What I’m Watching: Wilfred

Wilfred: Season 1, Episode 6 “Conscience” (B+)

It’s weird to think of Wilfred and Ryan being in league together, both trying to achieve the same goal, but that’s part of what makes this episode so fun. It’s a big surprise to see Drew able to control Wilfred, and Ryan’s fascination with that fact, and his subsequent hitting of Wilfred later in the episode, is stirring to see since Wilfred really does control Wilfred’s life, as he points out when he asks Ryan why he does everything he says just like Wilfred does with Drew. I enjoyed Wilfred’s ability to predict Drew’s behavior and signature lines, and it was a blast to see Ryan egg Drew on to play with table tennis with him and draw out his competitive side. Of course, it’s the heart that Ryan has, and the conscience, that makes this show endearing, and therefore he feels entirely compelled to right the wrong that he has done in breaking up Drew and Jenna. Wilfred’s efforts to poison Ryan with chocolate and raisins were rather hilarious, as were his uber-serious phone calls to intimidate his easily fooled neighbor. Ryan’s gullibility, coupled with Wilfred’s aggressive desire to deceive, is what makes this show so immensely watchable on a weekly basis, and Wilfred’s behavior never gets old, thanks mostly to Ryan’s appalled, heartbroken reaction every single time. Other great moments from the episode were Wilfred’s promise to Ryan that his death would be his holiday, and Wilfred’s response to finding the easy bake oven that clearly belonged to Ryan and not to his sister.

What I’m Watching: Wilfred

Wilfred: Season 1, Episode 5 “Respect” (B+)

This episode was a bit of a leap (pun intended) for this show, but I think that’s a positive thing since it was very well-executed. Wilfred winning points by getting into bed with a patient who’s about to die was an unexpected turn of events, and it’s something that turned dark rather quickly. Wilfred’s craving for pizza and Ryan’s refusal to give him cheese was rather entertaining and also led to the dark path that involved Wilfred apparently suffocating a patient with a pillow and then pushing the nurse off the roof. Ryan being upset about being perceived as a hero while he’s not is a good exploration of his character, and that confrontation on the roof played almost like a horror movie. I like how it did turn comic later with Wilfred continually tricking Ryan into thinking he killed someone without explicitly denying it. Ryan’s gullibility, mostly courtesy of Elijah Wood’s wide eyes, really sells it. It was fun to see more of Jenna in this episode, revealing herself not to be as deep as perhaps Ryan might have thought, telling him frankly that some people will like him and some people will hate him before insisting on doing an expose about the suicidal thieving nurse rather than profiling the benefits of the hospice facility. Though they didn’t have all that much to do, I was pleased to see Charles Esten as Nick and Rashida Jones as the nurse. Wilfred’s description of a walk was also rather tempting: “By definition means by destination – even a cat knows that.”