*A couple spoilers from recent episodes.*
After a couple Andrew Rannells-less episodes, let’s check back in with episode 8. There’s still not much Matthew, but it’s a good episode and explores interesting topics around a central theme.
It’s nearing the end of summer, and the kids are about to go to their first real high school party, a kegger thrown by Jay’s brother Kurt. Jay is still struggling with Kurt dating Lola. Nick is excited to hang out with Danni, the girl he met on his tour of the private school, and Maury realizes Andrew might have a shot with her friend. Jessi is appalled by the upperclassmen’s habit of “prowling” for freshmen girls, while Missy hopes to make a real connection with a guy. Also, Coach Steve has been consumed by his “Bad Mitten” alter ego (it’s a thing, just go with it.)
First off, I love Lola’s description of Kurt’s party: “It’s gonna be American Pie meets Fury Road!” The setting gives the show a chance to explore the ins and outs of a high school party, and while there’s plenty of well-worn tropes on display, from playing flip cup to smarmy guys using the same lines on every girl, they feel a bit newer here because the kids are experiencing this stuff for the first time. They’ve interacted with older teens before, but this is the first time they’ve been in a scenario like this as peers, even if they’re still marked out by their relative youth.
Andrew is as surprised as anyone when Danni’s friend seems into him, and Maury warns, “Andrew, I don’t know why my Christian God keeps giving you chances with new girls, but you cannot mess this one up.” This puts Maury in the rare position of trying to stop Andrew from saying/doing gross things, instead of being the one urging him on.
Nick has been trying to figure out his thing with Danni for a few episodes now, because there’s another guy she has a history with that she definitely likes. Nick has been trying to pull a Nice Guy, literally describing himself as “lying in wait” for when Travis ultimately disappoints her. At the party, he’s bummed when Danni mentions inviting Travis but hopeful when it looks like he might not show up. (Side note: I mentioned last week that Danni is voiced by Zazie Beetz, and Travis is voiced by Brian Tyree Henry. Atlanta reunion!)
We the audience can see Owen, Missy’s thoughtful, sensitive high-school guy (voiced by Beck Bennett!) coming a mile away, but of course she can’t. She’s flattered by his attention and taken by his whole routine. Also, the graduation episode features her realizing that she and Elijah won’t survive a long-distance relationship when he goes to his Christian high school, and while we don’t see them explicitly break up, she’s been operating as a single person throughout the summer. Given all that, it’s understandable that she’s thrilled to spend the evening connecting with Owen and is thrown for a loop when he suggests that they “explore” upstairs.
And I’m not going to get into the specifics, for spoilers’ sake, but the episode does a nice job looking at the subject of consent outside of sexual violence. That isn’t an angle that gets talked about as often, and I appreciate how thoughtfully the show does it.
As I said, not much Rannells. Matthew is at the party, but he doesn’t have any kind of storyline. We don’t even see him until the second half of the episode, and then, he’s just kind of tangential to Jay’s plot. I do enjoy Rannells’s delivery on, “Oh shit, I think the keg’s tapped. Is that what straight people say?”
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