A lot of people have been comparing Happy Endings to Friends lately. This is a silly thing to do. Friends was a 90s cultural phenomenon that was very of its time, and it launched a number of notable careers. Happy Endings may eventually become something like that, but making the comparison right now is unfair, because outside of the fact that they are both shows about six attractive people who live in a large urban area, they are very different. For example, Happy Endings is fast, man.
My original plan for covering the show was to round up all the funny jokes and post a couple notable GIFs — and I am still going to try to do that — but by the time last night’s season premiere was over I had PAGES of notes. I really don’t think there’s a show on TV that rips out more jokes in a single 30-minute block. Archer, maybe? I don’t know, it would be close. One thing I do know, however, is that Friends wasn’t anywhere near this fast. That’s not to say one show is inherently better than the other, although Happy Endings is definitely more my cup of hot but not too hot tea, just that they’re different. This is what I’m getting at: You don’t always have to compare things to other things, people. You can just let them be the thing they are.
All right, enough rambling. On to the highlights:
- Max’s pronunciation of Frasier (“Fray-zee-ur”) is the correct pronunciation from now on. Please make a note.
- “Trust us, the last thing we want is for things to get complicated like in It’s Complicated, so we’re gonna just go with it in like Just Go With It and be friends with benefits like in No Strings Attached.”
- The on-again, off-again, “keepin’ it cazsh like Franklin & Cazsh” couple thing is really hard for a show to pull off. I like the way they handled it in this episode, and I have a lot of trust in the people working on the show, but there’s only so much water in that well, you know? If I hadn’t literally just said not to compare this show to Friends, this is where I would tell you that I wanted a meteor to land on Ross and Rachel’s head. But I won’t say that, because that would make me a hypocrite.
- “Yo mama so fat she died.” No joke: If the Happy Endings people put together a Sinbrad comedy album and released it online for $5 like Louis C.K., I would buy it. I really, really would. (Also, Jane’s little “I’ve been coming so hard… home from work” thing? It delights me that they got that passed the censors.)
- If Brian Austin Green keeps making appearances on the show, I swear to God I will post the video of David Silver rapping. I won’t do it now, because this is the season premiere and I have other things to discuss, but I will do it one day. Mark my words.
- “Let me slip into something a little more naked.” Between Eliza Coupe in the bathroom and Elisha Cuthbert in the bed, Happy Endings went and got sexy. This is most assuredly not a complaint. High five.
- I want to be very clear about something: Please do not Misery me. Not even a little bit. I don’t care why or how (or, in Max and Penny’s case, for who) you would want to do it, just please do not. It does not seem very fun and I do not think I would like it.
- “I’ll tell you what doesn’t count: the Miami Heat’s most recent NBA championship. It was an injury-plagued, strike-shortened season. Therefore, Lebron still needs six rings to even get in the conversation with Jordan.” Marry me RIGHT NOW, Jane. RIGHT. NOW. I will be your little mister wife.
- Shoutout to Max and Penny for being best friends and loving each other and all that barf.
And finally, my favorite joke of the night:
- “When I saw you with Karrisa today, it took everything in my tiny body not to slap the crunchy curl out of her hair and send her back to whatever monster truck back seat she was born in.” “What makes you think she was born in a monster truck?” “She said she was from Florida.”
Take us home, Sinbrad.
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You missed the best joke of the bunch: “Also, Chris Bosh looks like one of Omar’s boyfriends from The Wire”
I didn’t realize how much I missed this show until I saw the episode.
Also, is “Nessy sighting” code for vagina?
I suspect it’s more of a Brad thing.
They totally know what they’re doing with the Alex/Dave thing.
Alex’s “we slept head to toe” seemed like a clear reference to that Seinfeld ep where Elaine and Jerry did the same. And Seinfeld was messing with the sexual tension cliche back in the 90s.
Man I missed this show.
Very happy this show is back. Came back just as strong as when it left. Sinbrad was a thing of beauty. And the sexy ladies were sexy and it made me happy.
Jane pixelated naked with the leg up, IN HEELS, on the bathtub gets no mention?
That scene gave me the sexiest heart attack.
I’ve kind of ignored this show in the past, but watched it last night and really liked it. It might grow on me.
Jane about to go full S&M and calling Brad her bitch was excellent.
“You two have fun talking like a couple of Scott Caan’s groomsmen”
Boo for Elisha wearing a bra and not doing the pixelated thing like Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apt 23.
She would have still been wearing a bra, it would just have been nude colored and then pixelated out.
Yeah like Alex’s character really fucks with a bra on. Give me a break.
The 1-2 punch of Happy Endings and The James Van Der Beek Show on Tuesday nights makes me a happy couch potato.
Things getting past the censors: “I’m selfless, and I have moves like Jagger… especially the ones he allegedly used on David Bowie on the 70′s”.
Awesome.
The Chris Bosh line had me rolling, but nothing was better than Max’s sinister voice.
“Sleepington’s: Nature’s lullaby”
“Lunesta: Nature’s Ambien”.
I would like to reiterate that I would have sex with 5/6 of the main characters on this show.
Aw, come on, don’t be so hard on Casey Wilson.
Happy Endings is a show featuring the five funniest people on TV… and Dave.
Dave’s got his deep V-necks going for him though.
Not even close to as many jokes per second as Archer. In the interest of not comparing things, don’t compare Archer to Happy Endings. HE is funny by cool parent standards. Archer is danger zone.
Lana. Lana. Lana. LANA!!!
What?!
…….danger zone….
Liked the episode, but was about to punch my TV if Dave said Cazsh one more time. Other than Alex in her underwear, I hated everything about their storyline, and very much enjoyed the other two. Brad is awesome. And damn the unneccessary censorship on Jane’s bathroom scene.
God damn I have missed this show. My wife and I reiterated last night that we would trade any 6 of our friends to have these characters actually in our lives. O
Aside from above, my other favorite parts:
Brad to Sinbrad, “Stall her!”
Penny saying “I did do the same thing to you” followed by a smash-cut to literally the exact same scenario right down to the graffited cast.
“Slinky with boobs”
The reveal of Alex being at the dinner table with Brad and Jane
oh and SINBRAD.
God damn I love this show.
The guys at the Basketball Jones were complaining earlier about the “strike-shortened” joke because the NBA was locked out, but I offer this – isn’t it funnier that she got a minor detail wrong? Like, women be gettin’ sports wrong, am I right, fellas?
Nit-picking Canadians.
They’re just bitter Canada hasn’t had a funny show since Kids in the Hall. And that the cast of KITH is old and fat now.
Todd and The Book of Pure Evil is from our neighbors in the north, and it’s pretty goddamn hilarious
I’m glad someone else caught the “Coming so hard” line. That + full on nakedness (not just the dumb “behind a door or other large object”) made me think that this show is not only funny but pushing network television boundaries.
As somebody who lives in Florida, I agree with Alex. We are all born or conceived in a monster truck.
It is one of the best shows on network TV.
It is one of the best shows on TV.
/fixed.
Thanks to Jane I’ll never look at Chris Bosh the same way again.
Friends sucked, this show gets funnier every episode and the season premiere was hilarious.
Also a fair point.
They seemed so self aware of the casual relationship thing (from the Dave’s cazsh hair line, which thank go they worked in) I’d like to think of it as parody as opposed to plot development.
I think you’re right, but even then I’m afraid it will have a short shelf life. I love it for now, I just hope they get in and out of it before it gets stale.
I’m more concerned about the Penny-Dave-Alex love triangle. It got discussed last night, and in the finale, and even made its way into the marketing (with Dave in between them in those bed promos, as opposed to the more traditional Max/Penny pairing).
Believe me, I understand the concern. Hopefully they take notes from Community and just have everyone sort of hook up and have things for one another and not let it drag the show down.
I feel like they learned their lesson from the “left at the alter” pilot.
I laughed so hard at the “So whack her first names should be ‘Knick Knack Patty! OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH SNAAAAAAAAP!” that my wife was actively concerned for my well being.
I think I heard you!
The ball and chain and I had our first simultaneous laughing fit since Felicity Hair Dave. This show is good for relationships.
You heard me? Then let me just say that the snorting wasn’t me.
That was me.
I couldn’t hear you over my own “never heard myself make those sounds before” laughter.
Shoot. I was all set to come here and post “OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH SNAAAP!”
Then I saw the video.
Also, I LOVE Jane’s overt hatred for LeBron.
She also made a joke last season about him lasting only four quarters.
I think it was 3 quarters.
Jane’s anti-Miami rant and Bosh kill means I would marry her on the spot