It’s been a decade since I had a baby in my house and I was operating on nothing more than copious quantities of caffeine in order to cope with massive sleep deprivation. And with twin 3-year-olds also running about, the last thing on my mind was dolling up and making myself all sexy for my husband’s sake.
This subject has been well trod territory for TV parents over the years, as most folks can relate to this particularly draining period of parenthood. So when I learned that Up All Night was going to tackle it, I wondered if there was anything new that they could possibly bring to the age-old dilemma of being thoroughly exhausted by life with a baby when one’s spouse is looking for some spicy action.
And the writers hit another homerun by taking the topic and standing it on its head. Here’s how it usually goes: The husband is the one who’s all jazzed up about rekindling a couple’s sex life after a baby, while the wife, who’s adjusting to the toll pregnancy took on her body, has other things on her mind, sex being very low on that list.
In Up All Night, Chris was indeed the one who was looking to get busy with Reagan, only it is Reagan who is out of the house working late hours and he’s the one who’s home caring for the baby all day. Now a Gwyneth Paltrow aficionado (nice touch, Gwyneth as the new Oprah), Chris crafted homemade gnocchi, set a beautiful candlelit table and had cool tunes playing when Reagan came home from work. However his plans to parlay that romantic meal into sex went awry when Reagan dashed off to change into baggy, comfy, ripped and stained clothing, capped only by getting food stuck in her teeth as she rapidly scarfed down the meal.
Instead of falling into that new-moms-don’t-want-sex cliche, Up All Night had the dad turn his gaze inward and examined what messages his own clothing had been sending. This brought us to the most awkward, hilarious and self deprecating scene of the episode: Chris and his new dad playground pal comparing underwear. The ill-fitting, baggy Chris fashion show was capped by his revelation of corny boxer shorts as his friend suggested he instead get some tight boxer briefs.
The expected confrontation between Chris and Reagan, after Chris’ new form fitting attire did nothing to draw his wife’s sexual attention, was also given a new twist when Reagan showed up to breakfast the following morning in formal attire and an English accent as she mocked Chris’ complaints that she wasn’t sufficiently fancy enough for him.
The happy compromise — the red thong under the comfy duds after Chris apologized for pressuring her to be sexier for him — was precisely right, a fine blend of humor and sweet. I really think I’m gonna like this show.
But seriously, Maya Rudolph’s got to get better material. Yes, the B-Ro music video was funny, in a 30 Rock/Saturday Night Live kind of way, but it seemed out of place here.
Clacked by Meredith O'Brien 
on Sep 29, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
