I’m gonna chalk up last week’s desert based episode to the show finding its feet post love triangle. It’s not that it was bad, it just was the farthest removed from the show I fell in love with in season one. Whilst I do love that the show is changing its dynamics and building something entirely new, I do kind of miss the simplicity of the show’s early days.
However, this episode really went far in easing some of my doubts. Particularly because it felt the most like the show I love, with Rebecca manically planning an evening to get someone back on her side. It had something of the feel of an episode like ‘I’m Going to the Beach with Josh and His Friends’ and had the sort of sitcom disastrous events that defined some of its best episodes last season.
What stands out the most is the shift from a Rebecca/Josh or Rebecca/Greg love story to a Rebecca/Paula friendship story, with many of the same beats being hit. The defining theme of this week is you can’t force friendship/love, as established by Rebecca, the returning Trent, Daryl and Maya, which comes to a head when Paula and Rebecca have a heated argument during the sex toy party.
It’s a great episode that really digs at the hidden unease between them and gives us plenty of fantastic character moments. Heather and Valancia are mostly in the background, the former getting to do probably more singing in this episode than she did last season. Whilst Daryl and Maya have a heart to heart with the latter approaching him about his bullying of her then getting to do an internet hit dance together.
Trent also returns and gets a small reprise of the Sexy Getting Ready Song which was one of the most delightful things I’ve seen all year, though he still remains the male version of Rebecca and very creepy but also funny and weird and funny.
I’m glad this show has found its feet after the last couple weeks and whilst I still miss Santino Fontana as Greg, I like and appreciate everything the show is doing this week and I look forward to the rest of the season.
Extra points.
- Songs were decent this week. As stated previously, the reprise of the Sexy Getting Ready song was the best
- Sunil gets the quote of the week talking about his wife’s Facebook suicide note “And this was before all those different like options, so people didn’t know what to do”
Verdict
