What I’m Watching: United States of Al

United States of Al: Season 2, Episode 5 “Date/Didar” (B)

A big part of this show has always been that Al has had a different life experience that often leaves him unprepared for how things work in the United States. It’s understandable that he would think that Ariana would see the world similarly to him because of her heritage, but his expectations were way off. She did let him down gently when he expressed how all in he was on just the first date, but it’s hard to imagine that there’s a path forward for them given how heartbroken he was to find out that she was seeing other people. Lizzie was sweet to try to help Al, pushing him not to be too forward and to not complement her more than once a date, or once an hour based on his pushback, for instance. It’s good to see her featured in a mildly dramatic context, using her own wisdom from past relationships to coach someone who was coming at it from the complete opposite angle. I enjoyed seeing Vanessa and Art go to the drag race together and hearing them talk as legitimate friends who haven’t had the chance to really spend time together since Riley and Vanessa separated. Hazel getting punished for cheating provided a great opportunity for Riley to be able to try to teach her a lesson before eventually opting for a bonding experience that enabled them to do something together and then scare both Lizzie and Art by camouflaging themselves in the leaves while they were talking outside.