Episode 16 - Floyd
29 March 2010
Review
Synopsis: Floyd is back in New York and Liz is excited. Until that is she finds out he is back to get married. She ends up accidentally getting him drunk and he goes on a bender. She tries to make it up to them and agrees to be in the wedding party. Jack and Danny team up to get back at the Pranksmen for writing a mock press piece about Danny. Tracy and Jenna end up having sex dreams about Kenneth after being forced to listen to his interminable stories all day.
The Good: I actually thought all three plots had potential but none quite worked out for the best.
There was a moment when drunk Floyd was shouting at Liz that it was like we were watching a different show. Seeing a recovering alcoholic under the influence and pointing out her flaws felt real and painful for her. She played it well and it actually added a level of feeling to her story which is usually entirely absent. Floyd is one of the few sensible characters in the show's past and it was nice to see him back. If this story keeps him around for a little while then that might be a good thing but we shall see.
Seeing Frank and company take on Jack and Danny could have been a lot of fun. Certainly the "twig and plumbs" idea allowed the rare sight of Jack on the defensive for a change. His threatened revenge prank on Frank (to sleep with his Mum) was spot on in terms of being plausible and appropriate.
Similarly Tracy and Jenna freaking out over sex dreams about Kenneth was an original comedy concept after they were forced to listen to him talk for hours. The dream sequences where Kenneth's pants magically fell off him were pretty funny. Some of his interminable ramblings were smile worthy as well.
It was nice to hear Jack reference Nancy and explain that she is still refusing leave her husband.
The Bad: The pranking war just didn't have enough time to get going and really crank up the laughs. The Cloverfield prank was so stupid that it shouldn't have succeeded. Similarly Tracy and Jenna not being able to tell they were awake when they hit Kenneth was implausibly dumb. Both plots demonstrate writers who don't know how to write good sit com jokes but are stuck in exaggerated sketch mode.
I hope Liz' story doesn't lead to awkward and painful embarrassment for her as she ends up in Caitlyn and Floyd's wedding. Caitlyn's character was just dumb enough for me to see warning signs.
Comic Highlight: The New York Times prints the prank piece on Danny and he is outraged. Jack responds "Typical liberal media, that's why I get all my news from Dick Cheney's website - dickviews.com."
The Bottom Line: Kind of enjoyable until the lack of payoffs.
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