What I’m Watching: Life in Pieces

Life in Pieces: Season 1, Episode 19 “War Pestilence Famine Death” (B)

What a brutal title this episode had, one that wasn’t really matched by the nature of its events. John and Joan trying their best to make the most of redefined property lines worked out very poorly, and casting J.B. Smoove from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as one of those pushy neighbors who happened to have lost a limb that made all the accidental references the Shorts made pretty cringe-worthy was a fitting choice. It wasn’t a terribly funny plotline, but it is nice to see John and Joan united for once instead of tiptoeing around each other trying to keep something secret. The same can’t be said for the final vignette, which had John dying for a few seconds while Dan was operating on him. Martin Starr’s exterminator was a certifiably weird addition, managing to mess up completely by spilling the beans to his wife about Greg’s Playboy-posing girlfriend without giving her the right context after showing up completely invited with his equally odd wife. I like that the vignette was more about Jen not believing that Greg actually dated a model and less about the pestilence which we saw in full play when the rat dragged the Playboy along the floor while neither of them were looking. I like that Colleen is still a full-fledged part of this show, and that their post-breakup relationship is not nearly as civil and tranquil as it should be, best exemplified by the blow-up fight that happened in very close quarters while all the adult couples were stuck in stopped traffic.