What I’m Watching: Suburgatory

Suburgatory: Season 1, Episode 12 “The Casino Trip” (B+)

Field trips can sometimes be unadvisable, but like last week’s installment, this show handles what could otherwise be seen as a stunt episode quite well. A trip to Atlantic City with the five most mismatched men was a recipe for hilarity, and it’s interesting to see the two obviously gay men being featured so prominently following Mr. Wolf’s coming out and subsequent trouble dealing with the fact that others aren’t so supportive of his being out in public. The revelation of Fred’s gambling problem proved odd and entertaining, as Sheila could sense everything that happened and he managed to spin it all in a very favorable way despite a failed suicide attempt in Atlantic City. Steven’s presence and his layered conversations with George added a new dimension to the complicated romance brewing between George and Dallas, now that George has seen exactly how he treats her and learned that he isn’t planning on sticking around for the coming year. He did do an impressive job of talking Fred down, however, so I guess he’s good for something. I loved Dallas’ immediate reaction to George telling her Tessa might be having a party, asking if she’d be invited, and I think that the relationship she has with Tessa is superb. Tessa’s romance with Scott isn’t going well, not because he’s a jerk but because he is too disturbed by seeing a vaginal birth in Africa to get physical. Dalia’s insistence on the correctness of “threeteen” was amusing, making the most of her brief appearance in this episode.