Grid Effect

So at what point do I stop watching this series? Not that last night was particularly bad, or offensive or anything, but therein lies the problem, it just wasn’t entertaining. If an episode doesn’t stand out as at least below average and all the while I’m just waiting for Flight of The Conchords to start, then the issue is obviously more with the series than the single episode.

One benefit of last night, is we got a cameo from Ned Ryerson of Groundhog Day, one downside to that is his character was given virtually no material. Playing the downtrodden, recently divorced mayor of Beverly Hills, Drama invited him out with Vince, Turtle and himself in hopes of getting the mayor laid in order to squeeze his apartment into the 90210 zip code.

After very little struggle shown (but mundanely discussed), Drama found a tall, statuesque looking woman with an interest in politics and conversely, the mayor himself. Only to be informed by the doorman that said woman was a man. Drama reluctantly goes to inform the mayor, whom is feeling such a bond with Anika, decides to take her/him home anyways. Unfortunately for them, TMZ catches them exiting Winstons and her flashing genitals a la Britney Spears as she gets into a car. I understand the satire and pop references here, but all I could think was that this guy, who’s clearly depressed, is now going to lose his job as a result of hanging out with Drama & Co.

(Also, would someone with an esteemed position such as Mayor of Beverly Hills really be that hard-pressed for some companionship? Clearly there are multiple people who would be willing to bribe him for favors, particularly wealthy, powerful people. He is just mayor of a suburb for the most part, but given its location and the size of his estate when they picked him up, it seems like he would be able to find a woman his age. Whatever, according to this series there isn’t a woman over 40 in SoCal, so maybe that’s the issue).

In business news, Ari had to read a 200 page script from M. Night Shyamalan who probably made the most humorless cameo in the history of Entourage cameos. But he has to deal with an engagement dinner for his wife’s friend (for her third marriage) and subsequently the valet switching his car with another Lexus LS hybrid. Some of the jokes here include finding a bag of dildo’s in the trunk, his wife demanding to be taken home before he tracks down his car that has the script in it, and him finally retrieving the car but getting pulled over going 140 mph and him reading the script in jail.

Yeah, it sounds mundane, but Piven can make anything attention grabbing with this character. After an all-night reading session in prison, Ari comes to find M. Night in his office, only to inform him that he altered the entire third act and wants Ari to read it from the beginning. Predictable, dull ending, and I’d like to see Ari concern himself more with the business end of things, but this was arguably the highlight of the episode.

Personally, I think the honor goes to Eric trying to break the news to Harvey that they aren’t selling him “Medellin”. This wouldn’t be an issue if they hadn’t already back stabbed him at Sundance in season 2, and if Harvey wasn’t completely certifiable. But they did and he is, so Eric never really gets around to the task after he threatens a competitor, makes a thinly-veiled threat to Eric about crossing him again and spends thousands of dollars on a dinner.

Later when they meet the rest of the gang at Winston’s, Drama, ecstatic that the leveling with the mayor went so smoothly, screams at Harvey as he is being dragged out by security for berating a waiter that they are taking the film to Canne and he will have to bid on it like everybody else. It probably sounds uneventful, but when Harvey threatens to pluck out a guys eyeball I can only claim boredom for so long.

Could this have been worse? Yeah, by a long shot. But I watched it, wasn’t terribly surprised by any turn of events and it was yet another isolated episode with no plot development. If they are going to continue making episodes that stand apart from the arc of the rest of the season, then they have to be funnier than they currently are. Because the few laughs I got last night wouldn’t warrant the half hour of consumption if Conchords wasn’t following it.

Speaking of which, back with a Flight of The Conchords recap.