What I’m Watching: Casual

Casual: Season 3, Episode 5 “Look at Me” (B+)

This episode was fun because it featured all three main characters getting somewhere and then experiencing serious setbacks that made them question everything. Byron, who I totally did recognize as Chace Crawford, did not want the same thing at all as Val, and it went far deeper than just his obsession with the soufflé after she got mad that he wanted to go out for dinner when she’d rather not have to eat a side salad and then think about nothing else but craving a burrito. It was disconcerting to see Alex and Val decide to double-date at separate tables at the same bar again given the way things turned out the last time, and it was surprising to see that Alex’s fake date was actually a perfect match for him. He was thrilled about the honesty and about the sex, but that imploded very quickly when she dismissed him right away since he didn’t have a job. Val, on the other hand, had to suffer through Byron’s angry poem aimed at her, and then she decided to proposition the barista who had been pronouncing her name wrong for a few days. Laura got motivated quickly when she wanted to compete with the obnoxious Tracy, and she was on a roll until one person she tried to manipulate opened her eyes to the corrupt organization she was helping to sponsor. I’m eager to see where her new connection goes, and to see what happens with Alex’s job, which should at the very least keep him away from his horrible new tenant.