[7.5/10] Two-for-two so far in the series. My favorite part of this element is how well it knows its characters and particularly high school ecosystem so well. Each character beyond the Weirs is mostly a sketch, but each has enough personality to make them interesting from the jump, and more than a few show hints of interesting layers.
For instance, I love the chain of unrequited affection. Neal has a boyhood crush on Lindsey, who’s pining for Daniel, who’s on-again off-again with Kim, who’s flirting with the (much) older guys who show up at the party. There’s this sense of everyone sort of looking up with affection toward somebody who seems older and more experienced than them, without realizing that each further link in the chain is doing the same thing (and that the older guys who show up to a high school are actually pretty sad).
There’s a similar canniness in the chain of the boys Lindsey finds herself seeking comfort from as the night goes on. The episode perfectly captures that teenage awkwardness, the worry that letting someone into your private space will expose the ugly or uncool parts of yourself that you try to hide away or at least limit the publicity for. That’s why it’s so heartening when Daniel picks through her photos and trophies, the one Lindsey’s trying to downplay, and instead of recoiling, offer her acceptance.
That just makes it more devastating when her grand fantasy for how this night would go, and in fact her whole motivation for throwing this party in the first place -- getting closer to Daniel -- goes up in flames when she walks in on him and Kim rekindling their affections, and on her bed no less.
But the most interesting scene is what follows, when she goes to seek comfort from Nick. Nick has, thus far, been the pleasant and welcoming yin to Daniel’s friendly but oblivious yang. He notices and defends Lindsay and seems to genuinely appreciate her. And yet when she’s in a distraught moment, one where he seems like the pleasant alternative, he starts out with comfort but then quickly ruins it by making it something sexual, only to deflect by claiming he’s drunk and still distraught over the drummer for Zeppelin dying. It’s a short but revealing deconstruction of the nice guy tropes that feels true to life.
Until Lindsay finds herself comforted by the little kid whose affections she sweetly laughs off earlier. Neal isn’t exactly the strapping older guys that Lindsey’s been pining for lately, but he’s the only one who actually cares about her, and actually takes steps to help her, not just take advantage of her. I’m not exactly shipping them, but it is, again, an interesting layer to Neal beyond his pop culture impressions (which come in handy when calling the police!) and provides a bit of a happy ending to Lindsay.
The rest of the episode is solid as well. The show captures the energy of a high school party on screen very well. Little bits like Bill getting drunk watching Dallas, or Milly sticking to her “Just Say No”-esque principles and singing Jesus songs at the piano, are fun and add comedy and texture to the night.
At the same time, Peter’s earnest concern about his sister’s well-being in the presence of alcohol, and his efforts to shield his family’s belongings from the revelers are adorably sweet. He genuinely cares about his sister, and even if the non-alcoholic beer keg conceit is a little cheesy (and also ruined for me by Clone High), it’s a nice sign of his naive but well-intentioned efforts to protect her.
Overall, another good episode that places you in an all-too-real teenage situation, with complexities and great character moments galore.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-01-28T00:49:35Z
[7.5/10] Two-for-two so far in the series. My favorite part of this element is how well it knows its characters and particularly high school ecosystem so well. Each character beyond the Weirs is mostly a sketch, but each has enough personality to make them interesting from the jump, and more than a few show hints of interesting layers.
For instance, I love the chain of unrequited affection. Neal has a boyhood crush on Lindsey, who’s pining for Daniel, who’s on-again off-again with Kim, who’s flirting with the (much) older guys who show up at the party. There’s this sense of everyone sort of looking up with affection toward somebody who seems older and more experienced than them, without realizing that each further link in the chain is doing the same thing (and that the older guys who show up to a high school are actually pretty sad).
There’s a similar canniness in the chain of the boys Lindsey finds herself seeking comfort from as the night goes on. The episode perfectly captures that teenage awkwardness, the worry that letting someone into your private space will expose the ugly or uncool parts of yourself that you try to hide away or at least limit the publicity for. That’s why it’s so heartening when Daniel picks through her photos and trophies, the one Lindsey’s trying to downplay, and instead of recoiling, offer her acceptance.
That just makes it more devastating when her grand fantasy for how this night would go, and in fact her whole motivation for throwing this party in the first place -- getting closer to Daniel -- goes up in flames when she walks in on him and Kim rekindling their affections, and on her bed no less.
But the most interesting scene is what follows, when she goes to seek comfort from Nick. Nick has, thus far, been the pleasant and welcoming yin to Daniel’s friendly but oblivious yang. He notices and defends Lindsay and seems to genuinely appreciate her. And yet when she’s in a distraught moment, one where he seems like the pleasant alternative, he starts out with comfort but then quickly ruins it by making it something sexual, only to deflect by claiming he’s drunk and still distraught over the drummer for Zeppelin dying. It’s a short but revealing deconstruction of the nice guy tropes that feels true to life.
Until Lindsay finds herself comforted by the little kid whose affections she sweetly laughs off earlier. Neal isn’t exactly the strapping older guys that Lindsey’s been pining for lately, but he’s the only one who actually cares about her, and actually takes steps to help her, not just take advantage of her. I’m not exactly shipping them, but it is, again, an interesting layer to Neal beyond his pop culture impressions (which come in handy when calling the police!) and provides a bit of a happy ending to Lindsay.
The rest of the episode is solid as well. The show captures the energy of a high school party on screen very well. Little bits like Bill getting drunk watching Dallas, or Milly sticking to her “Just Say No”-esque principles and singing Jesus songs at the piano, are fun and add comedy and texture to the night.
At the same time, Peter’s earnest concern about his sister’s well-being in the presence of alcohol, and his efforts to shield his family’s belongings from the revelers are adorably sweet. He genuinely cares about his sister, and even if the non-alcoholic beer keg conceit is a little cheesy (and also ruined for me by Clone High), it’s a nice sign of his naive but well-intentioned efforts to protect her.
Overall, another good episode that places you in an all-too-real teenage situation, with complexities and great character moments galore.