Wilfred: Season 4, Episode 7 “Responsibility” (B)
It makes sense that Ryan’s first stop after his disconcerting encounter with Bruce at the end of last episode would be to go see his mother. Recasting characters is rarely a smooth process, especially when it isn’t explained away by a chameleon nature, like Bruce was last week. If I had to find someone to replace Mary Steenburgen, Mimi Rogers, who I remember most prominently from “The Loop” and later seasons of “The X-Files,” would probably be my top choice. That said, she doesn’t feel as magnetically involved in her craziness, and it’s too bad since this could have been a more effective episode with Steenburgen in the role. It’s still an excellent opportunity to see Kristen get to take the spotlight and take pride in her ability to be ruthless and cruel, effortlessly crushing her brother in a brief meanness competition. It’s frustrating in a sense that we’ll never get to know Kristen all that well since we only see her as she is perceived by Ryan, but that’s part of what makes this show so enthralling, that we never quite get the full picture, only the way Ryan sees it and occasionally tidbits of what others know to be true which throws everything we think we know out the window. Wilfred getting hit by a car and becoming a three-legged dog was a twist I didn’t see coming, mainly because it’s a concrete development beyond his temporary cone that changes Wilfred in a major way that seems, for once, not to be borne of his own devices.
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