How much can one separate a character from their show? While it’s obvious The Last Man on Earth’s main protagonist Phil Miller (Will Forte) is not one we’re completely supposed to root for, at least not in this point in the series, can consistently good writing and a likable surrounding cast still be sunk by an endlessly disengaging persona? This is a question continuously pondered during the new Fox show, especially with their latest episode, “Moved to Tampa.”
As seen last week, Phil and Carol (Kristen Schaal) are no longer married. Officially divorced as they can be after their three-week marriage and only a handful of people alive on the planet, Phil’s a bachelor and that ultimately attracts the attentions of both Gale (Mary Steenburgen) and Erica (Cleopatra Coleman). With our main character setting dates with both ladies mere hours apart, he tries to salve his options by changing his signs around town from “Alive in Tucson” to “Moved to Tampa.” This seems foolproof enough, until a wobbly ladder falls while Phil’s still up many, many feet on a billboard and is stranded there for the next 24 hours.
Initially, Gale and Erica believe they have been stood up. Once he is lost for a whole day or so, however, Carol gets worried and tries to get the community to search for their lost citizen. They need not to worry for long, though, for Phil indirectly finds help in a new passing stranger (Boris Kodjoe), who also goes by the name Phil Miller. While they may be name doppelgangers, the two bachelors share little else. One’s handsome, highly charismatic and physically fit, while the other is the character we know quite well by now. Phil Miller 1 tries to keep whatever dignity he can still have, but when he must go by his middle name — Tandy — after a lost Jenga battle, he finds it’s hard to win back anyone’s affections.
One lucky thing for him, however, is that Todd (Mel Rodriguez) is also apparently not a big fan of Phil Miller 2 either. After his best efforts with personalized heart pancakes and a confession of his deep affections, he can’t get his girlfriend Melissa (January Jones) to repay him with the words “I love you” back. Instead, he gets a mere “thank you” for his efforts. While he tries to take this as well as he can, he’s most definitely vexed by this, and the inclusion of this extremely attractive, highly available new man rubs the normally carefree individual the wrong way. He doesn’t hide his jealously well, and audiences finally get to see this character with some range.
Now Todd is placed in a similar position Forte’s character was many episodes ago, and it’s interesting to see his changed emotions still remain authentic and also not make you dislike the character. A completely contrast to what happened to Phil, Todd’s emotions seem more in line with what they should have also done with our main character. True, they are two different personalities, but this disgruntlement Todd has doesn’t come across as too written or too forced. His understanding of the situation isn’t earned yet but it makes sense. It’s a bad situation for him, and he’s not at liberty to handle it the way he wants to. Not that he had much power before, but he was always the one who had the right thing to say or a good-hearted comment in mind. He doesn’t have that right now, though, but he still remains interesting and so too do his storyline.
It’s weird, then, the one thing about The Last Man on Earth which often doesn’t work is Phil Miller himself. The whole cast is dependable and assured, and while Jones is still not a great actress, she doesn’t sink the show either. The standouts still remain Schaal and Rodriguez, and Kodjoe inclusion feels like an interesting addition. It’s too early to see if he’ll warrant his visit, but it’s certainly a different character than his peers, and both the actor and writer Erik Durbin play along with this.
After last week’s heartfelt episode, “Moved to Tampa” isn’t so much a step back but more of the same. It doesn’t quite have the wit and charm of the series’ best episodes, but it’s still very clever and sincere. The Last Man on Earth has big ideas, and has gotten better at story and comedy planning. Forte and his team have deep affections for their characters, and that’s why it ultimately makes it a shame this one character constantly drags things down. With two episodes left, it’s possible this can be turned around, but this hopes may actually have moved away by now.
Image courtesy of INFphoto.com