Round Two: People of Earth

People of Earth: Season 1, Episode 3 “Acceptance” (B+)

In its second week, this show demonstrated that its premise actually does work and that it’s able to relatively layered in both its comedy and its more sincere developments. When Richard first had something to share, everyone in the group groaned because he didn’t have a real update, but it turns out that he had in fact been served with divorce papers. I love that Amy Landecker from “Transparent” was the one who played Debbie, who, as soon as Richard asked her whether she was being coerced by the reptilians, lashed out at Richard for perpetuating this myth and then tracked him down at the meeting when he signed the forms in an unhelpful way. The best part of the whole thing was that, in acknowledging that she and Richard did have problems in their marriage, things were already bad by the time they were abducted. As viewers, we’re well aware that aliens do exist, and it’s nice to see that, even in this kind of situation, someone as level-headed, comparatively-speaking, as Debbie, still doesn’t try to deny the existence of aliens, deciding that being happy is more important than learning the truth. Gina definitely didn’t hit a raccoon, and her mention of that event has piqued the interest of several of her fellow group members. Though they’re not great at being emotive, the aliens are capable of looking through Kurt’s memory bank and identifying the license plate of the car that hit him, which is bad news for one of our human friends.

What I'm Watching: Wilfred

Wilfred: Season 1, Episode 4 "Acceptance" (B+)

This episode contains the most human contact we've seen yet for both of our main characters. The return of Kristen is certainly welcome, just as mad and vicious as she was in the pilot, spewing hatred and loathing for her brother. Ryan's efforts at making jokes didn't go over too well, as she claimed that laughing hurt too. It's good to see them bonding, but unfortunately it looks like that won't last too long with his latest antics involving saving his good friend Wilfred from certain doom and running out in the middle of his haircut adorned with a makeshift cape from the barber. Ed Helms is the show's first major guest star, playing the part of the peanut butter-obsessed Darryl. I half-expected Wilfred to be pulling Ryan's leg and making the whole thing up, but Darryl's fanatical, frightened reaction to Ryan pointing the squirt gun at him indicates that maybe it all was true. It's clear that Wilfred does depend on Ryan for some things, and Ryan did manage to train him to sit down by clicking and giving him a treat and keep him occupied by spraying him with the water gun. Wilfred's desire to save the bear is indicative of his occasional helplessness, and it proved quite hilarious as well. It's amusing that Wilfred picked up that guitar and decided to play a band, and that the bear was giving an important part in the band. Wilfred's comment about not being racist was quite funny, defending himself on the grounds that he can't see color.