time to time: Dwight and Jim have a brother-style relationship, at least in Dwight's eyes. He claims to hate Jim, but how hurt he is when Jim leaves tells a different tale. This proves not only a deep affection for the other man, but also how much Dwight is going to miss Jim when if he quits Dundler-Mifflin completely and moves away.

The Office may portray a dysfunctional family, but make no mistake about it, the co-workers do comprise a family. Every clan has their tiffs and disagreements, but in the end, they care about each other. Whether it's Oscar (Oscar Nunez) trying desperately to heal things with Angela (Angela Kinsey) after sleeping with her husband, or it's Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) and Stanley (Leslie David Baker) promising to help Jim out after giving him a ribbing, as they did last week, these people mean something to one another.

What better way to mark a final season than to demonstrate this? There is definitely starting to be a sense of an end in sight, with several characters considering paths that will take them away from the group. It's a shame, but it's also life, and viewers should be grateful for these people while we've had them. We've gotten to witness such a long stretch of their lives, and what they mean. It's very relatable, and as much as the employees may shed a tear in the end, so, too, should the fans at home, who have become invested, and may even feel like part of the family themselves.

During the party, Darryl (Craig Robinson) gets drunker and drunker, angry at Jim for seemingly forgetting about him in his new venture. It's a classic case of misunderstanding, as Jim hasn't forgotten to include him, but has not remembered to tell Darryl exactly what Jim has done for him. Yet, even while playing out such a familiar, unoriginal trope, "Dwight Christmas" still manages to be good because Robinson, along with his fellow actors, know how to sell the heart that beats at the center of the series.

Speaking of heart, a couple of relationship developments happen in "Dwight Christmas," too. Toby (Paul Lieberstein) senses some interest from Nellie (Catherine Tate), who may return the feelings. It's interesting that former boss, Michael's (Steve Carell), nemesis would get with new boss, Andy's (Ed Helms), foe, but there's also a bit of poetry in that. Plus, neither one has any other prospects in (or outside of) the office, and it's cool if they end up finding something in each other. Even if their co-workers might judge it the grossest pairing in the company.

Unfortunately, at the same time, a couple many are rooting for is falling apart. Andy is still MIA, not only continuing his run of being a bad, absentee manager, but also threatening things between himself and Erin (Ellie Kemper) by neglecting her. A lonely Erin falls sway, somewhat, to the charms of new guy Pete (Jake Lacy). It's hard not to think that Erin might be better off with Pete, who definitely cares about her, and at the same time, it's difficult to give up on Andy after everything we've seen from him over the years. It's a complicated, messy situation that will likely not resolve itself until the very end.

The Office, in its final season, is embracing the things that have made it so good in the past. This is a relief, considering the wandering, less-than-stellar past year. The show is taking its victory lap, and in doing so, has found itself again.

Watch The Office Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first published on TheTVKing