Courtesy of ABC
It’s the long awaited kickball episode, or the ‘lost episode of season two’, or perhaps it’s just the tenth episode of season three. However you want to see it, we have a semi/not really new episode to watch. As the gang, from a year ago, team up to play kickball we are treated to the greatest sisters sports rivalry since Geena Davis and Lori Petty. Of course, we also get a sub par episode which does gets some chuckles outta me, but struggles to make me LOL.
Let’s bitch it out…
Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) decides to rally the group to participate in the annual kickball tournament for god knows what reason. (Does it really matter though?) And while she is able to get most of the gang on board, Jane (Eliza Coupe), who loves to win, opts out in lieu of joining a competing team. (Cold as ice!) Pitting Jane against the group, and more so, against Alex, is a fun idea but it felt a little underused. I’ve always liked the dynamic between these two sisters, and having them compete against each other should be more fun that what this episode offers. Yes, Jane is ruthless and smarter than Alex, but I feel like we could’ve done more with Alex’s bully spirit and street wise attitude. Maybe a fight, thunderdome style? Just throwing ideas out there.
Courtesy of ABC
As for the rest of the group, they spend the episode playing out sport movie cliches. Dave (Zachary Knighton) is dealing with issues surrounding kicking the ball. Revealing a past incident, where he kicked the ball in Penny’s (Casey Wilson) face, we are given scenes of him trying, unsuccessfully, to get back in the ‘leg’ swing of things. (yes?) Seems amusing but the funniest thing about this whole storyline are the shots of Penny getting slammed in the face. Thank god for the wonderfully expressive face of Wilson!
Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) on the other hand is trying to rally people to shout out “bunt cake” in reference to his kicking style, and Penny is trying to get laid as the team tramp. Unfortunately they are given literally not much else to do. If you recall last week, I was raving about these two. They are two of the funniest characters and they are practically in the background the whole time. Not the smartest thing to do. And speaking of nothing to do, Max (Adam Pally) is given even less as the team coach. There is so much comedic possibility there!
Meanwhile the oft-used trope of the funny announcer is utterly exploited, forgetting to make him funny. I think I chuckled at one of his lines. I feel like it would have been a better idea to have Max as the announcer, giving him more to do and perhaps also having some funnier material than what he was given.
I can see why this was a lost/forgotten episode. It seems like things were kind of thrown together on this one. Playing off movie and TV cliches can bring so many hilarious opportunities, but unfortunately, things are left up in the air in this episode. There was a definite overreach and as a result, all the humour got thinned out. After last week’s stellar two-fer, it’s disappointing to come back with a soft serve like this.
Funniest lines of the night:
Dave: “I didn’t even know you could pronounce the name of your store. I thought it was a four letter Celtic symbol for failure.”
Brad: “Face it Dave, you’re prone to the yips. Remember when you forgot the words to Gangsta’s Paradise? To this day you still can’t perform a eulogy.”
Brad: “Look at that traitor, I hate her. With those long lith legs, sticking out of those teeny tiny shorts she got on, just teasin’. I’m gonna hate her like five times tonight. Guys I’m talking about sex.”
Max: “Classic battle, good vs. evil, Bulls vs. Pistons, my aunt Michelle vs. Hepatitis B.”
Brad: “And I hate being humiliated by Jane…unless it’s on my terms…with a safe word.”
What did you guys think? Were you impressed? Did you laugh out loud? Did you feel like certain characters were underused? Did you wish the episode would have remained lost? Sound off below.
Happy Endings airs Sundays at 10pm EST and Tuesday at 9pm EST on ABC.