One of the things I enjoy about Happy Endings is that it’s always fun to see the group couple off in different combinations. Each dynamic is different. My favorite pair is Max and Brad (with Max and Penny at a close second).
In this week’s episode, the show groups the gang together as follows: Alex and Penny; Max and Dave; and Brad and Jane. I feel as though each pairing is “carried” by the strong comic presence (Penny, Max, and Brad respectively). So much so, that it is very obvious who the “funny one” is and who the “other” character is in the scenes.
In the Alex and Penny storyline, Penny naturally carries the scenes despite the fact that Alex should be the focal point as the store owner. I think it’s just Penny’s natural ability to … well, be funny. Alex is sort of amusing, but only because she’s kind of dumb. (I was excited to see MIOBI‘s Nicole Anderson and Secret Life’s Megan Park playing the mean girls — they did it so well!)
Next, we’ve got Max and Dave in the strange “I turned your room into a German sex hostel because I’m poor/let’s work together in your food truck and I’ll totally ruin business for you” story. The only thing that saves this is the fact that Max is so funny. As expected, he leads the scenes with his verbal diarrhea (I mean that in the best possible sense), and Dave plays the “straight man.” (One thing I loved about this portion of the show that was unrelated to the actors’ performances: the name “Steak Me Home Tonight” for the food truck.)
Finally, Brad and Jane team up in a hunt for Dora, the eleven-year-old girl Jane believes is the product of her egg donation during her freshman year in college. I’m not sure why, but Jane is not even making me crack a smile lately. She’s just overdoing it. Last week was pretty bad when she acted as the disgruntled mediator between Alex and Dave, but this week, the ridiculous, compulsive mom behavior was too much for me. (One high point: her “unsolicited” follow-up video. Is it weird that I think she’s funnier with long hair? Shallow, yes, but I think there’s something to it.)
As suggested above, the problem with splitting the cast up in the fashion they did tonight is that it’s really obvious who the strong cast members are and who rides the wave of another character’s laughable moments. I prefer pairings such as Alex and Dave, where at least one (or both) of them have to step it up and shine on their own. When they don’t have to worry about being overpowered by crabby Max or crazy Penny, they can better showcase their own talents. On the other hand, when crabby Max and crazy Penny come together, such as in the hipster episode, the show really satisfies. Like a Snickers. (Is “Snickers really satisfies” even the motto anymore?)
And while Brad shines on his own or with Max, he and Jane are starting to get on my nerves a little bit as a couple. I see companionship and compatibility between them, but not a lot of chemistry. I appreciate Brad’s flamboyance in every way, except perhaps when he’s trying to woo Jane. When a guy is trying to be sexy on TV, I want him to, you know, be sexy. The shirt-dress, while hilarious, made me think: “Brad is not hot in this scene.” And even though the point of Brad’s character is not to “be hot,” I still think that he is. And I’d like it if sometimes Jane didn’t wear the pants in the relationship (or, at the very least, if Brad didn’t wear the dress).
Happy Endings Quotes:
“How did you not know that that was a dress?” — Jane, regarding Brad’s shirt
“I had my suspicions. But the price was right and Daddy likes a deep tuck.” — Brad
“I leave for 24 hours and you turn my room into a German sex hostel?” — Dave
“Well, I just ordered a pizza, so technically, this is a bed and breakfast.” — Max
“Check out the baby t-shirts. They’re flying off the racks!” — Alex
“And directly onto their racks.” — Penny, eyeing the group of mean girls trying on the onesies
“The only place this leads is Melissa Joan Hart playing you in a Lifetime movie.” — Brad, to Jane as she contemplates stalking her “egg baby”
“Billy Garrity wants me to text him a picture. [Holding up onesies] Which one should I wear: ‘Put me to bed,’ or ‘I pooped?’ [Pause] I just answered my own question.” — Penny
“I’ll see you in hell!” –Max
“I’ll see you in hell!” — Dave
“Fine, but I’ll see you home at first for the Bears game!” — Max
“Fine, I’ll bring the hummus!” — Dave
“Fine, bring baby carrots too, ’cause I like to dip!” — Max
“You seemed a little crazy. And not fun crazy … the type of crazy that would come back after eleven years and try to lure my daughter into a van.” — Dora’s mom to Jane in response to her follow-up donor video
Clacked by Rachel Blum-Jose 
on Oct 05, 2011 @ 23:57 EST5EDT
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