What I’m Watching: Suburgatory

Suburgatory: Season 1, Episode 6 “Charity Case” (B+)

It’s no surprise that, in these hellish suburbs, Tessa’s efforts to get everyone to stop being so wasteful would result in a charity drive for beauty products for the poor residents of Florida with less-than-perfect skin. What was most exciting about it was that it finally got Mr. Wolf excited about something, allowing Rex Lee to be utilized for a positive purpose. Up until now, he was pretty much wasted on this series, and it’s a pleasure to see him put to good, energetic use. I enjoyed the use of an Xtranormal video to explain the wastefulness, since that’s a tool I could see both Tessa and Mr. Wolf employing. Tessa becoming the charity chase after she brought Gladys, who took the Metro-North, to speak to everyone, was amusing, especially coupled with George’s situation with Noah. Lisa’s confusion about Gladys proved quite entertaining, and she’s the only one in the entire town who even came close to comprehending the point Tessa was trying to make, and she still missed the mark by so much. It’s never a good idea to indulge and try someone’s fancy shower, and George paid for – literally – starting with an injury to his teeth that required a crown that apparently cost a whopping $2600. Alan Tudyk hasn’t been put to marvelous use either, and while Noah still isn’t a spectacular character, it’s fun to see him making jokes with his dental assistant, played by Kate Micucci from “Scrubs” and “Raising Hope” and then recalling how he always thought that George was embarrassed by him when they were younger.