Air Date: Thursday, July 7, 2011 10:00PM E/P
Rating
“Fear has its use but cowardice has none.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
The more I watch, the more deeply I fall in love with Wilfred. This show is a much needed departure from the slapstick, kid-friendly half-hour comedies on television. Wilfred grabs you, bends you over, and gives you a good “rooting,” as Wilfred (Jason Gann) would say. The irony that Wilfred gives Ryan (Elijah Wood) life changing lessons while able to become so utterly confounded by a laser pen is just genius comedy.
Wilfred (Jason Gann, R) does everything he can to sabatoge Ryan's (Elijah Wood, C) plans to get rid of Spencer (Ethan Suplee, L)
We finally get to meet the “asshole” neighbor, Spencer (Ethan Suplee). After Wilfred admits he “definitely” (and intentionally) left Ryan’s wallet at the scene of their crime at Spencer’s, including stealing primo marijuana known as Purple Thunder Paranoia and defecating in Spencer’s boots, Ryan gets a tad bit nervous when Spencer comes banging on his door. Instead of owning up to the crime as Wilfred instructs, Ryan deflects the accusation by saying he too was burglarized and the thief “took a dump” on his Blu-Ray™ player. This leaves Wilfred disappointed.
Wilfred: “You make me sick.”
Ryan: “You’re mad at me? You set me up!”
Wilfred: “You pussed out!”
Ryan: “I did not puss out!”
Wilfred: “Sometimes when I look at you I can almost see a giant tampon string hanging out of you. Ryan, you can’t run away from your problems.”
Oddly enough, Ryan wouldn’t have half these problems if it weren’t for Wilfred. So why does Ryan continue to hang out with him? Wilfred even mocks Ryan’s gift of a meaty bone saying it’s like giving a black guy a basketball and Ryan should have gotten him a new bong. I was a tad surprised by the use of a politically incorrect racial analogy, but then again, Wilfred isn’t exactly a politically correct dog now, is he? I think Ryan needs Wilfred to help him get out of the boring routine he’s been calling life. The lessons Wilfred teaches, although slightly twisted and peculiar, has forced Ryan to do things he wouldn’t normally do, like finally admitting to Spencer he’s the poop-burglar.
Spencer (Ethan Suplee, L) bonds with his new BFF Ryan (Elijah Wood) over four hours of 'rock hard' porn!
You would think Ryan would have confessed a bit sooner. Perhaps he could have mentioned it after watching four hours of porn starring Spencer’s transsexual father with the “perfect breasts” instead of waiting until after they go to a strip club. I literally burst out laughing when Spencer mispronounces the club name. “Anything goes in Club Mi-dee-uh.” Ryan corrects him, “I think it’s pronounced Muh-dee-ah.” Oh, and Wilfred twirling on the stripper pole – priceless!
I particularly love the ending of the show where Ryan and Wilfred do random things. Especially, the game of ‘who would you marry, screw, or kill’ where, of course, all the choices are dogs. Wood’s infectious giggle is so frigging adorable!
As Wilfred continues to do dastardly deeds, I’m boggled by the fact Wilfred is the one to open Ryan’s eyes to the world. Does Ryan have a brain tumor and all of this is figment of his wild imagination? Perhaps Ryan is in a coma dreaming all this. Whatever the case may be – please don’t stop! This show makes me smile wider, laugh harder, and think more dementedly than I ever have.
Another particularly (albeit slightly un-p.c.) humorous line is what Wilfred says after the East Indian neighbor mentions his wife is afraid of dogs. “It’s not like I was gonna bite her. Last time I had Indian, it gave me the sh*ts for a week.”
I love the comparison of Wilfred to Hannibal Lecter when animal control picks him up after he later jumps the East Indian wife. The subtle nuances of darkness within the comedy make this a succulent feast. Where are my fava beans and Chianti?
Tune in to Wilfred, Thursdays at 10PM E/P only on FX.
Photos © FX Network, All Rights Reserved.
For more on the show go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/wilfred/.
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Judy Manning
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