To its credit, there’s a noble effort in “Starring Helen Keller, Moses and Lenny Bruce,” the latest episode of Shalom Auslander’s Happyish, to not solely listen to our disgruntled, pessimistic leads Thom (Steve Coogan) and Lee (Kathryn Hahn) and their equally unsettled ranting. The supporting cast gets their rounds to spout out monologues and proverbs on what’s wrong with their marriages, jobs and day-to-day living. But what differences does it make if it all feels like its coming from the same voice? Especially considering Auslander’s disparaging opinions come across just as loudly within these new soapbox figures.
The overarching message this week is to enjoy what little you can out of life. That’s a fairly simple message, and its somewhat similar to the one suggested at the end of last week’s installment. The problem isn’t with its good morals, but rather its execution. Once again, Happyish has a habit of saying the same thing over and over again. At one point, Thom’s friend Barry (Andre Royo) remarks “Maybe depression isn’t a disorder, maybe life’s a disorder,” and its somewhat cheesy, wannabe extensional lines like this which get to the bottom of why Auslander’s show still doesn’t quite click. It feels more streamlined than it did in the beginning, but the narrative still doesn't come together in any fulfilling manners, and Auslander relies more on rants than proper character development and story arcs to carry his new program.
But there is good stuff here. During their shopping mall escapades, Lee’s friend Bella (Molly Price) gets two good monologues where she discusses her clear-headed intentions for their day together. At first, she just wants to enjoy herself, and she doesn’t care if shopping’s stupid. It’s fun, and it lets her momentarily forget about her troubled marriage with Barry and let’s her have some gal-to-gal time with Lee. The problem with her plans, however, is Lee’s still a sourpuss, and she keeps “pissing on everything” for, as Lee puts it, having an opinion. She’s yoking her yum, she tells her, and she just wants her to let her have a nice day, filled with purchasing slutty clothes and having appletinis at TGI Friday’s.
To take a brief digression on a show build entirely on digressions — and not in a good way so far, like Seinfeld or Louie — it’s a constant mystery how Auslander and Showtime readily let their corporate names be shat on by these characters. This is especially the case with Thom’s work, where he this week’s is forced to work on a campaign for Wonderbra, and it was the same noise with Geico, Keebler and Coke before them. But as Lee constantly talks crap to Best Buy employees about their products, all while their name is clearly seen on screen, it would be fascinating to know just how they got away with having these trademarked names give the okay on this.
At least TGI Friday’s moment feels like they’re getting some sponsorship, but names like Target and H&M indirectly get dragged in the dirt with Lee’s opening monologue — only her second so far in the series — and it’s hard to think their CEO’s are happy to see them picked on by this little dark comedy. Regardless, if they don’t get any calls from these business suit men, Bella’s there to call Lee out on her BS. She reminds her how she’s constantly pissed off at the world around her, yet she has a nice marriage, a beautiful kid and a lovely home and studio to call her own. Bella doesn’t even have those really going for her, yet she remains more optimistic or attempts to be in better spirits.
It’s refreshing to see Lee finally get called out for her whining, especially as Thom has Jonathan (Bradley Whitford) to keep him in line (and more on that later). If only this moment, again, didn’t feel as though it was coming from the same finger pushing voice that also crafted Lee’s continuous distain. It feels like someone complaining to themselves, instead of the voice of reason coming into to tell them what’s what. But it’s a mild change, at the very least.
Between all the characters complaining to either the audience or others, the only character who really feels authentic in the right way is Jonathan. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: Whitford’s character should be this show’s protagonist. The character’s experienced insight fits the distorted reality Happyish wants to create more authentically and vividly, and as he discusses how “gravity does wonderful things to the female body” in relation to his newfounded sexual relationship with Dani (Ellen Barkin), talking up how “every female body under 40 looks like they bought it from the same catalog, which they did” and that “women under 30 are like IKEA furniture…. You know, it looks good but everyone’s got it and by the time you get it home it’s probably going to be damaged,” Auslander’s twisted perception of the world comes into form.
He’s a clearheaded character with a straightforward objective and an immensely entertaining and funny perspective on what's around him. Whether or not he’s right, it makes sense for its well-written and well reasoned, not to mention well delivered. He unfortunately only gets a single scene this week, but here to pick things up in his absence is a guest turn from the immensely lovable character actor Richard Kind as Moses.
In his envisioned sequence where he takes Israelites Lee, Thom, Bella and Barry to the dispersing Promised Land, he carries himself strongly as the biblical figure. But it’s later in his walk in the mall with Lee, where he talks about enjoying whatever little bulls**t to make her happy because it’s all sand, which really stands out. Particularly when he gets to play drunken variation of the figure on top of a ferris wheel, he has fun with the character but also makes Happyish come into its own during this offbeat segment. His confidence in this unusual depiction of this character seems as comfortable as can be, and captures the off-centered philosophy Auslander tries desperately to bring.
In short, its little moments and characters like these which keep Happyish from becoming as haggard and preachy as its first handful of episodes. Also, thankfully, Auslander is more assured with what he can do with his Showtime program, even if he can’t quite give it clear narrative motives. In his discouraged sandbox comes many possibilities, but the Promised Land is still only in the distance. There’s little chance it can catch up to it by the time this season wraps, but at least the creator and his disciplines continue to move forward.
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