What I’m Watching: Life in Pieces

Life in Pieces: Season 1, Episode 13 “Party Lobster Gym Sale” (B-)

This show is starting to graduate from its need to have self-contained plotlines, past the point of having other characters appear in the vignettes mostly starring certain players but also not necessarily tying up the segment in a neat little bow. Take the first part in this episode, in which Greg decided that he needed to get into shape and that joining a gym was the smart thing to do. Drinking protein shakes with absurd fat and calorie content after eating six eggs was one thing, but he was clearly getting too into the whole idea, claiming that it was about spending more time with the baby when he was too busy shaving his legs or getting ready for a big run. Ending in the middle of that craziness means that the plotline may well rear its head again, and this may not be the last we’ve seen of workout-crazy Greg. The best part of the Morgan children having a party while their parents were away for the night was Matt and Colleen’s excitement at being able to come in and bust the party pretending to be cops, followed by Matt’s assertion that Tyler owed him, only to be satisfied with having his $20 debt forgiven. That Heather and Tim’s first step in the accusation process was to have their young daughter think she was drinking a bottle of vodka was rather aggressive and brash, but they’re pretty intense people. The lobster plotline wasn’t too worthwhile, and ended predictably with John being the surprisingly sentimental one. The garage sale segment was highlighted by Joan’s response to finding all of her stuff for sale – take home the profits.