What I’m Watching: The United States of Al

The United States of Al: Season 1, Episode 8 “Roht/Sweet Bread” (B+)

It was fun to get to see Al involved in the first romance we’ve seen for him on this show, one that seemed destined to go great places despite the lengthy drive necessary for Al to get to his newfound Afghani second home. I didn’t realize that actress Azita Ghanizada, who had a starring role in “Alphas” and appeared recently opposite William Jackson Harper in “We Broke Up,” was actually born in Afghanistan, another instance of real life reflected on screen that isn’t the case with the admittedly charming but very South African portrayer of Al, Adhir Kalyan. What I didn’t expect was that his service with the United States military would rub her the wrong way and ruin the budding relationship, and though she could return again, I think this may just be something that wasn’t meant to work out. It was entertaining to see how into this possibility the family was, teasing him in the car, and I also enjoyed Hazel sneaking food in the backseat and licking her snacks so that Riley couldn’t have any of them. Art looking in the phonebook to try to find roht bread was endearing if not all that effective, and I like that he didn’t let Lizzie making a sex joke in front of him go, pointing out more than once that he’s her father. The relationship dynamics, particularly between different generations, aren’t always appropriate or normative, but that’s part of why they work well and why they’re appealing to watch.

What I’m Watching: United States of Al

United States of Al: Season 1, Episode 4 “Spinach/Sabzi” (B+)

After Al struggled to adjust to some of Lizzie’s behavior in the last episode, here he took Hazel on fully in his constant critiquing and outright criticism of the way in which the youngest generation was not living up to her potential as an unquestioning server of those who had sacrificed for her. After he got her to reluctantly stand up for Art when he came into the room, he encountered considerably more difficulty in getting her to eat the food that he had prepared, and I was convinced that it was going to end up on the floor with a plate shattered all around it, but fortunately Al swooped into action to catch it when she pushed it all the way off the table. Expecting that this culture was going to look exactly like his was never realistic, but Al is slowly imparting some important values to his American family. Art may be part of the problem, of course, since he has certain needs, like sitting close to the bathroom, and plenty of stubbornness that likely originated not with Riley but with him that he has passed down from generation to generation. Riley may not always prioritize the projects his father asks him to do around the house, but it’s a sentiment many adult children can surely relate to, when they are expected to do things that they can easily do but won’t always be the first item on their to-do lists. It may not be sophisticated, but Lizzie did provide a useful service to Al in the form of her impressive photoshopping abilities.