“Put on some D’Angelo and whip out my Pe’Angelo”
That quote was one of many funny lines and moments from last night’s hilarious episode of Happy Endings entitled The St. Valentine’s Day Maxssacre. First, before I go any further with my review of this episode, I have to say that I have jumped on the Happy Endings bandwagon a little late in the game. Granted, I did know about the show and the fact that Damon Wayans son was part of the ensemble cast and I made mental notes to watch the series, but for whatever reason I never did. I finally had a weekend of down time and went through the first season in record time. I am happy to say that Happy Endings is one of the smartest and funniest comedies on television today if not the past 5 years.
Last night’s episode obviously focused on the theme of Valentine’s Day. I was very curious to see how the dynamic of that sometimes stressful day would play out with the gang. Penny wanted to break up with a guy she called the winker but had to wait a week or what she called the ‘break up window’. It turns out he dumped her first because she abbreviates or “abbrevs” many of her words. Dave started to play in to the notion that he was in the break up window zone because his girlfriend cancelled on two dates they had planned. That led to him missing out on a threesome with his girlfriend and her female friend who was in town for that specific event. Alex, who normally is the ditz in the group had a strange fascination and knowledge about the history of Valentine’s Day which I though was ah-mah-zing! She thought she would find her true love at a V-Day party which turned out to be in a sleazy part of town. While dressed somewhat like a prostitute, she is mistaken for one and arrested. Max had a dislike of the holiday and we soon find out why, but the highlight of the episode was the Brad and Jane story.
We learn within the first 5 minutes of the episode that you can’t surprise Jane. They flashback to the gang waiting for her to enter her apartment to surprise her on her birthday. She enters the apartment, they yell surprise and she maces all of them. I found myself on the floor laughing. Meanwhile, Brad is planning a romantic evening for the two of them,but first, he must go get his teeth cleaned at the dentist. Here is where the brilliance starts. The scene of Brad dancing into the dentist’s office with Frank Sinatra’s “How Lucky Can One Guy Be” was the highlight of the show. If Damon Wayans Jr. doesn’t receive an Emmy nod for Best Supporting actor in a comedy, it would be a crime. His talking with the little kid in the office while slobber is falling out of his mouth was priceless!
Throughout the episode, Alex believes that someone is going to find love that night. Out of all the obvious possibilities, it turns out Max is the one who finds love. After picking up Alex from the police station, he has one more pickup. Turns out it’s his ex and the last time he saw him was when he was dumped on Valentine’s Day. Max ends up reconnecting with his former flame, played by guest star James Wolk and Alex can once again believe in the story of St. Valentine’s Day.
As I said earlier, this episode was filled with great lines and moments. From the high school jock nod to Brad being high and dumping his face into a bowl of chocolate trying to find the strawberry he dropped. One important thing happened as well. There are obviously going to be comparisons between Happy Endings and Friends because they share the sort of group dynamic, but Happy Endings has its own vibe and feel which is different from Friends, dare I say a bit more risqué! But, the fact that high Brad can jump into the limo and call each of his pals one of the characters from the hit NBC show was hilarious and dead on.
Happy Endings flew under the radar most of its first season, but critics and fans are starting to catch on to the show and I for one can’t wait to see what the new “gang” does next. What did you guys think of the episode?