What I’m Watching: Hung

Hung: Season 2, Episode 7 “The Middle East is Complicated” (B+)

What a fantastic title for a fantastic episode. Ray getting caught in between his Arab client and his Israeli neighbor over what kind of hummus he has in his fridge is absolutely hilarious, mostly because Ray has so many problems and, up until now, that wasn’t one of them. Lenore being a psycho and leaving her sweater at Ray’s house for Tanya is one thing, but having her describe what she would do to Man and Boy from “The Road” if she encountered them in a post-apocalyptic world and they had crossed her was completely ridiculous and far-gone. Tanya’s decision to take Charlie’s advice and spend some time in the bedroom with him was great, and it enabled Jane Adams to give a stunning performance that she should keep in mind if Emmy voters decide to rightfully acknowledge her next year (no luck this time, sadly). Ray doubting himself after seeing Mike’s success and beating himself up for asking him for tips is a fascinating character study, and I’m loving every minute of it. The scene where Ray’s neighbor described how wonderful it was to hear these made-up compliments from the people he pays to have sex with him was very intriguing, and even more astounding and surprising was to then see Ray actually do that when he was with Liz, insisting that his compliments wear heartfelt and truthful rather than just what he thought she would want to hear. Like the Middle East, this show is far more complicated that many might suspect.