Take Three: Happyish

Happyish: Season 1, Episode 3 “Starring Vladimir Nabokov, Hippocrates and God” (B)

This show has no qualms about being angry and basically telling the whole world to go to hell, and so why not blame God for being so high and mighty and refusing to serve as a true example of his people by not internalizing and living their problems? I like that the show’s featured historic players tie in well to each episode and serve as a guiding theme more than anything else. Watching Thom’s team in action as they struggle to deal with layoffs and figuring out how best to send the company in a new direction is undeniably interesting, and it’s also marvelous to watch Thom invest so much of himself in trying to keep things stable, determined not to lose the New York Life account. Having his pitch be so flatly rejected as the Swedes won out was hard, and I think that takes away just about all of the energy Thom had left in doing what he was doing. The staff meetings with Thom, Jonathan, Gustaf, Gotfrid, David, and Maya are definitely entertaining, and I look forward to more such creative brainstorming sessions laced with negativity and fatalism. Thom arguing with and stomping on the Geico gecko was an amusing device, the latest brand incorporation to work in the show’s favor. Rob Reiner playing himself wasn’t particularly funny in its own right but it’s clear that his enthusiasm about the live-action elves is a bit over the top and not likely to lead somewhere positive once it reaches the general public.