Another
holiday episode, Christmas this time.
It’s decent enough, pretty funny and put together fairly well –
although, after a terrific episode like “The XY Factor,” it can’t help but be a
bit of a letdown.
The guys
are both stressed out by the fearmongering baby-proofer going over their house
with a fine-tooth comb, Bryan because he thinks she’s being unreasonable in saying
no to everything, David because her scare stories are feeding into the
anxieties he already has about the baby’s safety. As a result, both are overindulging in their
bad habits – wine for Bryan, sweets for David – and the excess of the holiday
season doesn’t really help them to curb those habits.
This is a
little similar to “Unplugged” in that we really haven’t seen any prior evidence
of the problem it focuses on, but this episode does a better job of showing why
it’s ramped up so much at this particular moment, between all the Christmas
goodies and the stress of the coming baby.
The baby proofer (played by Cheri Oteri) does the exact opposite of
assuaging worries, and by calling the Christmas tree a death trap when the baby
isn’t due for another five months, it’s easy to see why Bryan is annoyed by all
her demands. While the point is
definitely belabored at times, the idea of baby-proofing is tied into the
larger theme of the story in a pretty good way, and it’s brought together
nicely by the all-but-requisite nighttime scene between the guys.
(Side
note: despite the show’s faults, it
definitely knows that its greatest strength is the relationship with Bryan and
David, which is why those lovely scenes of them wrapping up most episodes as
they get ready for bed never feel repetitive – they’re always welcome, because
they’re always wonderful.)
Another
amusing conceit of the episode is Goldie’s explanation that Jane gets “eggnog
nice” around the holidays, mellowed by the combination of rum and cream. It gives Ellen Barkin a chance to interact
positively with the rest of the cast for once, and she and Bryan make
surprisingly-good buddies this episode.
Andrew
Rannells has some good lines here, my favorite being his exasperated, “Why is
the toilet locked?!” (Easy baby-proofing
joke, well delivered.) I also like the
way he and Justin Barta play the way both guys recognize their partner’s bad
habit while denying their own. On both
sides, the gentle nudging comes from a place of caring but starts to dip into
nagging, especially as each gets defensive about their own indulgence. It could’ve easily become sniping or
bickering, but Rannells and Bartha strike a good tone with it.
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