Men of a certain age should know better

Of course my title refers to actual men of a certain age, and not the show, because the show has nothing to apologize for. Now Joe, on the other hand….

First of all, hanging out with your bookie for a night? I mean, Manfro seems fun and all (if you’re Joe’s age), but that’s just sad. Not to mention the shame Joe should be feeling waking up poolside in the morning, senior citizens giving him the stink-eye. It was a cool idea of Manfro’s to try and see if that umbrella would float upside down with him riding on it, but that sort of thing always looks even worse in the light of day. Let’s just hope no one was watching the surveillance camera that night.

All kidding aside, this was another really strong episode for the new series. I enjoyed Owen a lot tonight, cheering as he stood ready to mix it up for the sake of his best friend when he discovered that Sonia (Penelope Ann Miller) was cheating on Joe before they were separated. And what was up with Melissa, who seemed not to get what was bothering Owen at all? Apologizing to Sonia for Owen’s behavior at the table? I don’t care if she and Sonia are best friends — cheating is cheating.

And as blunt as he was in telling him, Owen was really delicate in how he handled delivering the news to Joe. That Joe accepted it was surprising, but that’s his right. However, it was clear how concerned Owen was about damaging his friend any further, something that you wouldn’t necessarily see among guys.

Which I suppose is one of the great things about Men of a Certain Age — the series isn’t afraid to show the softer side of men, a side that’s rarely portrayed on screen, big or small. These aren’t “women’s issues,” they’re things that everyone can go through in life … we just only ever see women experiencing them. I don’t think I need to stand up and commend the show for being real, but I will enjoy it for that very reason.

As boorish as it might sound, I’ll admit that I was kind of rooting for Terry to make that left turn and follow the engaged teacher home. It’s a natural inclination: root for the guy to get the girl to cheat, even while infidelity is the opposite of insignificant in our own worlds. But looking back on the moment, I realize that what he did he did not only for Joe, but for himself and Owen as well. How could Terry turn a woman into exactly what he and Owen were calling Sonia? Even though we never heard it from Terry, there was something there as he watched Owen and Sonia yelling at one another. I’m not about to say that Terry’s grown, but certainly he had a moment of clarity.

And when all was said and done, Joe understood that he’d been looking elsewhere during the end of his marriage as well. Not that he seems finished with Sonia by a long shot, but I think it was a welcome bit of realism to hear him evaluate the situation on its merits, not just as a burst of emotion.

And don’t get me wrong … I laughed a lot during the escapades of Joe and Manfro. I just hope it doesn’t portend a dark situation involving Joe spiraling down into a world where all there is for him is online poker and his bookie.

But I bet Men of a Certain Age could even make that enjoyable to watch.

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Dec 28, 2009 @ 23:00 EST5EDT