I
already gave a rundown of the whole Crazy
Ones ensemble, and I love all of them, but towards the end of the season (and
sadly, the series,) I was surprised to discover that Zach had become my
favorite character. So, as an additional
send-off to The Crazy Ones, here’s a
new periodic feature to the blog:
write-ups of favorite characters from books, TV, movies, and so forth.
Given a
bare-bones description, Zach shouldn’t interest me at all – pretty-boy office
horndog for whom everything is effortless?
Come on. Soft-spoken, awkward
Andrew, with his insecurities and Pride
and Prejudice quoting, is the more obvious choice for my nerdish approval,
and he was my preferred male character from the get-go. Since Zach is Simon’s designated Number-One
Son and a bit of a thorn in Andrew’s side, my initial loyalties were alligned
with Andrew.
However,
as I continued watching, I found myself rethinking my first impressions of Zach. That early description isn’t all he is. Though he’s not as diligent as Sydney or
Andrew, he’s wholly dedicated to his job.
Whether he’s spit-balling a sexy fast-food jingle, donning a Priscilla, Queen of the Desert costume, or
being trotted out as pitch-meeting eye candy, he’ll do whatever it takes to
land a new account. He doesn’t have to
work very hard to get results, but that doesn’t mean he coasts. He pulls his creative weight in brainstorming
sessions, and he’ll go plenty of extra miles to woo a prospective client.
Zach
not only exceeds bounds of his introductory description; he subverts
expectations within it. Yes, he’s racks
up Simon’s praise without trying, and he’s fairly oblivious to how good he has
it compared to Andrew, but don’t think he doesn’t appreciate it. He looks up to Simon immensely and wants
nothing more than to be like him. When
he jeopardizes an account by overpromising, he’s horrified at the idea that he’s
let Simon down and bends the heavens to fix his mistake.
It’s
also true that he sleeps around, a lot,
but by the end of the season, I was honestly thinking, “Oh, that’s right – I remember
now,” when other characters would bring up what a player he is. I think it’s because I don’t get an
underhanded vibe in his interactions with women. Unlike someone like Barney from How I Met Your Mother or Patrick from Coupling, I don’t see him tricking
anyone into bed or making promises he won’t deliver. Rather, it seems to me that he enjoys casual
sex with women who also enjoy casual sex – he’s upfront about his intentions,
uses protection, and appears to prefer both
parties to have a good time, not just him.
Sex-positive instead of misogynistic; I can get behind that. (Plus, non-homophobic. When he realizes that a new male friend has a
crush on him, he’s surprised but not offended or put off. It’s sad that this trait is noteworthy rather
than ubiquitous, but here we are.)
I think
my favorite thing about Zach is his relationship with Andrew. Given Simon’s aforementioned bias for Zach,
it’s understandable that Andrew isn’t the guy’s biggest fan. He doesn’t dislike him or anything, but he’s
always the first (and often, the only) one to look for reasons to be critical
of Zach. At the same time, Zach adores Andrew. He happily calls Andrew his best friend, and
when they briefly branch out and work with other project partners, Zach is the
one who can’t click with anyone else and itches to get back with Andrew. I don’t usually see the more confident,
attractive, successful character vying for the attention of the less remarkable
one. It’s an endearing quality for Zach,
and a hilarious dynamic for both of them.
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