Review: 'Happy Endings' - 'Makin' Changes': I don't want no scrubs
Dave, Penny, Brad and Jane all inspire major wardrobe changes
Jane (Eliza Coupe) tries out an old look on "Happy Endings."
A quick review of last night's "Happy Endings" coming up just as soon as I have idea face...
"Happy Endings" has been on such a roll this season that I spent much of "Makin' Changes" simply being surprised that none of it was making me laugh. At one point, I even made a note that both the Brad/Jane story and Penny's relationship with the Ryan Hansen character seemed like something they might do on "Whitney," which is a show all about characters taking relationship issues to ridiculous extremes out of a petty need to be proven right.
But of course, "Happy Endings" does these kinds of stories all the time. We're only a few weeks away from another episode where Jane got dressed up in a ridiculous outfit (and Max in an even more ridiculous one) to win a bet and prove herself right, and I found that one very funny. But none of this week's stories worked for me, though I found occasional gags within them funny (Alex's confusion about a baker's dozen, Brad falling into all the mousetraps during his "Blackass" taping).
Is there a degree of silliness that even this show shouldn't push past? Have they just gone to these particular wells once too often this season? Or am I alone in being disappointed with the episode?
What did everybody else think?
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All through his childhood, Alan Sepinwall's relatives told his parents, "All that boy does is watch television! How's he going to make a living doing that?" His career as a TV critic has been 15 years and counting of his attempt to answer their concerns. "What's Alan Watching" is a blog whose title is self-explanatory: Alan watches TV shows, then writes about what he watched. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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Next 47 Commentsconrad
January 19, 2012 at 10:33AM EST Reply to Commentso many great lines in this ep. i lost count at "a bajillion".
also like to see party down alums showing up all over the place. martin starr needs a new agent.
Peter Martin Starr did have a couple episodes in that Jason Biggs/Sarah Chalke comedy last year. But after seeing Lizzie Caplan in the New Girl, it was a good week for Party Down alums.
January 19, 2012 at 11:47AM ESTDavid Z
January 19, 2012 at 10:35AM EST Reply to CommentYou are not alone, after last weeks episode where I couldn't stop laughing, this one fell flat.
However, with addiction shows being my guilty pleasure, I did like the bit about the magazine hoarder being married to the guy who eats magazines.
Goggle
January 19, 2012 at 10:37AM EST Reply to CommentI personally think you are just way harder on ABC comedies than anyone else's (those that you acknowledge.) Brad gag with the mousetraps didn't make you laugh? Yet you thought the mediocrity that is Up All Night merited a good review last week and it's own post . But saying its like a Whitney plot, I don't even believe you actually think that. If in getting overly defensive it's because seeing you wax rhapsodic over shows like Chuck and never nitpicking obviously flaws on shows like Community/ parks rec (yes they aren't all the masterpieces you imply) well I guess...
sepinwall Reading is fundamental. I listed the mousetrap gag as one of the things I liked in the episode.
January 19, 2012 at 10:42AM ESTKen Raining I'm always amazed at how people can take a ho-hum review of yours as a personal attack, Alan.
January 19, 2012 at 11:12AM ESTRay I thought this weeks Happy Endings was much funnier than last weeks Up All Night for sure. Even when the basis for the storylines isnt great there are usually so many small jokes and gags that make me laugh and this one was no different. Maybe not the strongest stories this week but so many great lines that cracked me up.
January 19, 2012 at 11:22AM ESTMike The vitriol Alan often gets on comedy reviews shouldn't surprise me. It is the internet after all, and 95% of the internet is people shouting into a void, but yet on a forum like this it still does. Comedy is a very subjective medium, people will have different opinions of it. I like It's Always Sunny and Archer a lot more than Alan, and never cared for The Office, but I'd never argue that his reviews are intellectually dishonest because different things make him laugh. Look, if you read Alan, most of your opinions on dramas are probably going to line up, but comedy is such a more subjective medium, and you need to understand you won't agree every time. It's a fact of life.
January 19, 2012 at 1:54PM ESTMadlyMild I first found Alan though his Office posts, which I thought were wrongheaded and dumb. Now that I know he's great, I concur with Mike: reactions to comedy are subjective.
January 20, 2012 at 12:30AM ESTOften, it seems like people will like shows but hate particular episodes that Alan positively reviewed, and be shocked at him for that. I think comedy is subjective not just to individuals, but on a daily basis within the individual. If that makes sense.
Ben
January 19, 2012 at 10:44AM EST Reply to CommentI thought it was funny. Maybe I enjoyed all the 90s references more than most. Yeah, also the satire of hoarding and intervention shows was clever to me. I suppose if you're not familiar with the conventions with those types of shows maybe you didn't think it was very funny.
chris
January 19, 2012 at 10:50AM EST Reply to Commentinteresting. I thought this episode was one of their best yet. the v-neck storyline was hilarious and I love Brad and Jane's dynamic together.
Kendra
January 19, 2012 at 11:10AM EST Reply to CommentStrange. Usually I'm in sync with you but I found this episode very enjoyable. The V-neck thing was silly but it made me laugh.
And I found Jane's realization how much she changed as well pretty sweet.
The ending was predictable but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the episode.
Hay-Z
January 19, 2012 at 11:21AM EST Reply to CommentI actually couldn't stop laughing. It could be my connection and love for the characters-- and v neck shirts.
MDK
January 19, 2012 at 11:22AM EST Reply to CommentI found myself laughing out loud multiple times during this episode, it has become a great follow to Modern Family, which I also thought was quite hilarious this week! Little kids swearing is never not funny.
Brian
January 19, 2012 at 11:30AM EST Reply to CommentI'm with the majority on this one. Alan I usually agree with you, but this week we've been out of sync a bit, first on Monday when I thought HIMYM was excruciating, and now today. Maybe I give these characters the benefit of the doubt because I like them so much, but I consistently laughed throughout.
Kaitlin862
January 19, 2012 at 11:32AM EST Reply to CommentI thought it was really great. Sissy and over the top, but I was giggling the whole show.
I don't think it was their best, It actually reminded me of some Scrub episodes where the zany was dialed to 11.
Kaitlin862 Sorry that should be Silly and over the top
January 19, 2012 at 11:33AM ESTRicardo
January 19, 2012 at 11:40AM EST Reply to CommentI loved it, as always.
The Brad / Jane reconciliation scene was nice and I just burst out laughing at the final gag about Dave and the V neck addiction.
"Three hours later, Dave Rose relapsed.
He was last seen roaming an outlet mall,
looking for that sweet V-neck high."
The music cracked me up.
Chris
January 19, 2012 at 11:43AM EST Reply to CommentThis one was a little flatter than normal, but the nice thing about the show is that the quips and asides in the show can make even a so-so episode of the show really fun to watch,
magbot
January 19, 2012 at 11:45AM EST Reply to Comment"I wish my last name was a cookie..."
Mike Alex is quickly becoming the MVP lately. I loved that line, and also everything Baker's Dozen related, from her initial confusion, to her smug delivery and facial expression of "a Baker's Dozen... so 13" when Penny asks her how many times she played 'No Scrubs' in the bar.
January 19, 2012 at 2:33PM ESTjesse
January 19, 2012 at 11:52AM EST Reply to Commentwhat's funny is that Happy Endings is quickly becoming my favorite comedy yet my girlfriend, who watches many of the same ones, can't quite get into it. She thought this was the funniest episode of the dozen she's seen while I thought it was in the middle. Everyone's laugh button is different.
S
January 19, 2012 at 11:53AM EST Reply to CommentComparing this episode to Whitney is a low blow. Not the best, not the worst but in the middle, which for Happy Endings still means funny. The only thing that irked me was that Ryan Hansen was underused. I wish his character would've been like his mimbo character he played so well in Party Down.
Greg
January 19, 2012 at 12:03PM EST Reply to CommentI was surprise with Ryan Hansen in this episode. Ken Marino already appeared on the first episode of the year, then there was Megan Mullally's return, so I'm expecting Martin Starr to guest on the next episode.
Col Bat Guano
January 19, 2012 at 12:21PM EST Reply to CommentGot to disagree with you on this one, Alan. The past two episodes have been outstanding for me. This show fires so many jokes that by the end I've forgotten some of the ones from the beginning. Not all of them land, but their percentage is high enough to make a great sitcom. The "stories" are flimsy hooks to hang the jokes on, but I don't mind. This week my favorite was after Max and Alex smother Dave with the pillow his first response was "Uncle Rich!" and Max comes back with "My Uncle Rich?"
LJA
January 19, 2012 at 12:36PM EST Reply to CommentI was laughing heartily up to and through the mousetraps. Then it went to commercial, and when it came back, it was like a different show. I barely laughed at all after the mousetraps.
toonsterwu
January 19, 2012 at 12:41PM EST Reply to CommentMy problem with this show is simple - Brad and Jane are the most intriguing characters. This was a decent episode for them, but most of the episodes have them on the side. I'm just not interested in Dave or Alex all that much, with Max and Penny being occasionally funny.
Eliza Coupe is pretty awesome, though.
Ken Raining There are times that I find myself wishing that this was a show just about Brad and Jane. Not that I don't like the others (though Dave is a drag on the show, overall), but Eliza Coupe and Damon Wayans are just amazing together.
January 20, 2012 at 1:16AM ESTBob Loblaw
January 19, 2012 at 12:45PM EST Reply to CommentI thought it was pretty funny - the Jane/Brad story was the weakest part. A minor note - how funny was Steve Agee's delivery in the fake "Hoarders" show? His wife hoards magazines and his one line was "Her hoarding has been really hard on me, mainly because I'm addicted to eating magazines." So absurd that it was brilliant.
Julie
January 19, 2012 at 12:48PM EST Reply to CommentAre there no reviews for Subrgatory or Modern Family this week? Modern Family had its best ep this season. The mock and real debate scenes were hilarious. Brilliant physical comedy by Julie Bowen
Bern
January 19, 2012 at 1:02PM EST Reply to CommentI understand why you thought it fell flat. But I liked it. It wasn't particularly laugh-out-loud funny, but I thought it worked well and there was some nice stuff there.
Rinaldo
January 19, 2012 at 1:16PM EST Reply to CommentI can't say if you're "alone," but I'm surprised at your reaction (not attacking -- just very surprised). I thought all 3 plots worked wonderfully, nicely tied together with the theme of changing people, and I laughed a lot all the way though. I think this show is on a roll (with, admittedly, the occasional relative misfire), and this was another terrific episode.
mk
January 19, 2012 at 1:33PM EST Reply to Commentit was good to see black max (or blax) back on the show.
Anders
January 19, 2012 at 1:55PM EST Reply to CommentI think the reason Happy Endings is inconsistent is that, fundamentally, it's written super sitcommy, which is to say a lot of the comedy revolves around not-real world things, or is driven by characters making implausible and "wacky" choices in order to make the plot work. All of the characters have individual personality quirks (and I think the girls are better differentiated than the guys), but for the most part any joke on the show could be told by anyone. The reason the show works is that the cast is extremely personable and are obviously having a blast. But when the situations are too zany or the jokes don't land, watch out.
Diane
January 19, 2012 at 2:42PM EST Reply to CommentI enjoyed this one a lot. I loved Alex's line about how an intervention is like having a surprise party for someone who is going to hate you. (Doesn't that line alone deserve a comparison to Parks & Rec rather than Whitney?) And, yes, I laughed at Dave's "I get a lot of V in this V." I also enjoyed the slacker's examples of how everything in his apartment was multi-functional. And I did giggle quite a bit at Brad and the mousetraps.
Clay
January 19, 2012 at 4:43PM EST Reply to CommentIt wasn't wall-to-wall funny like last week but a "Whitney," reference? That's just uncalled for Alan. A bad episode of "Happy Endings," isn't even in the same ballpark as that god awful multi-cam cheap hacky crap.
"He took showers because his tub was filled with 311 CD's."
Matt
January 19, 2012 at 4:45PM EST Reply to CommentYou're alone. I thought this episode was quite strong and the season is on a roll. I found myself laughing out loud often — and perhaps in this way I agree with you — usually for no reason. Except of course for the Baker's Dozen. That was a gem for good reason
larry
January 19, 2012 at 4:45PM EST Reply to CommentI liked this one. Yes, it was silly - but not stupid, and the jokes mostly landed (plus noone was acting out of character - everything was kind of in line with what we know about the characters and how they behave). As opposed to that, last week's "Up all night" seriously made me think to give up on this show, even though i like everyone involved. I just didn't find it funny, which is subjective, of course.
dk7pdx@gmail.com
January 19, 2012 at 4:50PM EST Reply to CommentI somewhat agree with Alan. I didn't laugh out loud a lot (definitely did with the Blackass stunt), but even when I'm not laughing out loud I'm still giggling and smiling. The chemistry the crew has is undeniably tight no matter what the writers throw at them. I loved Jane's steak dinner scene. The callback at the end made me giggle too even it was a glimpse of The Machine doing its job (out of the old clothes into the new ... suits). I've also enjoyed Alex pigging out whenever food is in front of her. Elisha Cuthbert's kind of found a slapstick/goofy groove. Her facial expressions are priceless sometimes even if she's only playing ditz all the time. Penny kills me. I love Casey Wilson. Adam Pally and Damon Wayans, Jr. are usually where all my laughs come from though. Love. This. Show. The writing and cast chemistry do it for me almost every week.
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