What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America (Season Finale)

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 8 “What’s In a Name?” (B+)

The short length of this show’s seasons makes it feel like it’s there one day and gone the next. This has been a productive season, seeing the boys make some impressive business moves only to have the real world rear its ugly head, and following Rene as his path to legitimacy doesn’t go exactly as planned. Then we have our fringe characters, who find themselves in unexpected new places as the show heads to hiatus before presumably returning for a third season sometime long from now. Kaplan only has to spend fifty-three days in jail, which is good, and he seems determined to leave something behind, mainly the memory of a good 25th hour party and some sage advice for Kaplan about the relative value of money. Rachel’s return to Edie didn’t yield much, and fortunately she has found a brand new job offer from Tim that might actually make her happy. Cam did well for himself, preventing a premature death for him and Domingo and instead proposing a business solution to Everton. At the same time, Rene’s snatching of the wrong guy resulted in Everton’s secret boyfriend being kidnapped instead, providing him with just the leverage he needed to get the Caribbean community off his back. Sadly, Debbie seems to be done with him, and I’m sure he won’t rebound from that well. Ben’s attempt to change the name of Crisp to Crunch so that he can keep the better name for himself didn’t go too smoothly, and accidentally revealing his affair with Nancy wasn’t bright either. Somehow, it looks like things are looking up, as Andy Sussman is back in and has just one question for our boys, which is “What’s next?” With that rallying cry, I certainly hope we get a chance to see just what is in store for these characters.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Luis Guzman as Rene

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 7 “The Friction” (B+)

Just when things were looking up, everything’s falling apart, and, surprisingly enough, it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that Ben is sleeping with Nancy. After all of their hard work, it’s unfortunate to see Ben and Cam so let down by Yosi’s excitable announcement of “Crisp by Yosi.” It seems that one of the guys is almost always for a move while the other is somewhat more against it. Cam was dead set against it, mainly because he wants to be an employer rather than an employee, and I imagine this is going to be a lasting point of contention between him and Ben. The revelation that it was Nancy who recommended Yosi and not the other girls represents a major negative development, and I think that the boys are going to be to square one after this. Cam may be in even worse shape with Rene after him looking to give him a beatdown for his collaboration with Domingo in selling the weed spray with the Rasta Monsta name. The East Flatbush Caribbean League’s involvement is definitely not a good step either. Debbie’s pregnancy comes as something of a surprise, and I’m wondering whether Rene will actually stick around. Unsurprisingly, Rachel is out of a job, and after some shrooms and an argument for free soup, she’s going to need a fresh start. Kaplan going to see Rene about prison was quite entertaining, and I do hope he’ll be alright. It’s crazy to realize that next week is the show’s season finale, but I suppose we’ve come pretty far this season.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 6 “I’m Sorry, Who’s Yosi?” (B+)

It’s always great to discover after you’ve already entered into an unadvisable tryst that there’s something else at play that makes it even less advisable. Ben’s decision to sleep with Nancy at the end of last week’s episode wasn’t smart, and now that he knows she has a husband, he’s even dumber for letting it continue. When Cam is the sensible, sane one, there’s clearly something wrong. Yosi seems quite gregarious, and more problematically, seems to really like Ben, which is going to make his inevitable discovery of his wife’s infidelity with Ben sting all the more. Their interaction at his birthday party is particularly egregious, and they’re about as subtle as Kitty and Ben on “Boss” about where and when they elect to do it. Getting an advance check of such proportions is a huge deal, and hopefully they’ll be able to use it on something other than bailing David out of jail, though it’s nice that it was their first thought. David’s apprehension was rather amusing, and since he’s rarely involved in the central affairs of his friends, I’m curious to see how his theoretical incarceration would affect the show. Rene’s initial tactics with Everton Thompson from the East Flatbush Caribbean League didn’t go too well, and it’s good that he’s finally wising up and trying to settle things peacefully, even if he doesn’t really have much say in the matter anymore. Rachel’s time at Biscuit is sure to come to a swift end soon since she so blatantly disregards her boss’ instructions, though her pursuit of interests may indeed help her discover herself.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 5 “Mofongo” (B+)

This show likes to focus on events, staying in the moment as its main characters do their best to hype their product, sticking with it until they’re able to pitch their product and actually have it be received well. Nancy doesn’t seem to be delivering too well for Ben and Cam, and she seems just as iffy about whether they can mass produce for the kind of clientele they’ve expressed interest in serving. Christin and Kirsten didn’t come off as terribly bright, but that made them exactly the right audience for Ben and Cam to pitch to, and their efforts paid off when they decided to throw them a bone and call in a few orders for them. Nancy was not happy about Ben’s persistence, and I was shocked that he actually made a move on her, something which is definitely ill-advised. She didn’t look to be having any of it, but then she gave in and changed her mind, which is sure to have negative repercussions in the near future. Rachel doesn’t appear to be fully sold on Domingo as a boyfriend after their horribly awkward interaction, though fortunately, thanks to Cam, Domingo was able to make peace with Ben, resolving some serious discomfort. It’s good that Rachel is trying to invest in her own happiness, going on a late-night drunk bike ride just because she feels like it. Surprisingly enough, the purest actions in this episode come from Rene, tracking down Nilda and telling her she can be whatever kind of person she wants to be, proving his devotion to Debbie.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 4 “It’s Not Even Like That” (B+)

I completely neglected to mention last week the guest appearance of Joe Pantoliano as Felix, offering up a wry, highly entertaining performance opposite Cam’s excitable personality. I’m glad to see that he’s sticking around in a recurring role, agreeing to let his place be used for the photo shoot and then starring in it after the main model fell through. Domingo asking Ben if he’d be okay with him asking Rachel out was a good move, but it’s a real shame that Rachel had to go ahead and tell him they’re dating, making Domingo seem like a huge jerk for asking only after the fact. The two of them were having a good moment, and it’s too bad that they can’t just get together already and realize that they’re supposed to be with each other. I fear that Ben is going to reject her quite a bit now, and things won’t be smooth between the two of them. I enjoyed Rachel’s boss pointing out that she has an angry listening face, which now that I think about it, is totally true, and it’s highly amusing that everyone else thought the exact same thing. Rene is doing a good job of collecting money owed to him, but he’s not doing as well with his relationship, as a purchase of fake diamonds got him the boot and will likely require him to do some serious penance in order to get back into his lady’s good graces again. I do hope that David doesn’t end up in jail, since that’s an awfully serious twist for such an underused fringe character.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 3 “Money, Power, Private School” (B+)

I have to commend Ben for his willingness to do something that might not at first seem beneficial for their business, something which Cam strongly opposed and only later came to understand. Nancy can definitely do a lot for the boys, and their ability to create a shirt design for her son’s middle school shows their dedication to becoming serious business people, even if the design won’t prove to be as politically correct or acceptable as the middle school educators might hope. Ben’s breakup with Julie was rather pathetic, but there’s something to be said for his being honest and not choosing to lead her on any further. Rachel seems a bit too excited about this news, but at least she’s playing her cards right and not telling Ben that she spent $1200 on his gift. Sleeping with Domingo is hardly her proudest moment, and it’s definitely going to complicate matters if she tries to get back together with Ben, which seems inevitable despite his surprising proclamation to her about what he remembers of their relationship. Rene’s Rasta Monsta stunt was rather ill-fated, but it was definitely dramatic, and now he has some impressive leverage to hold over his girlfriend’s daughter to get her to be a bit more polite to her mother. Andy Sussman doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere, even if his tactics aren’t working terribly well in impressing Ben and enticing him to give him the shot that he likely deserves. I have a feeling he’ll get it eventually though.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 2 “In or Out” (B+)

I’m pleased to report that this is an infinitely better installment than last week’s episode, and I now have no plans to stop watching this show as I had briefly considered doing last week. Business continues to be an uphill battle, but at least they’re both putting some effort into trying to get Crisp out there. Unfortunately, they shouldn’t be quite as liberal with their multiple enlistments. Andy Sussman seemed extraordinarily dedicated to helping them out, even if he did seem like a bit of a novice, and now he seems just as passionate with his fury after feeling betrayed by them immediately looking into the possibility of having a different rep. Gina Gershon seems like she’ll be an interesting addition to the show as Nancy Frankenburg, someone who will likely be helpful to Ben and will certainly help him grow as a professional. Ben and Cam getting into a rather unimpressive physical fight in her son’s room is the opposite of professional, so they’ll have to stop that kind of stuff soon if they want to be taken seriously. Rene seems to be quite proficient at ruining people’s lives, getting one guy fired immediately after a failed pitch meeting and then threatening to make another the world’s first one-legged skateboarder. Rachel did a commendable job getting herself a new job, and it seems that her main concern now is that she’s going to be trapped in the new prison she’s created for herself. It’s a good thing that she’s headed off in her own direction and might even have her own interesting plotline.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 2, Episode 1 “I’m Good” (C+)

It’s been almost a year and a half since this show was last on the air, and unlike some other HBO fare, I haven’t really missed it. Like some other HBO fare, it took its time to get started, but it never reached such an unbelievable apex of quality. It has a very ephemeral quality which doesn’t make following it on a weekly basis nearly as exciting as it does for other series. Its musical montage start shows that their stuff is really getting out there, but it doesn’t help to add much depth. The specific workings of the fashion world have never been this show’s best assets, and therefore a post-feminist fetish show for Crisp just seems a bit strange. At least we get to end on a decently positive note, with Crisp selling 55 units with a gun going off and without its creators even being there to sell it. Ben’s poor decision to get high resulted in some seriously silly events, including Ben crawling out of the top of a subway car, running out onto the tracks, and then dunking himself in a fountain. Bryan Greenberg’s iffy acting didn’t help that all too much. Rachel meeting Ben’s new girlfriend, who promptly asked her if she wanted to freak Ben out, was an intriguing occurrence, and I’m also pleased to note Michael Zegen from “Rescue Me,” also seen an hour earlier on “Boardwalk Empire,” appearing as potential new sales rep Andy Sussman. Rene’s pursuit of Debbie is actually somewhat sweet, and hopefully both Rasta Monsta and Crisp can both succeed without getting in each other’s way.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America (Season Finale)

How to Make It in America: Season 1, Episode 8 “Never Say Die” (B+)

Watching this episode, I had no idea that it was the season finale already! These HBO comedies move so fast, with only eight to ten episodes to reel viewers in before they go off the air indefinitely. This one, unlike “Bored to Death” and “Hung,” hasn’t even been renewed for a second go-round yet. Chances are that it will, but nothing is certain. Like those other two shows, it did improve steadily after a shaky start, and there’s now a sense that these guys are headed somewhere and that they may just live up to the premise of the title. The most important development in this final episode is Rene’s talk with Cam about how he wants him to succeed in his legitimate business, and about how he too has debts that he needs to pay off. Cam’s outburst to Rene was somewhat satisfying and somewhat terrifying due to the likely response it would prompt from Rene. Fortunately, the extent of Rene’s wrath was a humorous comment about the “tooth fairy come to knock your teeth out” and a request for some XXXL T-shirts for his buddies. Ben and Cam have now hit it big, but they’re not enough in the clear to prevent any future setbacks. Rachel is moving on with her life all of a sudden, and may even be abandoning everything in New York to pursue her own sense of what her life should be like. In the end, she wasn’t so connected to Ben or anything, but maybe she’ll be like Brenda in “Six Feet Under” and return after going off in search of herself. If this show does come back, I think I’ll be into it, though I definitely think that pairing it with “Entourage” would increase its chances of success one hundred fold.

Season grade: B
Season MVP: Martha Plimpton as Edie

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 1, Episode 7 “Keep on Truck’n” (B+)

And down the toilet these characters’ lives go. With the Rasta Monsta truck and their shirts stolen, Cam and Ben are now out of luck and back to square one, with more than one major debt to be repaid. While I imagined this would eventually happen, I didn’t think that the characters would be nearly as sympathetic. While Cam is certainly in sure for some major consequences as a result of Rene’s fury, Ben now has to choose between two women. His big decision to finally go on a road trip with the new girl was followed immediately by finding his ex-girlfriend drunk on his doorstep. Rachel’s life really is blowing up, as Darren contracts Edie and Rachel to design his hotel. I liked Rachel’s response to Edie’s offer to make Rachel a partner if she did the hotel, “and what if I don’t?” I’d love to see Edie and Darren interacting some more, but clearly Rachel and Darren clearly aren’t meant for each other. My favorite part of the whole thing is the people interacting with Rene. The old mentor from “The Pretender,” Patrick Bauchau, makes for a great head honcho, but he’s nowhere near as incredible as John Carroll Lynch as Rene’s parole officer. Having him constantly poke his head into Rene’s affairs to catch him in the middle of an illegal act and send him back to jail could be obnoxious, but he’s such a terrific character and therefore it will be a delight to have him around all the time. It’s also probably a good thing for Ben and Cam to have someone watching Rene to ensure that he doesn’t make their lives completely miserable.

What I'm Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 1, Episode 6 "Good Vintage" (B-)

After last week's episode, I'm much more pleased generally with this show, but I must admit that this week's installment wasn't nearly as entertaining as last week's. Ben and Cam keep lucking out like crazy, which actually works well because it enables them to interact with some fun people and to make great new contacts. Margarita Levieva is a fantastic addition to the show as the flirtatious Julie, and I'm hopeful that she'll return in the future and have a recurring role on the show. It's nice to see Ben finally standing up for himself, even if it does get him fired. It’s a sign that hopefully he’ll be making bolder moves in the future that should definitely help him get ahead. I’ve now come around to the device of the quick flashbacks featuring a smattering of photographs, especially how it worked out for showing Darren’s many makeout sessions, including one of him kissing a dog. Forcibly asking Rachel to move in with him after that night doesn’t strike me as the smartest move, and I can’t see this relationship playing out for much longer. Rene’s attempts to seek out revenge were entertaining, and my favorite part was his pre-confession to the priest, who then helped to point him in the right direction a little part. Reenacting his schoolyard sucker-punch was another great move from this intimidating criminal supposedly trying to make a straight of it. I’m sure he’ll fall completely back into his old ways soon, but seeing him try to keep clean is amusing.

What I’m Watching: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 1, Episode 5 “Big in Japan” (B)

I’m happy to announce that, while I’m not completely on board with this show now, I did enjoy this episode a whole lot more than all the previous one. To begin with, it’s much funnier than those that came before it, and it had me chuckling more than a few times. One of the things about “Entourage” over the past season or two that has been problematic is that the guys ran into disappointment after disappointment when all they were doing was just trying to catch a break. I had feared this might be the case here, but fortunately Ben and Cam seem to have had some luck by running into an old friend who has become a success on the street, and then getting a meeting with a Japanese buyer out of a quick coffee. The good fortune that he liked Ben’s homemade shirt is a nice surprise, and therefore these two should see some easy cash in their near fortune and an unexpected entry into the business. Ben’s refusal to give a 12-year-old a cigarette was amusing, as was the punk’s reaction to the rejection. Rene also proved to be very entertaining in his quest to recover a stored package. Bringing his grandma along to his meeting with his cousin’s ex-wife so that he could yell at her for swearing at him in front of her was a pretty slick move, and him getting a look from her for putting his feet on the table was quite funny as well. Darren viciously eating the Cheetos and the ensuing plotline was terrific, and of course Edie would have ecstasy just lying around in a nearby drawer. I’m definitely starting to like this side plotline involving Rachel much more, even if she herself doesn’t have a lot to do with it.

What I’m Watching: How to Make it in America

How to Make it in America: Season 1, Episode 4 “Unhappy Birthday” (C+)

We’re four episodes in now, and while the show seems to have gotten off the ground a bit, it hasn’t gone far and still isn’t terribly interesting. The friendship between Ben and Cam is being defined as very close, with Cam bailing on an opportunity to make $450 in one night to comfort his best bud after he learns that it’s his ex-girlfriend’s birthday. What still seems unconnected is everything involving Rachel, who is there only as someone for Ben to yearn after and presumably eventually get. The crucial difference between this and something like Hank and Karen in season one of “Californication” is that they shared a child. In this case, they have nothing linking them except a friend in common. The reason that Rachel’s presence on the show is worthwhile, however, is her boss. Martha Plimpton is hilarious as Edie, who makes reservation for her employee’s birthday and pledges to get her so high that she won’t notice if the man at dinner is her current boyfriend or her ex. The conversation at dinner was entertaining, and I’m not sure whether to be impressed with Darren, who lied about purposely changing his flight but then managed to save his reputation and elicit delight from Rachel’s friends with a sweet remark. Their run-in with Ben was pretty awkward, and I don’t think that seeing Ben and Rachel together again would really be that great. Seeing less of David Kaplan would be fine since he’s just a little too awkward, and the way he so callously throws around his money is definitely going to come back to haunt him one day.

Take Three: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 1, Episode 3 “Paper, Denim + Dollars” (C)

I’m still not any more impressed with this show than I have been since it first started two weeks ago. There’s no particular hook other than seeing these two guys continually come up against obstacles in their hapless quest to produce a line of denim jeans without ever considering any of their next steps. There’s something naively hopeful about the way they just keep on going, and the parting shot of the two wannabe entrepreneurs and their new partner is somewhat inspiring. The road to that point, however, is paved with dullness and unexciting scenes. These guys sure do go to a lot of parties, but the pair just isn’t all that interesting. Apparently the scope of this show is broader than just the two of them, however, since two characters come into very clear focus in tangential plotlines not at all connected to Ben and Cam, and even Eddie Kaye Thomas’ David Kaplan is only a phone call away. Rene is proving to be a force to be reckoned with, and it seems inevitable that he’ll get wind of the potential success of Ben and Cam’s operation and try to seize it out from under them. It’s strange that Lake Bell’s Rachel is being positioned as a central character since she’ll likely have no more to do with Ben than her brief meetings with him in the previous two episodes. Her boss does seem to be the most entertaining personality on this show, and the way she described her work as important was pretty amusing. Maybe the denim business will become part of their work sometime soon?

Round Two: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America: Season 1, Episode 2 “Crisp” (C-)

So what we have here are two guys who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing and think that the best use of their time and their surprisingly impressive ability to make connections is to ignore the advice of professionals and fumble their way through making a new denim jeans line. It hardly seems a worthwhile endeavor, and the prospect of following along with this show is just as unappealing and dim. Nevertheless, I’m planning to stick with it for at least a few more episodes in case it does get better with time as HBO’s previous two comedies did. I suppose the title suggests that it’s all about learning a lesson or two in order to hit and big. I just hope the lessons learned following failures amount to something rather than just repeated failures. I’m increasingly unimpressed by Bryan Greenberg as the lead for this show, and part of that should be attributed to the fact that he delivered a similarly bland and boring performance in this past weekend’s “The Good Guy,” and I’m starting to think this man just isn’t capable of much. I’m also unsurprised by the lacking turn by Lake Bell as Ben’s ex-girlfriend who can’t seem to stay out of his life. While I have liked Victor Rasuk in the past, he’s simply too front-and-center in this show and never seems to pipe down. It looks like Luis Guzman’s bad boy cousin Rene is going to take a more active role in the show, and that likely means bankrolling their denim operation in exchange for a profit down the road. I can’t imagine that will go very well, but hey, that’s the point, isn’t it?

Pilot Review: How to Make It in America

How to Make It in America (HBO)
Premiered February 14 at 10pm

This show has been hailed as a very similar version of “Entourage,” which isn’t surprising because it comes from the same creative team. Looking at the two in comparison, the new show is an extremely unimpressive copy. It’s not as HBO’s hit series, which will begin its seventh season this summer, took time to develop and hone the relationship dynamic of its quartet. From its first installment, the interaction between the four buddies clearly demonstrated their lifelong friendship, and the show immediately found its signature cool tone. Yet it’s important to mention that HBO’s two most recent comedy series, “Hung” and “Bored to Death,” both had lackluster pilot and secondary episodes, and it wasn’t until the third episode that things really turned around and became quality shows. This one, however, pales in comparison to those two even with only its first episode. The main characters have yet to be ironed out, and this is very much a show in transition about people in transition. It favors fleeting flashbacks to fill in missing pieces of information rather than actual human conversations, and has no clear focal point. It doesn’t seem to be about anything in particular, and its all-encompassing title means that its subject matter could be excessively broad. The cast is disappointing at best, and with the exception of the two leads, it’s not apparent who will actually have a large part to play in the series as a whole. Bryan Greenberg, whose credits include “One Tree Hill” and “October Road,” seems remarkably uncomfortable in his own skin as main character Ben, and his costar Victor Rasuk seems to be picking up all of the slack. Rasuk, first seen five feet high and rising in director Peter Sollett’s short film and subsequent feature “Raising Victor Vargas,” is lazy, uninspired, overly chatty, and just generally self-involved. Supporting roles played by Eddie Kaye Thomas and Luis Guzman seem like poor fits for the actors since both characters are hardly comic enough. On the top of the disappointing cast, this show just doesn’t have much to offer, and there doesn’t seem to be any real appeal.

How will it work as a series? As I stated before, HBO shows recently have taken some time to find their footing, and therefore I won’t give up on this show just yet. If the path of these two characters and the importance of the supporting players can be properly ironed out in the coming episodes, this show may be able to prove itself as a worthwhile show. Many fans of “The Office” found “Parks and Recreation” unfunny at first, so perhaps this show might need a bit of time as well.
How long will it last? As a cable network, HBO puts much more faith in its shows than a broadcast network might, and therefore this show might find itself on the path to early renewal quite soon based purely on the goodwill that “Entourage” has inspired. I doubt it will have the lasting power of that show, but I think it may be subject to a premature renewal even if reviews aren’t strong.

Pilot grade: C