Round Two: Making History

Making History: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Shot Heard Round the World” (B+)

I wasn’t sure how this show was going to work week-to-week, but this very funny second installment really impressed me and gave me confidence. The way that some history is preserved, like Dan and Chris struggling over the gun so they actually couldn’t tell who fired the first shot and Deborah going riding disguised as her father telling everyone that the British were coming (to take their guns), is fun because it isn’t meant to be serious but does make a little bit of sense, especially in this show’s reality. The mockery of olden times is fantastic, with the inability of Sam Adams and John Hancock to take Chris seriously because he wasn’t wearing a wig and talking about what plans people had the next few fortnights. Deborah being so inspired by the wrapper of a Peppermint Patty was great, and she seems very set to explore the future, even if most of the things she wants to see haven’t yet been invented, and it’s logical given how horrible her father is, relieved to learn that she is still alive because that means that she can now do his laundry. The casting of Brett Gelman from “Married” as Paul Revere was spot-on, and it’s probably the best use of that actor that I’ve seen yet. The parody of the colonial Americans being so obsessed with their guns was entertaining if all too realistic, and it turns out that those same guns had immediate negative consequences, with Chris’ new best friend Davey being the first casualty of reckless shooting.