Quick Thoughts: HAPPY ENDINGS, "You Snooze, You Bruise"

While I'm always glad to get a new episode of Happy Endings, the fact that "You Snooze, Your Bruise" was aired after a Modern Family repeat was annoying because it was one of the best ones of the season and it will probably have less viewers thanks to ABC's need to wrap it up so Don't Trust The B---- in Apartment 23 can take over the spot. OK, enough bitching because this episode was pretty great.

Now, I'll admit that it wasn't the most plot-heavy episode to date, but that's fine by me because sometimes this show is more successful when it doesn't get too caught up in telling a story and just puts the gang in wacky situations so they can make jokes. I know that doesn't sound like the most interesting approach to television, but it can work really well if done correctly, and so far Happy Endings has proven that it's very capable.

Both plots were your standard sitcom set-ups. Dave was being bullied by someone at the gym while Jane tried to be less of a control freak. Anyone who has seen Friends or any other yuppie-based comedy has seen these kind of stories before, which's further proof that the jokes are what make this show special and not necessarily getting from point A to point B.

Between the two of them, I'd have to say that I enjoyed Dave's sub-plot a little more because it felt a little fresher than Jane's. Again, we've seen Ross and Chandler avoid and eventually confront bullies, but placing Dave and Max in a gym (with Derrick chiming in from time to time) took it to a different level, but that was probably due to the surprisingly fun comedic duo of Max and Derrick. That being said, Dave was able to hold his own, and while he's still the weakest link, he's still the most relateable character so I tend to cut him some slack. Zachary Knighton turning him into a delusional every man who thinks he's cooler than he really is has also been an improvement over last season.

Yet, it was hard not to overlook Dave in favor of Max because Adam Pally was on fire. Not only did we get some decent one-liners, but we also found out a little bit more about Max like he's attraction to bad boys. It was also refreshing to see him be a little gayer which I know sounds a lot worse than I intended. What I mean is, I'm glad that Max has subverted the stereotypes that are associated with homosexual male characters, but he's so much of a shlub that it's easy to forget that he's gay. Teaming him up with Derrick gave Max the show the two sides of his one coin. He was able to be a non-stereotypical gay man while also moving away from the straight guy who bangs dudes persona that he's cultivated. Does that make sense? Regardless, him and Derrick were great together (homo slo-mo FTW).

Jane's story was a little more problematic for me even though it was still really funny. Type A characters like Jane can be tricky. They're anal retentiveness and need for control is the source of their comedic moments, but when shows rely too much on those characteristics they tend to become shrill and unlikable. Luckily, Jane has Brad to even things out, but her base level traits taking center stage could have been disastrous. I did find myself not liking Jane as much because of how she reacted to things in this episode, and I thought that her transformation to slacker and back was conveniently too quick, but Penny and Brad once again added the right amount of levity. While I'm still a fan of Jane's, I do hope the writers can continue to right well for her without overexposing her need to control everything like they did during "Snooze."

Quickly, how great was Elisha Cuthbert? Revealing that Alex used to be a bully and forcing Jane to revert to her old self were strokes of genius and Cuthbert once again nailed it. She's so great.

Lines of the Night:

• Penny: "Max, why are dressed like Josh Brolin from The Goonies?"
  Max: "You noticed!"
  Penny: "Of course I did."
  Max: "She noticed!"
  Brad: "I did too. I just didn't want to say anything."
  Max: "Get out of here."
• Dave: "Did ya hear that guy just call me a bitch?"
  Derrick: "Yeah, and not in a good way like 'hey bitch, oh my god your skin is amazing! I want to cut your face off. I hate you.'"
• Max: "The point is, you only thought he was straight because he's a bully, but us gays can be anything we want son. Lawyers, congressmen, murderers, dentists."
  Derrick: "Life coaches for rich people's pets. It's a thing. Get into it."
• "So, he definitely didn't say it in a good way like "hey bitch, your hair is glowing OK. Where did you get that deep condition, I swear to god.'"
• "What? I like my Bad Boys with vaginas."
• "Bitch, it is 5:30!"
• Dave: "Well, thanks a lot Al. I stood up to him, and he didn't back down. What do I do now?"
  Alex: "Well, if I was still a bully which I no longer am because I worked through that, I'd throw a free weight in his face and knock out fifty push-ups to celebrate."
• "I was pooping."
• "Better monkey!"
• Jane: "I'm gonna go take a nap, think about it, maybe buzz one out."
  Brad: "'Buzz one out?' That's a weird way to say snoring."
• "Did he just slam my door in his face?"
• "I guess he'd have to sit on the guys back so he can't breathe, and then shove his face in the dirt. Or at least that's what someone could do."
• "Yeah, my top-half is at a museum fund raiser while my bottom-half is selling veggie burritos in a parking lot outside of a Wide Spread Panic concert!"
• "Wake up slut."
• "Brad, get me a new pair of pants! I look like a Turkish whore master."
• "Did I eat nachos?!"
• "You can't just fake you're own death through life. That's no way to not live."
• "Go Dave! Punch his shirt off!"
• Max: "You should watch the gay history channel."
  Dave: "That's a thing?"
  Derrick: "Yeah, it's called Bravo."

Damn, there were so many good jokes this time around. I know that Season 2's been doing OK in the ratings, but episodes like "You Snooze, Your Bruise" makes me love this show even more and worry that not enough people are watching. Screw Community getting six seasons and a movie, Happy Endings deserves ten seasons and a trilogy.