Outsourced shows how "Rajiv Ties the Baraat"

     NBC's Outsourced ends its freshman year with a bang. Literally, lots of bangs, because there are fireworks at the end of the one-hour wedding episode. Rajiv (Rizwan Manji) finally walks down the aisle with his love, Vimi (Noureen DeWulf). All of Rajiv's co-workers are there to witness, as well as alternatingly hinder and help the ceremony happen. Happen, it does, and while the series may not return for a second season, at least it doesn't end quietly.

     Outsourced struggled to find its groove right off the bat. A sitcom about an American call center manager transferred to India, it has been accused of being offensive, but mostly by those who don't watch it. Instead, what has emerged is a heartfelt workplace comedy that has plenty of fun in a unique environment. There is a cultural education to be had, too, as the Indian employees celebrate their varies holidays, and teach the boss, Todd (Ben Rappaport) the rules and customs of their country. Although Todd's fellow manager friend Charlie (Diedrich Bader) often disrespects the Indian way of life, it is he who comes off as a fool, not the locals.

     In "Rajiv Ties the Baraat," assistant manager Rajiv gets married to the woman he has spent all season wooing. He invites many of his co-workers, and even asks Todd to be in the wedding party, a touching moment considering the derision Rajiv usually holds for Todd. Todd, on the other hand, has been supportive of Rajiv, so it is with a sense of satisfaction the two find some mutual respect on Rajiv's wedding day.

     The only main character not invited initially is Gupta (Parvesh Cheena), but as much as Gupta is sure to be an embarrassment at the wedding, Todd realizes it would be worse for the company to leave him at the office without supervision. Poor Gupta is good natured, but bumbling. He doesn't really try hard, but he sure wishes he did, and is so darn persistent.

     Big disaster strikes when Vimi catches Rajiv at a bachelor party. More accurately, Charlie, Todd, and the others tie Rajiv up and surround him with dirty novelties from the company they all work for. Vimi admits to indiscretions of her own when she forgives Rajiv, but his over thinking what she may have done nearly destroys the wedding, too, until Todd convinces Rajiv he's still a lucky man.
 
     This may seems like a familiar story or complication in a love story, and that's because it is. The stories on Outsourced are not alien or strange. They are highly relatable. If nothing else, this series gives faces to the other end of those frustrating tech support phone calls, and helps Americans see the people with the heavy accents are just like us. OK, not just like. But their emotions are the same as anyone's, and that's something people can understand.

     The other side of the coin, of course, are the differences, which is the reason to watch the show. Outsourced presents a rich Indian culture, at no time on better display than the wedding featured in "Rajiv Ties the Baraat." There is dancing, colorful clothing, beautiful decorations, and fireworks set off over the ocean. The groom rides to the ceremony on a decked out elephant! All of the elements combined to make an exciting, unusual wedding not usually glimpsed in American sitcoms.

     While Outsourced's attempts to put India in the best light, and still make the show funny, have been mixed, those elements gelled very well in the finale. For the first time, an episode made a case for renewal, and gave something to be missed should it be canceled, as will likely happen. Too bad Outsourced didn't capture that magical spirit sooner, or it could have joined the strong lineup of NBC sitcoms in a more permanent way. At least it got a full year. Many shows have not.

     For fans, there is a last minute love story tossed in for Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan) and the previously silent Ajeet (Guru Singh), some wild comedic moments for Pinky (Thushari Jayasekera), love found, lost, and found again by Manmeet (Sacha Dhawan), and a shared hand holding moment for Todd and Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood), so every character went out satisfied. Except Tonya (Pippa Black), who didn't appear in either part, but doesn't usually fit in all that well anyways. Should the show get renewed, it would not be surprising if Tonya is dropped.

      NBC should give Outsourced a second season to see where it might go from here. It is still on the bubble, and a final decision is expected any day now. If not, at least it did its best, and could not have gone out any better than with "Rajiv Ties the Baraat," the best episode of the season.

UPDATE: Outsourced has been canceled.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

     To watch streaming episodes of Outsourced online, please click here.

Article first published as TV Review: Outsourced - "Rajiv Ties the Baraat, Parts 1 & 2" on Blogcritics.

"Guess Who's Coming to Delhi" on Outsourced?

     Many critics weren't instant fans of NBC's Outsourced when it premiered last fall, and that may be putting it mildly. However, I found it slightly amusing, and worthy of some time to grow. Months later, while it remains the weak point in a very strong night of sitcoms, Outsourced has become pretty darn enjoyable, and I don't think the racial humor is excessive, as some have accused. Or at least, the offensive stuff isn't all there is to the show.

     Take last night's "Guess Who's Coming to Delhi," for instance. Sure, the cultural insensitivity was still there. Charlie (Diedrich Bader) even got a complaint about it from one of his staff. Jerry (Matt Walsh) arrived in India for the first time to check out the operation, and he completely disrespected customs by kissing women's hands, taking a bunch of his employees to a bar and buying them shots, and tipping a cow, which landed himself and others in jail. But the characters who did those bad things were looked upon by the others as fools. Jerry spent time behind bars! What better payback is that? It's not like the show is condoning that sort of behavior.

     The nice thing is, now that the series has had time to flesh things out, the characters are getting better defined. Rajiv (Rizwan Manji) is still a tool who hates Todd (Ben Rappaport), but he also shows signs of compassion now and then, and really wants to marry the woman he loves. Todd himself has begun to embrace the culture around him, respecting traditions and boundaries, once he is aware of them, anyway. Gupta (Parvesh Cheena) is still the workplace idiot, but his efforts to help Charlie for no benefit to himself demonstrates what a big heart he has. I have really started liking these people.

     Plus, the humor can be pretty funny. Yes, it was wrong for Charlie to rip arms off a statue of a god after using it as a back scratcher, but it was also fairly humorous. Watching Pinky (Thushari Jayasekera) dance or Ajeet (Guru Singh) barely tolerate Jerry were both pleasures. Gupta realizing that a picture of tourists in front of the Eiffel Tower was taken in Vegas instead of Paris because of the drinks in their hands was also pretty good. These are just a few examples.

     If you gave up on Outsourced last fall, give it another try. You might like what you see. Outsourced airs Thursday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Article first published as TV Review: Outsourced - "Guess Who's Coming to Delhi?" on Blogcritics.


For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.