Me, Myself and I: Season 1, Episode 13 “There She Goes” (B+)
I think I expected a bit more closure from this episode, which wasn’t realistic given that this was just the final installment of the thirteen that were originally prepared and were supposed to lead into something more before the show was pulled from the air way back in October. What I will commend this show on is that it didn’t get bogged down by its multiple time periods and a need to make them all feel equivalent. I forgot that Allison Tolman’s ex-wife was named Sara and thought for a while that maybe young Julia would turn out to be the woman that Alex would marry, only to learn that she was just another memory from Alex’s life in which he invested in a big way to impress someone with an invention and a whole lot of heart. Vanessa Williams’ Kelly wasn’t the one for him, as she realized just how upset he was by Eleanor’s announcement that she was moving away, and so we got that pretty fantastic kiss in the future to end their relationship forever. Closing out the episode – and the show – with Alex moving on somewhere new with his daughter was fitting since Riley is a constant in the way that his romantic companions aren’t. I would have loved to see more of this show and certainly found it much better than something like “9JKL,” which lasted three more episodes and a few more months. I’m sure it will be quickly forgotten, but I was a fan!
Series grade: B+
Series MVP: Jack Dylan Grazer as Young Alex
Showing posts with label Me Myself and I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Me Myself and I. Show all posts
Friday, August 10, 2018
Thursday, July 26, 2018
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I (Penultimate Episode)
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 12 “The Break Up” (B+)
This inability to hear the words Nori says because he’s in love with her is a real crutch with Alex, and not knowing that she was running for student council president really wasn’t as bad as his accidental blurting out of “I love you, Nori” on the microphone during the debate. For all the antics of the election, including Justin’s stint as a harried campaign manager, it was sweet to see that, as soon as he won, he realized that what Nori wanted was important and that they could easily work together to achieve their desired aims. Knowing that their friendship stays platonic is sad, especially with no sign of Eleanor in his future in this episode, but maybe they’ll be able to get to some place that feels like a happy ending in the one remaining installment. Alex’s breakup with Lisa didn’t go terribly well, and he almost made it to the end of the party without revealing that he had opted to have sex with her even when he already knew that they weren’t going to last rather than doing the right thing and breaking it off at that point. The Alex we know at that time period is very different from the one we see as a child, and I’d like to think that Lisa’s organizational tendencies might have been more appealing to his younger self. In the future, Alex’s resistance to Abby switching teams to his most hated rivals was entertaining, especially when he heard her say that she had made the move to be closer to him. Walking into the diner with his face painted was a perfect apology.
This inability to hear the words Nori says because he’s in love with her is a real crutch with Alex, and not knowing that she was running for student council president really wasn’t as bad as his accidental blurting out of “I love you, Nori” on the microphone during the debate. For all the antics of the election, including Justin’s stint as a harried campaign manager, it was sweet to see that, as soon as he won, he realized that what Nori wanted was important and that they could easily work together to achieve their desired aims. Knowing that their friendship stays platonic is sad, especially with no sign of Eleanor in his future in this episode, but maybe they’ll be able to get to some place that feels like a happy ending in the one remaining installment. Alex’s breakup with Lisa didn’t go terribly well, and he almost made it to the end of the party without revealing that he had opted to have sex with her even when he already knew that they weren’t going to last rather than doing the right thing and breaking it off at that point. The Alex we know at that time period is very different from the one we see as a child, and I’d like to think that Lisa’s organizational tendencies might have been more appealing to his younger self. In the future, Alex’s resistance to Abby switching teams to his most hated rivals was entertaining, especially when he heard her say that she had made the move to be closer to him. Walking into the diner with his face painted was a perfect apology.
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 11 “Phil Ricozzi” (B+)
I wondered how Alex’s number one nemesis Phil Ricozzi was going to fit into all three eras of his life, and it was creative to have him die in the future so that Eleanor had to ask Phil to attend his funeral with her, something that he only wanted to do so that, if Phil was looking down (or up) at the world, he would be jealous that Alex was the one by Eleanor’s side. Clearly it wasn’t just Alex who carried this childhood feud with him, since Phil gleefully heard the pitch from Alex and Darryl before shutting it down just so that he could get his revenge on Alex for ruining the relationship he could have had with Nori. Alex has always been smart, and not just with his inventions, and therefore his suggestion of a faked fight was exactly the solution needed. Unfortunately, he’s not a terrific actor, and he’s also a rule-follower, so he confessed at the wrong moment, negating the brilliance of his effort. We know that eventually he made it back, so Phil torpedoing his pitch isn’t a big deal, and it was impressive to see him grow when he delivered his unwilling eulogy at the man’s funeral, recognizing the ways in which Phil helped him along in life, even if he couldn’t appreciate those seemingly harsh and horrible moments until after his passing. And he even managed to win some brownie points with Eleanor, though the way in which he acknowledged it probably didn’t help.
I wondered how Alex’s number one nemesis Phil Ricozzi was going to fit into all three eras of his life, and it was creative to have him die in the future so that Eleanor had to ask Phil to attend his funeral with her, something that he only wanted to do so that, if Phil was looking down (or up) at the world, he would be jealous that Alex was the one by Eleanor’s side. Clearly it wasn’t just Alex who carried this childhood feud with him, since Phil gleefully heard the pitch from Alex and Darryl before shutting it down just so that he could get his revenge on Alex for ruining the relationship he could have had with Nori. Alex has always been smart, and not just with his inventions, and therefore his suggestion of a faked fight was exactly the solution needed. Unfortunately, he’s not a terrific actor, and he’s also a rule-follower, so he confessed at the wrong moment, negating the brilliance of his effort. We know that eventually he made it back, so Phil torpedoing his pitch isn’t a big deal, and it was impressive to see him grow when he delivered his unwilling eulogy at the man’s funeral, recognizing the ways in which Phil helped him along in life, even if he couldn’t appreciate those seemingly harsh and horrible moments until after his passing. And he even managed to win some brownie points with Eleanor, though the way in which he acknowledged it probably didn’t help.
Monday, July 23, 2018
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 10 “Video Games” (B+)
It was cool to see how video games were presented in three very different forms over the course of Alex’s life in this episode. In his childhood, the idea of playing a game that he hadn’t yet officially received as a Christmas present was just too alluring, and he got so addicted that he couldn’t stop. He even had to sacrifice the possibility of a relationship with Nori because he accidentally got her to like his arch-nemesis who had the only other copy of the game that could help him from getting in trouble with his parents. In his middle timeline, video games were a fun diversion from his real life that took center stage in his relationship with Lisa, whose apparent wealth made her the perfect choice to be an investor in the water filtration project, until her ideas kept clashing with Alex’s and making their romance untenable if they were going to continue working together professionally. I’m glad that they chose to sacrifice the latter so that they could continue on in their relationship, even if, again, we know it’s not going to last. In the future, the high-definition simulation of a football game was cool, and it proved hilarious when Darryl revealed that he had made a lackluster player seem much better in the game so that he was more interesting, which had in turn prompted Alex to push Abby to make a real-life trade for him. Fortunately, he’s a predictable personality, and those around him, be it Justin during his childhood, Darryl in his young adulthood, and Abby in his later years, know just how much they should listen to – and disregard – his opinions.
It was cool to see how video games were presented in three very different forms over the course of Alex’s life in this episode. In his childhood, the idea of playing a game that he hadn’t yet officially received as a Christmas present was just too alluring, and he got so addicted that he couldn’t stop. He even had to sacrifice the possibility of a relationship with Nori because he accidentally got her to like his arch-nemesis who had the only other copy of the game that could help him from getting in trouble with his parents. In his middle timeline, video games were a fun diversion from his real life that took center stage in his relationship with Lisa, whose apparent wealth made her the perfect choice to be an investor in the water filtration project, until her ideas kept clashing with Alex’s and making their romance untenable if they were going to continue working together professionally. I’m glad that they chose to sacrifice the latter so that they could continue on in their relationship, even if, again, we know it’s not going to last. In the future, the high-definition simulation of a football game was cool, and it proved hilarious when Darryl revealed that he had made a lackluster player seem much better in the game so that he was more interesting, which had in turn prompted Alex to push Abby to make a real-life trade for him. Fortunately, he’s a predictable personality, and those around him, be it Justin during his childhood, Darryl in his young adulthood, and Abby in his later years, know just how much they should listen to – and disregard – his opinions.
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 9 “Thanksgiving” (B)
All three of these holiday-themed vignettes were relatively predictable, but that’s to be expected for a Thanksgiving episode that, as it would happen because of the show’s cancellation, ended up airing in July. Alex and Justin competing for Scott’s affection because they thought that it would win them points with Nori was ill-fated, and I like that Nori snapped at both of them because she thought they were trying to snag the tickets that she had been working so hard to get by sucking up to him. Maggie’s cooking did turn out to be just as bad as Scott accidentally suggested, and only cooking the turkey for an hour is reminiscent of a time my wife and I tried to make beef and broccoli in a slow-cooker in a very short period of time. I was delighted to see Sarah Burns, familiar from “Married” and “Enlightened,” among other things, as Lisa, the woman that Darryl and Wendy tried to set Alex up with on Thanksgiving. Their fake chemistry designed to get back at the couple for trying to force them together did turn into something real, and though we can’t imagine that it endures given that we’ve already seen the future, it would be nice if it went somewhere for a bit. Kelly and Eleanor meeting and really liking each other in the future was really sweet, and Eleanor admitting that she was a bit jealous was about as much of a victory as older Alex is going to get at this point.
All three of these holiday-themed vignettes were relatively predictable, but that’s to be expected for a Thanksgiving episode that, as it would happen because of the show’s cancellation, ended up airing in July. Alex and Justin competing for Scott’s affection because they thought that it would win them points with Nori was ill-fated, and I like that Nori snapped at both of them because she thought they were trying to snag the tickets that she had been working so hard to get by sucking up to him. Maggie’s cooking did turn out to be just as bad as Scott accidentally suggested, and only cooking the turkey for an hour is reminiscent of a time my wife and I tried to make beef and broccoli in a slow-cooker in a very short period of time. I was delighted to see Sarah Burns, familiar from “Married” and “Enlightened,” among other things, as Lisa, the woman that Darryl and Wendy tried to set Alex up with on Thanksgiving. Their fake chemistry designed to get back at the couple for trying to force them together did turn into something real, and though we can’t imagine that it endures given that we’ve already seen the future, it would be nice if it went somewhere for a bit. Kelly and Eleanor meeting and really liking each other in the future was really sweet, and Eleanor admitting that she was a bit jealous was about as much of a victory as older Alex is going to get at this point.
Friday, July 20, 2018
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 8 “Home Alone” (B)
I thought for a minute that this episode wasn’t even going to address the major bombshell of Justin having a crush on Nori, but it took just a few minutes to get to it and we were even treated to spending time with Justin in all three time periods. Casting Ryan Hansen of “Party Down” fame as the mid-life Justin was perfect, and the way in which his political aspirations were introduced following his personal payment to Alex for a job that wasn’t authorized by his company was cool. In the future, obviously Alex was the one having much more of a hard time getting used to letting his house go, and only when the two brothers saw two little boys around the same age as they were when they first lived together did he realize that it was the right time to move on and let the next generation enjoy the place that meant so much to him. The stubborn attitudes he expresses when he gets older aren’t all that dissimilar from Ron’s own tendencies, with his own radar-gun police force and the inspiration above all of Sully the hero pilot. In his childhood time, Alex’s latest invention to protect them from the scary pizza delivery guy who knew they were home alone predictably didn’t work, but it did help him come to terms with his brother’s feelings for the girl of his dreams and ensure that their relationship would continue to be functional and friendly even if they have a few hurdles to get over.
I thought for a minute that this episode wasn’t even going to address the major bombshell of Justin having a crush on Nori, but it took just a few minutes to get to it and we were even treated to spending time with Justin in all three time periods. Casting Ryan Hansen of “Party Down” fame as the mid-life Justin was perfect, and the way in which his political aspirations were introduced following his personal payment to Alex for a job that wasn’t authorized by his company was cool. In the future, obviously Alex was the one having much more of a hard time getting used to letting his house go, and only when the two brothers saw two little boys around the same age as they were when they first lived together did he realize that it was the right time to move on and let the next generation enjoy the place that meant so much to him. The stubborn attitudes he expresses when he gets older aren’t all that dissimilar from Ron’s own tendencies, with his own radar-gun police force and the inspiration above all of Sully the hero pilot. In his childhood time, Alex’s latest invention to protect them from the scary pizza delivery guy who knew they were home alone predictably didn’t work, but it did help him come to terms with his brother’s feelings for the girl of his dreams and ensure that their relationship would continue to be functional and friendly even if they have a few hurdles to get over.
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 7 “Field Trip” (B)
I had completely forgotten about this show, which I found very entertaining and was saddened to hear had been pulled from the air after just six episodes way back in October. I was delighted to find out that the remaining seven episodes, which had already been filmed at the time of the show’s cancellation, were being made available on Saturday nights on CBS this month. At the time of this post, they’ve all already aired, but I’m going to take them one at a time so that I can enjoy the show as I wanted to before it was taken off the air in favor of far less quality programming. Not too much has changed and I didn’t really need a refresher course to remember that the Alex of the youngest and oldest generations is hopelessly in love with Nori/Eleanor. Justin’s efforts to help him take advantage of the field trip to appeal to Nori didn’t work terribly well, and the biggest problem of all, one that might explain why we’ve barely seen Justin of the future, is that Justin has now developed an attraction towards Nori and seems to be the most successful beneficiary of her return affection. Recognizing the EMT dad as the man who slept with his wife in his middle period was entertaining, especially because he turned out to be a nice guy who only got Alex riled up when he revealed that he was using cheat codes during their video game session. The online dating world of the future is a bit more hi-tech but not all that much more helpful, and Vanessa Williams is always a welcome guest star, especially in this case as she played someone he hated who only liked him more when she found out that he was pining for someone else.
I had completely forgotten about this show, which I found very entertaining and was saddened to hear had been pulled from the air after just six episodes way back in October. I was delighted to find out that the remaining seven episodes, which had already been filmed at the time of the show’s cancellation, were being made available on Saturday nights on CBS this month. At the time of this post, they’ve all already aired, but I’m going to take them one at a time so that I can enjoy the show as I wanted to before it was taken off the air in favor of far less quality programming. Not too much has changed and I didn’t really need a refresher course to remember that the Alex of the youngest and oldest generations is hopelessly in love with Nori/Eleanor. Justin’s efforts to help him take advantage of the field trip to appeal to Nori didn’t work terribly well, and the biggest problem of all, one that might explain why we’ve barely seen Justin of the future, is that Justin has now developed an attraction towards Nori and seems to be the most successful beneficiary of her return affection. Recognizing the EMT dad as the man who slept with his wife in his middle period was entertaining, especially because he turned out to be a nice guy who only got Alex riled up when he revealed that he was using cheat codes during their video game session. The online dating world of the future is a bit more hi-tech but not all that much more helpful, and Vanessa Williams is always a welcome guest star, especially in this case as she played someone he hated who only liked him more when she found out that he was pining for someone else.
Friday, November 3, 2017
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 6 “New Job” (B+)
It saddens me very much to report that, inexplicably, this is one of the first shows of the season to get pulled from the schedule. I can’t understand why people don’t like it, but I can’t argue with the fact that people don’t seem to be watching it. Hopefully we’ll still see the remaining seven episodes, but for now, this half-hour is the last of what we have. I’m surprised it took this long for a time capsule to be featured on this show, and fortunately, it wasn’t all that prominent and instead played a background role in this show’s typically endearing exploration of relationships evolving over time. We’ve seen Darryl mainly in the present, and he was prominent in that time period here when they pitched together and his wife tried to get Alex to move out of the garage. Seeing how their relationship was built with Darryl coaching a young Alex on how to really sell his cereal milk invention, prompting him to win a contest and then not even thank his good friend for the help. It’s fun to see these characters pop up again in the future, this time with another “Sister, Sister” alum, Tim Reid, playing the older Darryl who couldn’t believe that Alex was still going after Eleanor. Advising her roofer fiancée to get Eleanor something turquoise that she was hate seems like a short-sighted plan since he’s sure to tell her who told him to buy it if she gets mad, but maybe the fact that he’s a nice guy will make things better. I hope we’ll find out what happens next – I’ll certainly be tracking down the remaining episodes if they are released at some point.
It saddens me very much to report that, inexplicably, this is one of the first shows of the season to get pulled from the schedule. I can’t understand why people don’t like it, but I can’t argue with the fact that people don’t seem to be watching it. Hopefully we’ll still see the remaining seven episodes, but for now, this half-hour is the last of what we have. I’m surprised it took this long for a time capsule to be featured on this show, and fortunately, it wasn’t all that prominent and instead played a background role in this show’s typically endearing exploration of relationships evolving over time. We’ve seen Darryl mainly in the present, and he was prominent in that time period here when they pitched together and his wife tried to get Alex to move out of the garage. Seeing how their relationship was built with Darryl coaching a young Alex on how to really sell his cereal milk invention, prompting him to win a contest and then not even thank his good friend for the help. It’s fun to see these characters pop up again in the future, this time with another “Sister, Sister” alum, Tim Reid, playing the older Darryl who couldn’t believe that Alex was still going after Eleanor. Advising her roofer fiancée to get Eleanor something turquoise that she was hate seems like a short-sighted plan since he’s sure to tell her who told him to buy it if she gets mad, but maybe the fact that he’s a nice guy will make things better. I hope we’ll find out what happens next – I’ll certainly be tracking down the remaining episodes if they are released at some point.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 5 “Family Tree” (B+)
Now here’s a situation where Abby is considerably more excited about something than Alex, and where he has to let her call the shots to come to terms with an earth-shattering revelation. That question about what each person thought when they first met their child quickly led to the accidental disclosure of Ron’s status as Alex’s stepdad, and, for as much time as this show spends focused on the unified parenting force of Ron and Maggie, no real mention has been made previously of Alex’s father, who seemed like he was going to make an appearance in this episode and then didn't when Abby decided to accept the family she already had as real enough. The younger version of Alex is just as insatiable as Abby, eager to go to every event that just happens to conflict which something that’s going on in the household. Maggie was much more excited about participating in the talent show with their new extended family - and quite ferocious in her demonstration of krav maga - and it was nice to see that, after he saw the thoughtful gift Ron had gotten him to make up for the missed outing, Alex let loose and perform the MC Hammer routine. In the future, it was fun to see Alex try to behave around Abby’s latest boyfriend after a humorous montage of all the ones who came before him that Alex disliked for a number of miniscule reasons. Abby realizing that this guy wasn’t as “magnificent” as he claimed was a great way to show that father and daughter do agree on some things. The best moment of the episode was Ron celebrating Justin’s point that there were actually 365 other days that year.
Now here’s a situation where Abby is considerably more excited about something than Alex, and where he has to let her call the shots to come to terms with an earth-shattering revelation. That question about what each person thought when they first met their child quickly led to the accidental disclosure of Ron’s status as Alex’s stepdad, and, for as much time as this show spends focused on the unified parenting force of Ron and Maggie, no real mention has been made previously of Alex’s father, who seemed like he was going to make an appearance in this episode and then didn't when Abby decided to accept the family she already had as real enough. The younger version of Alex is just as insatiable as Abby, eager to go to every event that just happens to conflict which something that’s going on in the household. Maggie was much more excited about participating in the talent show with their new extended family - and quite ferocious in her demonstration of krav maga - and it was nice to see that, after he saw the thoughtful gift Ron had gotten him to make up for the missed outing, Alex let loose and perform the MC Hammer routine. In the future, it was fun to see Alex try to behave around Abby’s latest boyfriend after a humorous montage of all the ones who came before him that Alex disliked for a number of miniscule reasons. Abby realizing that this guy wasn’t as “magnificent” as he claimed was a great way to show that father and daughter do agree on some things. The best moment of the episode was Ron celebrating Justin’s point that there were actually 365 other days that year.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
What I’m Watching: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 4 “Star Wars” (B+)
It makes complete sense that Alex would be obsessed with “Star Wars,” and this episode captured that perfectly in all three of his timelines. His excitement at going to see the one-night-only showing of the movie in 1991 was understandable given that he hadn’t seen it on the big screen ever and Justin had taped over part of it with “Cheers.” I had a fun flashback to when I used to tape shows and sometime just used the same VHS tape for any number of episodes of different series. Maggie and Ron putting up a united front led to a very sweet act of fatherly protection by Ron, who decided to take the blame for Alex sneaking out when he realized that they were both trying to adjust to a new situation. I love that, after Alex tried to get back at Ron when he thought that he had shown his daughter “Star Wars,” it turned out that he had just shown her “The Phantom Menace,” which made it all better. Of course, she didn’t even like it, and he was mature enough to watch “The Princess Bride” instead. As the sixty-five-year-old Alex was preparing to finally go into space, he was more than ready to give that lifelong dream up to spend the day with Eleanor, saving her by being her line cook. She might still have a fiancé, but something tells me that Alex just worked his way back into her heart as more than just a friend.
It makes complete sense that Alex would be obsessed with “Star Wars,” and this episode captured that perfectly in all three of his timelines. His excitement at going to see the one-night-only showing of the movie in 1991 was understandable given that he hadn’t seen it on the big screen ever and Justin had taped over part of it with “Cheers.” I had a fun flashback to when I used to tape shows and sometime just used the same VHS tape for any number of episodes of different series. Maggie and Ron putting up a united front led to a very sweet act of fatherly protection by Ron, who decided to take the blame for Alex sneaking out when he realized that they were both trying to adjust to a new situation. I love that, after Alex tried to get back at Ron when he thought that he had shown his daughter “Star Wars,” it turned out that he had just shown her “The Phantom Menace,” which made it all better. Of course, she didn’t even like it, and he was mature enough to watch “The Princess Bride” instead. As the sixty-five-year-old Alex was preparing to finally go into space, he was more than ready to give that lifelong dream up to spend the day with Eleanor, saving her by being her line cook. She might still have a fiancé, but something tells me that Alex just worked his way back into her heart as more than just a friend.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Take Three: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 3 “The Card” (B+)
I thought that this episode worked very well, tying together the three periods of Alex’s life with one unforgettable gift that played very much into Alex’s experience of his birthday. I think that this show’s sweetest relationship might actually be the one between Alex and his stepdad Ron, who was so excited to see how happy it made Alex to get the signed Michael Jordan card and then understood completely why he sold it to get that same feeling from his daughter. I think it’s their warm chats that enhance the show’s weakest time period, which in this episode found Alex agreeing to take his daughter glamping since he thought that they just didn’t know how to say camping and weren’t going to go on an unnecessarily expensive luxury outing to the woods. Bobby Moynihan does do a good job of keeping adult Alex moderately serious. Young Alex is still my favorite, and giving the card to Nori because she knew what it was hardly proved to be the best idea, but fortunately Justin was there to help and agree immediately to forge another signature and steal the card. It was funny that they forgot which one was real, but apparently it all worked out since he sold the one they kept for a good chunk of change later in life. After Alex nearly spent his birthday alone at age 65, it was sweet to see Abby show up with the repurchased card, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the casting of Ed Begley Jr., a great and often hilarious actor, as the adult version of Justin who has somehow become the governor.
I thought that this episode worked very well, tying together the three periods of Alex’s life with one unforgettable gift that played very much into Alex’s experience of his birthday. I think that this show’s sweetest relationship might actually be the one between Alex and his stepdad Ron, who was so excited to see how happy it made Alex to get the signed Michael Jordan card and then understood completely why he sold it to get that same feeling from his daughter. I think it’s their warm chats that enhance the show’s weakest time period, which in this episode found Alex agreeing to take his daughter glamping since he thought that they just didn’t know how to say camping and weren’t going to go on an unnecessarily expensive luxury outing to the woods. Bobby Moynihan does do a good job of keeping adult Alex moderately serious. Young Alex is still my favorite, and giving the card to Nori because she knew what it was hardly proved to be the best idea, but fortunately Justin was there to help and agree immediately to forge another signature and steal the card. It was funny that they forgot which one was real, but apparently it all worked out since he sold the one they kept for a good chunk of change later in life. After Alex nearly spent his birthday alone at age 65, it was sweet to see Abby show up with the repurchased card, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the casting of Ed Begley Jr., a great and often hilarious actor, as the adult version of Justin who has somehow become the governor.
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Round Two: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I: Season 1, Episode 2 “The First Step” (B)
I liked this pilot a whole lot more than I expected to, and therefore I wanted to give this episode a chance. While it wasn’t quite as strong, it possesses most of the same qualities, and I think I’ll stick it with it for a bit longer. I’m pleased to report that all three time periods seem to be equally engaging, with some decent follow-ups to the plotlines started in the first episode. The young Alex was ready to transcend social ladders after discovering that his new stepbrother paid a cool kid to invite him to sit with them, and naturally his big gamble turned into a monumental embarrassment, earning him a new nickname associated with tripping instead of choking, hardly an improvement in the grand scheme of things. His inventions do continue to come in handy, and his locker opener was quite the gadget. As an adult, he actually had a great chance to go on an enjoyable date after being teased for staying in and eating waffles most of the time, and I was thrilled to see the always great Kat Foster from “Weeds” as Lauren. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to pan out since he didn’t go for it, and I assume we sadly won’t see her again. In the future, which we should identify as the future since self-driving cars apparently exist even though people like Alex prefer to still pretend that they’re driving them, Alex went for it in a big way with Nori, preparing the most intimate of romantic dinners for their date. Unfortunately, she has a boyfriend, and his attempt at a grand gesture to win her over just resulted in her getting engaged. I can tell that he’s going to have a lot of missed opportunities with Nori, but it’s good to see that he continues to try no matter how old he is.
I liked this pilot a whole lot more than I expected to, and therefore I wanted to give this episode a chance. While it wasn’t quite as strong, it possesses most of the same qualities, and I think I’ll stick it with it for a bit longer. I’m pleased to report that all three time periods seem to be equally engaging, with some decent follow-ups to the plotlines started in the first episode. The young Alex was ready to transcend social ladders after discovering that his new stepbrother paid a cool kid to invite him to sit with them, and naturally his big gamble turned into a monumental embarrassment, earning him a new nickname associated with tripping instead of choking, hardly an improvement in the grand scheme of things. His inventions do continue to come in handy, and his locker opener was quite the gadget. As an adult, he actually had a great chance to go on an enjoyable date after being teased for staying in and eating waffles most of the time, and I was thrilled to see the always great Kat Foster from “Weeds” as Lauren. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to pan out since he didn’t go for it, and I assume we sadly won’t see her again. In the future, which we should identify as the future since self-driving cars apparently exist even though people like Alex prefer to still pretend that they’re driving them, Alex went for it in a big way with Nori, preparing the most intimate of romantic dinners for their date. Unfortunately, she has a boyfriend, and his attempt at a grand gesture to win her over just resulted in her getting engaged. I can tell that he’s going to have a lot of missed opportunities with Nori, but it’s good to see that he continues to try no matter how old he is.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Pilot Review: Me, Myself, and I
Me, Myself, and I (CBS)
Premiered September 25 at 9:30pm
I’ll admit that when I heard about this show and its premise, I wasn’t very impressed. This seems like a premise that’s both been tried before and is overly gimmicky, meaning that the content would be too reliant on the format and suffer as a result. I was pleasantly surprised by this premiere, since I think that it works on the formative moments in Alex Riley’s life and uses smart dialogue to connect each of the events in the three time periods. It’s most interesting to me since I think that “This Is Us” far too frequently does this and leans on it, while the half-hour comedy framing here actually makes it work. The trajectory of this pilot was indicative of its cleverness, starting with a table wedge as a helpful life hack and a prop he opted not to bring to school turning into the revival of his career in the present day, and his chance run-in with the would-be love of his life whose mouth he accidentally spit a mint into many years later. This show isn’t trying to be the best, most inventive show ever, but it manages to be a pretty endearing and enjoyable experience. Young Jack Dylan Grazer is a great fourteen-year-old version of Alex, while Bobby Moynihan of “Saturday Night Live” fame does pretty well as a more comedic iteration, and John Larroquette commands a certain authority as his older, more reserved businessman nearing the end of his career. I was happy to see Allison Tolman from “Fargo” as Alex’s ex-wife and Kelen Coleman from “The Newsroom” as his adult daughter, both well-cast in strong roles. I don’t think I’ll watch more of this show, but I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.
How will work as a series? That’s the question! Will this show’s creative genes wear off in episode two and make its format seem more like a gimmick than anything else? I may just have to check it out to see how it does since I think this concept could actually be decent if its continues to play out like this.
How long will it last? I think my review is a bit more favorable than most, and this show paled in both critical reception and viewership compared to the other big CBS show to launch Monday night, “Young Sheldon.” Whether this show being like another CBS series, “Life in Pieces,” will be a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen, but I think that this show will just get one full season.
Pilot grade: B+
Premiered September 25 at 9:30pm
I’ll admit that when I heard about this show and its premise, I wasn’t very impressed. This seems like a premise that’s both been tried before and is overly gimmicky, meaning that the content would be too reliant on the format and suffer as a result. I was pleasantly surprised by this premiere, since I think that it works on the formative moments in Alex Riley’s life and uses smart dialogue to connect each of the events in the three time periods. It’s most interesting to me since I think that “This Is Us” far too frequently does this and leans on it, while the half-hour comedy framing here actually makes it work. The trajectory of this pilot was indicative of its cleverness, starting with a table wedge as a helpful life hack and a prop he opted not to bring to school turning into the revival of his career in the present day, and his chance run-in with the would-be love of his life whose mouth he accidentally spit a mint into many years later. This show isn’t trying to be the best, most inventive show ever, but it manages to be a pretty endearing and enjoyable experience. Young Jack Dylan Grazer is a great fourteen-year-old version of Alex, while Bobby Moynihan of “Saturday Night Live” fame does pretty well as a more comedic iteration, and John Larroquette commands a certain authority as his older, more reserved businessman nearing the end of his career. I was happy to see Allison Tolman from “Fargo” as Alex’s ex-wife and Kelen Coleman from “The Newsroom” as his adult daughter, both well-cast in strong roles. I don’t think I’ll watch more of this show, but I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.
How will work as a series? That’s the question! Will this show’s creative genes wear off in episode two and make its format seem more like a gimmick than anything else? I may just have to check it out to see how it does since I think this concept could actually be decent if its continues to play out like this.
How long will it last? I think my review is a bit more favorable than most, and this show paled in both critical reception and viewership compared to the other big CBS show to launch Monday night, “Young Sheldon.” Whether this show being like another CBS series, “Life in Pieces,” will be a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen, but I think that this show will just get one full season.
Pilot grade: B+
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