Review: Wilfred, S2, Ep. 205 – “Control”
Air Date: Thursday, July 26, 2012 10:00PM E/P on FX.
Rating:
“The master understands that the universe is forever out of control.” – Lao Tzu
“Squishy tits.” If that doesn’t hook you, I don’t know what will. If you recall in season one, Jenna’s (Fiona Gubelmann) first anchoring gig was marred by an uncharacteristic lack of professionalism. But, it wasn’t totally her fault. Remember, she unknowingly ate a marijuana lollipop leaving her loopy and very…hands on, if you will. Now the video has gone viral, even making it onto Howard Stern’s show and her fiancé Drew (Chris Klein) seems quite excited about it. Of course, he sees the marketing value of it all. I mean, this kind of viral exposure for an up and coming TV journalist is huge! Yes, it’s not showing Jenna in the best light, but she could turn it around if she finessed it just right.
Is Amanda really a right fit for Ryan??
“Control” takes a couple of turns and while I wasn’t sure how the episode would go, as it began with “squishy tits” then jumped to a disastrous dinner party at Ryan’s (Elijah Wood), all in all, it was very entertaining. There were great awkward moments where you weren’t quite sure if you should laugh or not. For example, Drew’s response after Jenna introduces him as her fiancé to Ryan’s girlfriend Amanda (Allison Mack), “She makes everything sound so fancy; we’re getting married.” Are the writers intentionally making Drew seem a bit more like a dumb jock? If so, why? It doesn’t make sense. It’s comical, but Klein is better than that. Don’t make him the cliche.
I know it’s the thought that counts, but what does a greasy, empty pastry box really say?
Ryan decides to have a little dinner party, inviting Jenna and Drew over to formally meet Amanda. But you know Wilfred (Jason Gann) is going to jump in and ruin things somehow. However, his little stunt actually coaxes a confession from Amanda: “I’m not much of a dog person.” Gasp! Say it isn’t so! With Ryan and Wilfred practically glued at the hip, it doesn’t seem to help the situation. When you find out the reason for Amanda’s discord with canines, you’ll understand. Ryan must really care about Amanda because the entire evening, he’s telling little white lies to both Jenna and Amanda to help them get along. I’d like to see Ryan happy but I don’t know if Amanda is the right girl for him. Not that I don’t like her, but when she was introduced to us, we were led to believe she’s this insatiable nymphomaniac. All I’ve seen from her contradicts that notion. I’d like to see her unleash her inner slut. I mean, you writers tease us with her character’s traits yet give us a slightly demure brainy scientist. Boring. Amanda needs be more like “squishy tits.”
What I found most enjoyable in “Control” is Bear (the teddy bear). Wilfred claims, “Bear’s back on the wagon; five weeks sober. It’s a miracle,” but Bear’s rowdy behavior suggests she (or it) may not be back on the wagon. Do we call Bear ‘she’ or ‘it’ since it’s an inanimate object (a giant stuffed animal that Wilfred violates in many unnatural ways)? The thought of what Wilfred’s going to do to poor Bear’s eye socket after Ryan rips out the stolen button-eye makes me want to hurl. Not the eye, Wilfred, not the eye.
Observation:
The story about the two dogs, Rex and Lady sounds a bit too familiar if you listen closely. Later, you’ll realize that Rex is actually Wilfred.
Wilfred telling Ryan the story: “Rex was a free spirited swashbuckler; a dreamer; a renaissance dog really…Every now and then Rex would go out and look at the corpse and I would find myself, uh, then Rex would find himself getting aroused.”
Drew tells a story about his dog during dinner: “My old dog used to love licking my plate. She was such a sweetheart, too. Wilfred loved her. Then one day, she just ran away. I miss you, Lady.”
Are the writers telling us Wilfred is a…murderer? What is the significance of this revelation? Could Ryan be in danger or is this just another red herring in the whole back story about what and who Wilfred really is.
This season doesn’t feel as organic as the first season, but the episodes are coming along nicely and getting back into the swing of things. What I love most about the episodes are the endings when Wilfred and Ryan have really candid moments that aren’t always related to the episode’s theme. However, this week’s ending correlates somewhat to Bear’s alcoholism and getting a new sponsor – an origami swan. I don’t really know what to say about that. All I know is that I’ll keep watching. You never know, maybe the swan will manifest too.
Tune into Wilfred, Thursdays at 10PM E/P only on FX.
For more on the show, go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/wilfred/.
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Photos © 2012 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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