Courtesy of NBC
Well, another episode of About a Boy exists. Inexplicable events occur. Jokes are lame. And everyone gets together in the end for a hug it out moment. Wash, rinse, repeat. Let’s bitch it out…
So who put money on Will (David Walton) turning down sex in order to help Marcus (Benjamin Stockham) deal with his crisis of the week? That would be everyone. Because that dynamic is never going to change. Apparently the only good thing that can ever happen to Will is that he gets laid, and he will always have to give it up to save Marcus. I’ve come to accept that plot device, because that means that if I have to suffer through the exact same story week after week after week, at least Will is suffering too by never getting laid.
The set-up that Fiona (Minnie Driver) decides to put herself out there and start dating again is actually a good one. And it makes sense that the date with sweet plumber Lou, played by a well-cast Will Sasso, doesn’t go swimmingly. But the writers can’t seem to figure out how to write realistic complications that are actually funny. So when it comes time for the episode’s climax, the writers wedge Marcus into Fiona and Lou’s date to shout at Lou to not sleep with his mother. It is too over-the-top for the episode, it doesn’t make sense for Marcus’s character, and most importantly it just isn’t a funny moment.
I now regret hoping for more episodes that feature Dakota (Leslie Bibb). In the pilot, she seemed more like a single mom with her life together who liked sex and might actually be a strong foil for Will. Had she remained that character, her friendship with Fiona could’ve actually been meaningful and positive, ones that are hard to find on sitcoms, especially between two women. But apparently a few screws have loosened and completely fallen off in the episodes in between, and Dakota is now reduced to a token zany rom-com best friend. It’s a waste of Leslie Bibb’s comedic and dramatic skills.
It almost feels unfair now to point out About a Boy’s flaws. It’s simply a mediocre sitcom, and from the lack of development so far, that’s all it aspires to be. Hoping for characters to have three dimensions and compelling storylines seems to be asking for too much for this show. That’s why this will be my last About a Boy review.
Other Considerations:
- This week’s episode again features Andy (Al Madrigal) too little, especially since he’s the only likeable character on the show. He is only around for one scene, and what is his role? To be a punching bag for Will. This show sure knows how to waste its valuable resources.
- Surprisingly, this episode actually has two lines of the week. First is from Andy to Will: “When you say stuff like that it makes me feel invisible in this relationship…”
- Also, plumber Lou gets in a sweet line when he learns that Dakota intentionally busted Fiona’s sink to get him to come over: “Why would you do that to your own sink? That’s a wonderful sink!”
- Can you guess what isn’t line of the week? Will’s brilliant joke about the sexual part of Fiona’s life being on pause: “Eleven Years! I can’t go eleven DAYS!”
With that, I turn this review over to you. Are you going to keep watching? Or more honestly, is the hope that the show will do a one-eighty and focus on Andy enough to keep you watching? Sound off in the comments below!
About a Boy airs Tuesdays at 9 EST on NBC.