Here it
is, the “lost” Halloween episode that got preempted and didn’t pop up on air
until half a season later. As such,
there are some unfortunate plot-point things that are a bit out of sync with
the rest of the show, and not just the fact that Goldie’s baby bump is smaller
and Halloween is happening after Thanksgiving and Christmas! This is an episode that I think could have
benefited from an introduction placing it in its proper context.
David is
annoyed with Bryan’s tyrannical Halloween spirit, in which he takes control of
any and all costume decisions. While
Bryan makes plans for them (plus Goldie and Shania) to go as the family from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, David stages
his own costume uprising. Meanwhile,
Goldie is discomfited by a visit from Shania’s dad, who insists that he wants
to play a bigger role in her life but acts more like a buddy than a parent.
I always
enjoy seeing TV characters’ Halloween costume choices. That’s thrown a little out of whack here,
since Bryan is trying to strong-arm the whole thing, and none of the costumes
are particularly inspired to me, but I still enjoy it. The stuff with Goldie, Shania, and Goldie’s
ex is mostly good – I can feel Goldie’s indecision over the best way to proceed
with him, not wanting to keep Shania from her dad but feeling frustrated over
always having to be the bad cop when he’s around, like she’s parenting them
both. I also enjoy a subplot with a
friend of David’s and his young son, who’s lately taken to wearing dresses and
wants to be a fairy for Halloween.
I like
the conflict between Bryan and David over their costumes, even if it gets a
little overly-pointed at times. While a
big part of it is David simply wanting to make his own choice (fueled by the
fact that they have very different interests and David isn’t into a lot of the
stuff that Bryan is,) it also has to do with Bryan’s penchant, in David’s mind,
for turning the holiday into “a big gender-bending party.” It’s a small moment within the episode, but I
love Bryan explaining to David what it’s like to be a feminine man – even
someone as confident in himself as Bryan is made to feel a little
self-conscious walking through the world in day-to-day life, and for Bryan,
Halloween is the one day he feels no pressure to hold himself back.
This is
an instance where the show’s tendency to laser-focus on one thing works well
because 1) it’s Halloween, so it makes sense for everyone to be preoccupied
with costumes and 2) it’s totally in character for Bryan to be a costume
dictator. In addition to the reason he
gives David, it also fits his dramatic flair, his love of putting things
together visually (and habit of going all in on it,) and his overall
bossiness. Andrew Rannells does a nice
job bringing all that through, and he has some great line readings, especially
in a fun scene between him and David in the bedroom.
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