[9.1/10] I liked pretty much every story in this thing. Let’s start with my favorite, which was the Dawn/Tiff 2-woman bachelorette party. On the one hand, you had great comic texture, between the place being absolutely riddled with penises, and the running gags about how horrific Sixteen Candles is when you stop and think about it. But that also contributed to the dramatic part of the episode, with Dawn and Tiff discussing the merits of “Jakes vs. Teds.”
One of my favorite things in writing and to see asked of performers is to have a character say one thing and mean the exact opposite. Dawn hearing Tiff talk about her failing relationship with someone she doesn't love or recognize anymore, having it clearly hit her hard to see the pattern laid out like that, and then declare that she can’t relate is one hell of a scene from Regina Hall. Having Dawn process her issues with her own marriage at the same time she’s trying to fix but ultimately just diagnose Tiff’s makes for some great layered writing and performing. I like that the show is, again, humanizing Tiff a bit more, and that it’s giving Dawn the chance to be funny, but also dramatic and ultimately frank and heartfelt. It’s a great set of scenes, and one of the show’s best bits so far.
I also enjoyed the Mo/Blair part of the episode. I’ll admit, despite a fair bit of signposting, I didn’t catch Blair’s realization that Mo had conned him in their first encounter based on the actor cop he recognized (which at least justifies the pretty generic Wayne/Yassir story last episode a little). I really like Blair being angry but unable to raise any of his concerns given how well things are going for him at his job, and him thinking that Mo is completely full of shit but being unable to call him on it.
Again, it works for comedy and drama. Blair thinking that everything is a setup, and so standing up to car-jackers and cops and everyone really is a great comic premise. The way it dovetails into his questions about the realness of his relationship at the same time Mo and Dawn are working at cross-purposes over it (something he’s increasingly realizing) is a nice thematic hook. And even just the mayhem of Mo and Blair stealing a cop car and getting into trouble is entertaining.
But I especially love the end where Mo comes clean about everything and Blair tells him to go fuck himself. It’s another instance where Mo seems (maybe, just maybe) to be honest, but gets rebuffed by the universe or his friends. It seems like he means it when he tells Blair that they’re boys now, that there’s a shared camaraderie that came from life never handing them anything, and that they can pull the Georgina play off together and have it be the move of the century. He’s opening himself up and being true in the hopes that it’ll get him what he wants, and instead, Blair is (understandably) just upset that he’s been lied to and deceived for this long. It’s a hell of a thing.
And it ties into a larger theme of the episode of people confronting things they care about with open eyes. I’ll admit that I’m still not crazy about the show’s characterization of Spencer, but him turning around and saying that he respects Dawn’s work, only for her to admit with cold self-realization that she wants a divorce is devastating. And Keith going to Mike, mostly because the plot needs him to give Mike the macguffin tiepin, but also as a reflection that this is someone he cares about which dictates his choices.
Keith’s scenes with the SEC investigators are mostly a laugh. The various wordplay gags are funny, and Keith’s pathetic bravado is always a hoot. I like the plotting here, where the SEC duo try to get the Jammer Group on financial malfeasance to no avail, and try to get Keith on his homosexuality with no luck, but when they threaten someone he cares about, they’re able to get him to cooperate. It’s mostly light and funny, but it’s consistent characterization for Keith, and I appreciate that.
Overall, this is another stellar episode from this show which feels like it has the style and character work of Mad Men, the raunchy but clever comic style of Archer, and the eighties class politics of Trading Places all wrapped up into one tremendous package.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-03-16T14:12:49Z
[9.1/10] I liked pretty much every story in this thing. Let’s start with my favorite, which was the Dawn/Tiff 2-woman bachelorette party. On the one hand, you had great comic texture, between the place being absolutely riddled with penises, and the running gags about how horrific Sixteen Candles is when you stop and think about it. But that also contributed to the dramatic part of the episode, with Dawn and Tiff discussing the merits of “Jakes vs. Teds.”
One of my favorite things in writing and to see asked of performers is to have a character say one thing and mean the exact opposite. Dawn hearing Tiff talk about her failing relationship with someone she doesn't love or recognize anymore, having it clearly hit her hard to see the pattern laid out like that, and then declare that she can’t relate is one hell of a scene from Regina Hall. Having Dawn process her issues with her own marriage at the same time she’s trying to fix but ultimately just diagnose Tiff’s makes for some great layered writing and performing. I like that the show is, again, humanizing Tiff a bit more, and that it’s giving Dawn the chance to be funny, but also dramatic and ultimately frank and heartfelt. It’s a great set of scenes, and one of the show’s best bits so far.
I also enjoyed the Mo/Blair part of the episode. I’ll admit, despite a fair bit of signposting, I didn’t catch Blair’s realization that Mo had conned him in their first encounter based on the actor cop he recognized (which at least justifies the pretty generic Wayne/Yassir story last episode a little). I really like Blair being angry but unable to raise any of his concerns given how well things are going for him at his job, and him thinking that Mo is completely full of shit but being unable to call him on it.
Again, it works for comedy and drama. Blair thinking that everything is a setup, and so standing up to car-jackers and cops and everyone really is a great comic premise. The way it dovetails into his questions about the realness of his relationship at the same time Mo and Dawn are working at cross-purposes over it (something he’s increasingly realizing) is a nice thematic hook. And even just the mayhem of Mo and Blair stealing a cop car and getting into trouble is entertaining.
But I especially love the end where Mo comes clean about everything and Blair tells him to go fuck himself. It’s another instance where Mo seems (maybe, just maybe) to be honest, but gets rebuffed by the universe or his friends. It seems like he means it when he tells Blair that they’re boys now, that there’s a shared camaraderie that came from life never handing them anything, and that they can pull the Georgina play off together and have it be the move of the century. He’s opening himself up and being true in the hopes that it’ll get him what he wants, and instead, Blair is (understandably) just upset that he’s been lied to and deceived for this long. It’s a hell of a thing.
And it ties into a larger theme of the episode of people confronting things they care about with open eyes. I’ll admit that I’m still not crazy about the show’s characterization of Spencer, but him turning around and saying that he respects Dawn’s work, only for her to admit with cold self-realization that she wants a divorce is devastating. And Keith going to Mike, mostly because the plot needs him to give Mike the macguffin tiepin, but also as a reflection that this is someone he cares about which dictates his choices.
Keith’s scenes with the SEC investigators are mostly a laugh. The various wordplay gags are funny, and Keith’s pathetic bravado is always a hoot. I like the plotting here, where the SEC duo try to get the Jammer Group on financial malfeasance to no avail, and try to get Keith on his homosexuality with no luck, but when they threaten someone he cares about, they’re able to get him to cooperate. It’s mostly light and funny, but it’s consistent characterization for Keith, and I appreciate that.
Overall, this is another stellar episode from this show which feels like it has the style and character work of Mad Men, the raunchy but clever comic style of Archer, and the eighties class politics of Trading Places all wrapped up into one tremendous package.