Quick Thoughts: THE NEW NORMAL, "Baby Clothes"

Just like its cohort, The New Normal still hasn't ironed out its issues but they're more glaringly obvious that I found myself more distracted by "Baby Clothes" than I was by Go On's third episode.

Some of the things that Ryan Murphy's good at is getting on a soapbox and making sure that we know that everyone has flaws. Once again, he showed off this ability during this week's episode. Having Bryan and David have to deal with the bigoted intolerance from a passerby who was offended by their innocent public display of affection was a tad heavy handed but effective none the less, but it was more than just the writer spewing pro-love rebuttals because we got to see how the words affected both men. Once again, everyone involved proved that the toned down, heartfelt moments are what shine, and Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha did an admirable job. I even liked the punctuation point at the end when a man with Down syndrome (another RM staple) proved that he can be just as small-minded and mean as everyone else. Was the bit necessary? Probably not, but Ryan really loves to make it clear that people with disabilities are just regular people too.

Unfortunately, any goodwill that was instilled by Bryan and David was wiped away by yet another tone deaf Jane storyline. First off, I didn't see the point of having Shania deal with a pint sized Lothario, and I found all of it just icky and unfunny, but I guess the episode should be commended for having Ellen Barkin shift from racial and homophobic slurs to an overreaction to an overly sexualized world. The thing is, none of it really worked even if she did have a point at the end. The only saving grace was that final scene where she and Bryan kind of bonded over a worn-out joke about Chinese babies. Again, having Bryan stoop to Jane's level was an example everyone giving in to their insensitive side, and I actually thought it was an oddly nice moment. That said, I can already see the comments about how it was hypocritical and undercut Bryan's character.

After three episodes, I cannot say that I'm as confident in The New Normal as I'd like to be, but I still see some potential, and I will keep watching mostly because my leader insists and I cannot disobey his wishes. Just as Kings of Leon about his wrath.