What I’m Watching: Breeders

Breeders: Season 1, Episode 7 “No Exit” (B+)

I was going to start this review by noting that we’re past focusing on Ally mourning her father, but then I realized that his death did still pop up in two major ways. Giving Ally a ring that used to belong to him was very sentimental and far more touching than his disastrous environmentally-friendly first effort, and the arrival of sympathy flowers from Liam with an accompanying reference to a poem were the last straw in Paul’s miserable attempt to get his family to the park so that he could go through with his carefully-planned proposal. I appreciated the flashbacks to the first time he did it, which elicited a laugh and a lack of commitment from Ally. His father telling him he’d give him a hug if they were different people was his own form of lukewarm support, and his need to use the facilities prevented him from exercising any discretion with what Paul was trying to tell him. I enjoyed just how angry Paul got at Ally wanting to start the laundry before they left, and how she responded to his aggression by defiantly starting a second load. Showing up to the park with an umbrella to accept his proposal without actually saying the words was sweet, and I like that a moment like that could be so subtle and simple on this show. I know that awards attention is too much to hope for, but how cool and deserved would it be if these two stars or this show earned some accolades?