Go On - Recap: Altar-dash
Recap and review of Go On - Season 1 Episode 21 - Fast Breakup:
So Go On is on Thursdays now. Granted, it's only for the next two weeks, but I'll be interested to see how it affects ratings, as the show has shifted into a comfortable gear to where I find myself actively hoping it survives. "Fast Breakup" is one of the funniest episodes in the show's run, even though it doesn't really make significant use of its full ensemble. The running gag with "Ball", the K-BAL mascot who's basically a giant, anthropomorphic basketball, is tremendous, especially the bit where simply wearing the suit makes a person more dynamic, fun and exciting. It's an absolutely asinine thing to wish for, but I would love if the mascot became a regular character, just hanging out on the fringe of the action, making comments about the action of the episode like some absurd Greek chorus. However, in addition to ancillary gags like this, "Fast Breakup" has a story that also serves the comedy well, as Ryan (Matthew Perry) and Lauren (Laura Benanti) each have to confront a truth they'd rather not face. The subsequent solution for this problem leads to the episode spiraling out of control, in a good way, as Ryan and Lauren make things more complicated for each other, in their attempts to help.
Credit: NBC
On Ryan's end of things, he's trying to figure out how to deal with Carrie (Allison Miller), whose feelings re-enter the equation when she drunk dials him. Ryan isn't exactly sure how he feels, as he's clearly attracted to Carrie, but can't be certain if it's the best idea in the world to breach the lines of co-worker/friendship etiquette. Meanwhile, Lauren has gradually come to the realization that she doesn't want to marry Wyatt (Hayes MacArthur). Ryan and Lauren decide they can help each other out, with Ryan breaking the news to Wyatt while Lauren lets Carrie down gently on Ryan's behalf. It's an idea that, on the surface, appears to be just crazy enough to work. Unfortunately, Ryan is beguiled by Wyatt's peculiar charms, from his bread baking to his singing voice that conjures up nostalgia for the old country. In trying to let Wyatt know that Lauren wants out, Ryan inadvertently gets the wedding date moved up to the next day, in addition to leading Wyatt to believe that Lauren wants a family with him, and that they should start making that family later that night. Ryan has to let Wyatt off the hook before the bachelorette party that the women of the group are throwing for her, since she can't bring herself to tell the ladies of the group unless Wyatt knows.
Credit: NBC
The bachelorette party leads to several amusing comedic additions, such as Mr. K (Brett Gelman) imposing on the festivities without an invite, or Sonia (Sarah Baker) ordering a stripper who roleplays as a prospective new member of the grief counseling group, or Yolanda (Suzy Nakamura) passive-aggressively joking that if a "whore" like Lauren can get married, so can she (despite having no real evidence that Lauren is in any way promiscuous, or really anything more than just a regular flirt). Even Fausta (Tonita Castro) and her limited understanding of English once again contributing to yet another lost-in-translation gag manages to be funny without derailing the story momentum. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention Anne (Julie White), who spends most of the episode high, and going through the various stages that being high entails. It's a wonderful bit of physical comedy from Julie White, and is the kind of "show, don't tell" comedy that the show should do more often, as it lets us piece together Anne's situation from her body language before actually revealing anything. It doesn't really contribute to the story, but I found it good for a laugh.
Yet as Ryan makes things difficult for Lauren, so does Lauren make things awkward for Ryan. She does such a good job talking Carrie out of her crush that Ryan now feels miffed that Carrie isn't into him anymore. Ryan has long been established as a man with an ego that needs occasional feeding, so it comes as no surprise to learn that he liked having Carrie being into him. But it goes a bit further, as he recognizes that while he isn't exactly sure how he feels just yet, he was hoping that the possibility of things developing between the two would still remain down the line. Ryan, deciding along with Lauren that it's best to take their respective situations into their own hands, explains this to Carrie. He tells her that he cares about her a lot, and is attracted to her as well, but isn't sure if it's the best idea to be dating a coworker. Carrie then kisses Ryan, and quits her job, telling him that the ball is now in his court. It's an interesting development, to say the least, since I don't think Ryan-Carrie was the pairing the show would be going for when it first premiered. That said, I'm glad that they didn't go the more obvious Ryan-Lauren route, though it's briefly teased in the episode's conclusion.
Lauren, having broken up with Wyatt and resumed her position as leader of the study group, leans on Ryan for support in her post-breakup funk. Ryan is there to lend her encouragement by poignantly recounting how Lauren has helped him become a more stable person, and though Lauren shoots down what she initially perceives as a come-on, she mentions how glad she is to have Ryan to lean on, even if she never would have expected that they would develop this kind of friendship when she first met him. It's a sweet little moment, punctuated by Ryan getting the K-BAL mascot uniform for Lauren to wear in order to cheer her up. Like with all things related to the mascot, it works like a charm from a comedic standpoint, as the sight of Lauren dancing in the uniform is ridiculous enough to be good for a few laughs (even if it likely wasn't actually Laura Benanti in the suit).
Credit: NBC
"Fast Breakup" is one of the strongest episodes of this season, and with the finale fast-approaching, I'm actually interested to see how they wrap up the remaining loose threads of the season. I've never been big on the habit of structuring entire, long-standing arcs around will-they/won't-they stories in sitcoms, but there is a certain element to a potential Ryan-Carrie or Ryan-Lauren pairing that sparks interest. I guess that's sort of the point, and mostly why the episode succeeds, in addition to the comedy.