What I’m Watching: Samantha Who?

Samantha Who: Season 2, Episodes 15 & 16 “Todd’s Job” & “The Sister” (B/C+)

“Samantha Who” is now airing double episodes each week because “In the Motherhood” was deemed to be too unbearable to even burn off its episodes in the summer. This is especially interesting because the CW has just announced that they will broadcast the leftovers of their two abysmal shows, “Easy Money” and “Valentine,” proving that just about anything can make it onto TV during the summer these days. Among all these, “Samantha Who” is the one that once was in fact successful, and now it’s just suffering from an appropriate sense of purposelessness. The second episode in particular introduces family member after family member for no reason, with no hope of revisiting them but rather as a one-like joke for Sam to repeat over and over. The first episode was fun because it centered on Todd, and Sam’s inability to slash tires proved amusing. These two episodes prove, if nothing else, that this show is utilizing its gimmick of amnesia well these days, but in a different way than originally. It’s not what Sam doesn’t know (at least in the case of the first episode), but rather how she responds to situations because of sudden flashback-induced realizations. It’s productive, especially in the second episode, to determine that the giving of the bowl wasn’t even a monumental or meaningful event. Unfortunately, it’s too late to institute that, and having an episode with new family members constantly popping up doesn’t make a good case for the potential life of this show. The relationships between the other characters are, of course, still the strongest thing this show has going for it. Regina trying to sell Dena’s house was fun, but seeing her reaction turn into sincere sadness and Howard come to her unsuspecting aid was nice. In episode two, Andrea’s plotline was the best part. Her displeasure at being the subject of everyone’s hatred is immediately made dramatic and affecting when Tony tells her that he sees his whole future at risk when he sees Andrea, and she offers him the photo of herself to remind him that everyone has something to hide. This show does have heart – it just doesn’t have much left of it; only a few more episodes.