Sunday, December 6, 2015

What I’m Watching: Grandfathered


Grandfathered: Season 1, Episode 9 “Jimmy and Son” (B+)

It had to happen eventually that Jimmy would try to encourage Gerald to be like his old man by giving him a job for which he was wholly unsuited at his restaurant. What makes Gerald a great character is that he has this casual attitude about most things that shows a lack of interest in much else other than spending time with Edie and just generally trying to be a good person. Jimmy doesn’t exactly exude those principles, and that’s what made the creation of Gerald the slick host a delight to watch. His initial efforts were a trainwreck, to be sure, and I like that it all led to the revelation that Gerald is actually perfect for one particular job at the restaurant: managing the disaster of a parking lot and using his logistical prowess to expedite the situation. An unexpected treat was Ravi’s plotline, which was far more sophisticated than usual, with his important realization that, counter to what Annelise thought, being the class clown was the best way for Ravi to cultivate respect from his subordinates in the kitchen. The revolving door of people coming in and out of Jimmy’s back office was a humorous subplot. The best storyline of the episode, however, was Sara’s horror of a sexy pic, which she accidentally sent to Jimmy. I still contend that Paget Brewster is one of the best things about this show, and her performance in this episode was extremely entertaining, assisted well by the reactions of John Stamos and Andy Daly.

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