A Televisual Feast

Another blah sensitive episode. While it’s nice to see some actual relationship development between Ned and Stacey… Messing’s falling behind in the acting here again, real bad. The opening bit, with Ned pestering Stacey about possible nicknames, is gold and so’s the first half of the episode. The problems arise when things get touchy-feely in the second half. There’s a lengthy, not really funny conversation between the two of them and, for a twenty-two minute sitcom, it’s out of place. It’s not even exposition. It’s just a real conversation and it belongs somewhere else.

Some great stuff though, including John Getz’s various appearances as Ned’s boss, Les. Other good moments are the ones with Amanda and Rico (big surprise), which manage to be sweet, funny and mean all at the same time. The funny part about the episodes running twenty-two and not being full-up, I can pretty much run through all the scenes in my head, looking for the funny bits. Oh, see, it worked. There’s a good bit where Ned comments on the contrivance of having the waitress overhearing something about her boyfriend, after there being a slightly more believable contrivance before it. And there’s a funny bit with the four–Ned, Stacey, Amanda and Rico, but the show hasn’t really gotten to where they realized Ned and Amanda are hilarious together.

Not a lot of belly-roll laughs, which is disappointing after the last episode.

The sweetness at the end too… it just comes off wrong.

2.5