After a ho-hum Thanksgiving episode, the ‘Happy Endings’ gang has rebounded with another gut-busting episode. This week, we see betrayal, role reversals, deep emotional scars and Penny with a flesh-colored prescription helmet.
Penny’s tumble down a building’s worth of stairs in the premiere episode broke more than just her bones. She still has a concussion, and must wear a helmet for a month. The reactions from the rest of the group are priceless. Jane asks, “What, question mark, is question mark, that (question mark)?” and Brad says, “You look like a crayon a fat kid would eat.” While helmet shopping at a bike store, Penny bumps into Pete, a gorgeous guy who’s clearly into her. Attempting to cover for her helmet-head, Penny arranges dates that require headgear, such a hilarious scene where the couple tries to take a Segway tour.
Jane worries that she’s not bonding with her co-workers at the Car Czar dealership. Brad suggests a party so he can charm the men with guy talk, but instead ends up bonding with the wives. Jane, unable to find a way to break the ice, begins ragging on Brad. The Car Czar loves it, and suddenly Jane’s one of the guys. Brad spends more and more time with the ladies, enjoying his new status as a trophy wife.
Meanwhile, Max gets snubbed while fist-bumping a jerk, and takes it far too personally because of a “Down Low, Too Slow” debacle in the fifth grade. Dave, believing that he invented Down Low, Too Slow, agrees to teach Max a way to turn the tables.
This episode is packed to the gills with hilarious moments. Alex tries to alleviate Penny’s dating woes by creating hair-covered helmets. Dave gets loaded on Sangria, prompting Max to declare, “That is the worst case of Sangria Mouth I’ve ever seen on a non-Spaniard.” Jane tells off the Car Czar (Rob Corddry continues to be an inspired bit of casting), which leads to a brilliant twist on the usual standing-up-to-the-pushy-boss scene. Brad fails at turning “guy guide” into the portmanteau “guyde.”
Yes sir, I’d say that things are back on track.
