Go On - Season 1 Episode 15 - Recap Video and Review - Pass Interference
Recap video and review of Go On - Season 1 Episode 15 - Pass Interference:
Go On has pretty much embraced long-form storytelling, which is an approach that suits the series really well. With fourteen episodes under its belt, it's now able to begin making callbacks to the earlier episodes of the series, such as Ryan's (Matthew Perry) resemblance to Rachel Maddow, or Lauren's (Laura Benanti) obsessive need to prove her effectiveness as a counselor, in lieu of a license or degree in therapy. The show even makes a couple of self-referential jokes, such as Mr. K (Brett Gelman) acknowledging the group's sense of how strange it is for him, of all people, to be doling out insightful advice. But of all the serialized aspects of the show, the best is Ryan's gradual reintegration into the dating scene, a storyline that brings back the ghost of Janie (Christine Woods). Woods is a welcome presence on the show, as Janie is one of the most intriguing characters in the entire run of the series so far, even (or especially) in death. Her ghost's presence is representative of Ryan's guilt, and brings a greater sense of gravitas to the arc of Ryan's return to dating, which makes "Pass Interference" a pretty rich character study, by the standards set by this show. This, of course, is a good thing.
Credit: NBC
Ryan and Simone (Piper Perabo) are embarking on a relationship, despite Lauren's insistence that romantic couplings within the group are against the rules. They seem to really be hitting it off, both feeding into and offsetting the inherent craziness in one another. However, Ryan can't bring himself to take the relationship any further than it's gone, due to the constant reappearance of Janie's ghost at critical moments of intimacy. She appears at particularly inopportune moments, such as during a romantic getaway with Simone at a fancy hotel, in which Janie's ghost introduces Ryan to her new boyfriend in the afterlife (a development that just barely skirts the line of surreal fantasy), upon which she rationalizes, "Just because I'm not real doesn't mean I don't have needs."
Credit: NBC
Ryan bails on the evening with Simone, and it seems they're heading towards an awkward breakup until Mr. K analyzes Ryan's visions of Janie as his own guilt over moving on. He's essentially attempting to inflict the same kind of hurt on himself that he imagines he would be inflicting on Janie, were she still alive to be hurt by any of this. Janie appears one last time to Ryan while at a party being thrown by the women of the group, in which he finally comes to terms with why Janie keeps appearing to him, and coming to a point where he can finally let go. He gets on one knee and makes a proposal to Simone...that they be crazy together. She accepts, and it seems like Ryan has finally come to terms with his new romance. Unfortunately, this could mean the end of Janie's ghost, which would be a shame, because Christine Woods really is fantastic in the role (whether it's her excitement to watch The Avengers with her new ghost boyfriend, or if it's in simply convincing Ryan that maybe Simone is just the kind of person he needs in his life right now, it's easy to imagine why Ryan would have fallen in love with her). I really do hope they find a way to bring her back for future episodes. Piper Perabo is also a very welcome addition to the cast, as she provides Ryan with a real sounding board for his best comedic aspects, namely his frazzled, wound-up nature.
Credit: NBC
In other developments, Sonia (Sarah Baker), Anne (Julie White), Yolanda (Suzy Nakamura) and Fausta (Tonita Castro) pester Lauren to set a date for her wedding to Wyatt (Hayes MacArthur), as the four single women intend to live vicariously through their friend. However, Lauren tells the women that they don't need a wedding to celebrate themselves, they can simply plan their own party. Thus begins the episode-long arc of "SoFanda", the combination of the personalities of all four women, a fictitious figure for whom they can plan a wedding reception. This leads to some of my favorite material of the series so far, in terms of straight-up comedy. Fausta wants a wedding band that plays Spanish funk, over the protestations of Sonia, who is a fan of scat (resulting Sarah Baker going all-in on a rendition of "My Funny Valentine" that wound up being my favorite moment of the episode, although it mostly just played over a montage building towards the episode's climax). In one particularly great gag, Owen (the criminally underused Tyler James Williams) is made to try on wedding dresses, and while it's a bit of a comedy cliche to have the male actually end up liking the feel of women's clothes, it works perfectly here, probably because it's simply just a great sight gag by itself. Ultimately, the women set aside their disagreements and come to a workable solution to their party, inviting the entire group, and instantly making me wish I had people in my life who were given to throwing parties on a whim to celebrate themselves. But I don't think I know anyone with the kind of money to a throw a reception like that.
Credit: NBC
"Pass Interference" is Go On in fine form. The comedic elements all landed, and the emotional beats felt sincere, and authentic. I'm really happy with the way this show is coming along, and I look forward to this show getting deeper into its run, so that it might play more off of its own mythology, and the interaction of its cast. As it stands right now, the show is right in its wheelhouse, equal parts quirky and poignant.
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