Typically in television, directing plays less a factor than the writing. Beyond the pilot, directors are more-or-less there to make sure the actors say the lines right and keep the story in its established groove. But on Shalom Auslander’s Happyish, the direction often makes or breaks each episode. Thankfully Jesse Peretz — the man behind My Idiot Brother, but whom people know best from his work on Girls — brings a tonal balance this show on chemical imbalance lacks through this week’s penultimate episode, “Starring Mr. Mike, Joseph McCarthy and Alfred Bernhard Nobel.”
Peretz, with his background in comedies and/or dramedies, is much more affective at blending in the different comedic tones to make them feel more cohesive than anyone else so far — all of this while still concentrating on the brooding underlying of our lead Thom’s (Steve Coogan) dismay. And what could possibly be disturbing Thom this week? Something pretty grave, in fact: the suicide of his working mentor and friend Larry (Zak Orth). The news of his suicide hit the office pretty hard — particularly because it may or may not have had to do with his recent termination with MGT — but it’s Thom that’s really taking it to heart.
Although Happyish prides itself in its cynical dark humor, like making crude comedy on things such as Keebler elves killing themselves, this particular look at suicide is taken pretty grave. Sure, Thom vents his frustrations by calling the recently deceased’s phone and calling him a “huge, huge piece of s**t p***y,” along with an obligatory “f**k you” — which is almost a customary greeting at this point in Auslander’s program — speaking for the friends, former co-workers, wife and kids he left behind in his cowardice (their words, not mine). But on the whole, “Starring Mr. Mike, Joseph McCarthy and Alfred Bernhard Nobel” is a particularly melancholy episode, and it works handsomely as that.
Though the tone is still a little jagged, Peretz does a fine job to make the daydreams and interludes blend naturally into the overarching themes and narrative of the episode. The dialogue is still hyperbolic as can be, but — when reflecting on things as big as God and death — it makes sense. Although Thom uses his friend’s suicide to take pity on himself and decide whether or not he should stay with his job — something his wife Lee (Kathryn Hahn) thankfully calls him out on — Happyish took the deliberate steps to make the impact felt. Although not a lot of time was spent with Larry, his influence on Thom, and how much our lead looked up to him, was clear, as were the red flags on his instability.
Add into the mix the callous and highly immoral marketing plan Gottfrid (Nils Lawson) cooks up to stage a terrorist viral prank to make people enlist in the Army as the country is doing "too well" for people to enlist, and Thom’s frustrations are perfectly understandable. Early on, Thom remarks, “The thing about suicide is this: we think we get it. We totally get it. Ending it. Throwing in the towel. F**k it. F**k all of it. We don’t condone it. We don’t forgive it. But we totally, totally get it.” And we do here. For once, the frustrations of middle-age life are made clear in a way that isn’t preachy or smug or arrogant. Auslander’s writing is still a little too heavy-handed to really sink in, but the baby steps towards humanity are finally in position. It’s a little late at this moment, true, but better late than never.
The religious themes — studied through both Thom’s Catholicism and Lee’s Judaism, as she tries and fails to get their son Julius (Sawyer Shipman) into Hebrew heritage following the tragedy — pave the way for some interesting and highly enjoyable conversations on the nature of our existence, and also lets players like Jonathan Cooke (Bradley Whitford), the aforementioned Lee and especially Dani (Ellen Barkin) engage in some hardy discussions with Thom on life’s purpose throughout the cold, controlling working world. Whether it’s discussing how God is the original type A personality, or a fantasy sequence where Thom plays a Southern-based infomercial salesman selling the wonders of the Loboto-Me 2000 — curing people of sadness, self-doubt or even self-aware by destroying your frontal lobe from the comfort of your home and family — to a questioning Lee in the audience wondering if this really will help Thom’s insecurities, these interactions are effective, are naturally infused and give great insight into the characters.
Trying to save the naturally disastrous Army pitch MGT did while Thom ran away in a huff, General Sherman (Kevin Mambo) tells Thom about the popular military saying, “Embrace the Suck.” For the past couple weeks, it would seem as though I too attempted to embrace the suck with the ever-fleeting quality of this program. But with “Starring Mr. Mike, Joseph McCarthy and Alfred Bernhard Nobel,” Happyish doesn’t suck too bad. In fact, for once, it’s actually pretty decent. The characters, and their different daydreams and monologues, feel naturally interrelated, and pave way for the hearty theology discussions Auslander tries to have between bits of dark satire. It's a little self-aware, more comfortable in its own skin and, although not quite funny, a little more amusing than it usually is.
To live is to be strong, Sherman also notes. And while I find it hard to believe Showtime will keep this freshman series on the air, at least it’s finally getting stronger. By living through its own misery does Happyish become more fulfilled. That’s a fitting metaphor as any here.
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