If the last episode was one of my favorites, the opposite could be said about today's – see what I mean
when I say how frustrating this show can be?
This episode is way too much in its too-muchness, falling into two of
the show’s least-appealing traps: 1)
characters become mouthpieces instead of characters and 2) the whole episode
revolves so tightly around its theme that it might as well open with Andrew
Rannells announcing, “This episode is brought to you by the letter P, for
‘partisan politics!’”
With the
2012 election looming (oh, so long ago,) Bryan and David discover that Goldie
isn’t sure who she’s voting for. Jane,
naturally, finds out they’re encouraging her to vote for Obama, and also
naturally, she won’t stand for it. A
mini-debate between them results in Jane arguing that the guys don’t walk their
liberal talk because they don’t have any Black friends, and because it’s that
kind of episode, that results in
Bryan inviting Jane to a party to show off all the Black friends he and David
don’t actually have.
Sigh…
where to start? It’s fair to have David
and Bryan examining how well they live up to some of the ideals they hold, and
they do start to get there in a genuine way by the end, but the way the show
spends most of its time going about it is somehow both hamfisted and feckless. The whole “come to our party – oh crap, we’ve
got to find some Black people!” thing is as farcical as it is tacky. Bryan in particular goes way too far down
that rabbit hole and, as a result, winds up treating Rocky, his Black
assistant, pretty callously.
As for
the actual political discussions, the guys and Jane mostly just parrot talking
points at each other, and I hate how ineffectual Bryan and David are at
it. Again, it’s fine for them to have
blind spots, uniformed areas, and whatnot, but it feels like Jane can shut them
down at every turn with a smug remark.
Bryan, to his credit, argues that equality (re: marriage) isn’t the “pet issue” Jane claims
it is, but he doesn’t go anywhere with it.
I also
take issue with the “how dare you insinuate that this is about race” attitude
Jane takes with the guys. Sure, she has
plenty of reasons she’s not voting for Obama, as she repeatedly states (healthcare,
immigration, LGBTQ rights, ad infinitum,) but it’s not like she’s not racist too. Probably at least a quarter of her lines are
outspokenly-racist, including things she’s said specifically about Obama, so I don’t see where she
gets off acting like she’s totes cool with the fact that Obama is Black.
Good
things? Like I said, the ending comes
around a bit better, and I also enjoy the subplot of the other way David and Bryan are trying to influence Goldie’s life,
getting her to eat better while she’s pregnant (this plot comes with the bonus
of Bryan amusingly sneaking around to eat fast food behind David’s back – it’s
an easy joke, but they play it well.)
Neither
guy comes off particularly well in this episode, but Bryan definitely comes off
worse, which is a bummer. Still,
Rannells still has some moments – I get a kick out of his line reading about
the cast of Treme being able to pass
for “regular non-famouses.”
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