I may or may not have hyped this episode a great deal. I mean, naturally an episode like this would have more excitement for it than others, being a season finale and all. Even loosely-plotted comedies usually pull out something rather big for a finale. It's how you guarantee your viewers are going to come back. End on a cliffhanger, and they are going to want to know what happens next. Or, you can fully wrap up your season's story and start anew next year, though you usually have to have a sort of trust that your viewers will still be frothing at the mouth thinking of what next season's story will be like. The recent trend of "different story, different cast, different characters every season" that has been made popular by shows such as American Horror Story, True Detective, and Fargo has to wrap everything up under the latter strategy, and it's so damn good (At least for True Detective and Fargo, I haven't begun watching American Horror Story yet) that I do get giddy over new details regarding what story will be told next season. How To Live A Better Life, with its identity comprised of mostly self-contained episodes, could have very well just made up some finale-esque story for this episode and wrap it all up before its over so the mood was conveyed. At least that's what I would expect. I would not expect the show to upset the balance in its world and actually cause concern for the characters. I would not expect a bit of drama. I would not expect a cliffhanger to be resolved next season. I would not expect to care long-term.
I've been saying it all season. This is not the show you should develop expectations for, because all of that happened. Perhaps even more shockingly, it's not bullshit.
That's right! How To Live A Better Life just got serialized, if only for a couple episodes, but it's definitely a change. Hopping on that train, I feel like the style of these reviews need to change. They're kind of a hybrid of recapping the events of the episode and my reaction to them. Honestly, it's kind of a chore to make sure I cover an entire episode's story in one review. I like how some of the A/V Club writers do their reviews: not a recap, but they highlight some element, scene, or theme of the episode, talk about how it applies, and run with that. They may not even mention half of the episode. You're supposed to have watched it anyway, so why are you just reading what you just saw? It's redundant. Usually in the intros to these reviews I try to come up with something the episode made me realize about the show or something related to it. I enjoy writing that way, rather than just repeating the episode for you. I'm sorry that it's taking so long to get to the point here, but, with this watershed moment in the series, the show is saying that it's time to change. We are heading into the final season, you know. I griped about the show needing to grow up a couple episodes ago, and now that it is, now that is is taking risks with new ideas and respecting the audience (for the most part), while still being the same show we all know and love (to hate), the reviews need to grow with it. I just thought I'd let you know. Things aren't going to be the exact same, but that's good. Change is good. I'm about to go off to college, 2 hours away from my home and family. Could that be influencing this decision? Partially, but the show seriously is getting better, and from what I've seen and participated in for the upcoming third and final season, this episode isn't just a flash in the pan. This is a harbinger of things to come, thematically, and I couldn't be more excited. This is why I love television, and scripted episodic content in general. This is why I live, people.
Right, the actual episode. It almost plays like a series finale with the amount of callbacks that are in the episode. For the first time what seems like a very long time, the infamous, deadly basement stairs are mentioned, and even walked upon! Twice! Mike begins to go downstairs at the beginning of the episode, and immediately corrects himself because obviously Jordan doesn't live down there anymore. That just seems like an odd mistake to make, especially now that you're pretty much a resident of that house. It makes the callback seem forced, and forced jokes are not fun. There was another Arrested Development reference in this episode, and unlike the one in "Mike and Jordan Get Serious", it wasn't forced at all, which is great. After Jordan prematurely runs off from James Derkiss's rejection of his audition, he's shown walking slowly, head completely down, set to the song "Christmas Time Is Here" from Charlie Brown. Arrested Development did the same thing multiple times in one episode, which was funny (notice the dog on top of the red dog house, a reference to the reference the show is referencing). The most terrible bit of filmmaking in this episode was in that sequence of events, which saw Jordan put on a leather jacket and gloves before heading out to the audition, only to not be wearing them in the next scene when he arrives late, only to be wearing them again when he gets back home. He had no place to store those things. The Derkiss wears a messenger bag, that's his thing. Jordan had to have thrown his jacket and gloves in a ditch and then pick them back up on the way home by that logic. I really don't know why this sort of mistake was allowed. HTLBL has let things slip time and time again, but nothing this blatant. It's just odd.
Speaking of James Derkiss, that's a fun character, and I'm not just saying that because I am the man who plays him. James Derkiss is a villain, and when was the last time the show had some direct adversity from a villain-type character? Off the top of my head, I'm going to say never. I could be wrong, but this is the closest thing to a Big Bad that the show has ever had, even if Jordan the character doesn't quite realize it yet. It's fun to watch my early portrayal of the Derkiss, because as of now...well I'm not going to spoil anything. Season three premieres soon and you'll see soon enough that the Derkiss you just saw is only the beginning. I remember Zach telling me that my character was originally slated to be played by someone else and was certainly never supposed to take on the life it has, which is everything that happens in this finale. Hell, I'm not sure this finale was ever supposed to be what it was, but don't you just love happy accidents? They seem to be quite common in this line of work, and I don't think the medium could ever survive without them. I really wish I could expound more on what the character of James Derkiss is going to be rather than what he brings to the table, but you definitely know he's going to be back for the season three premiere so I can talk a little about it more. I'm just glad that he's able to create some actual conflict in this world where most of the conflict is created between Mike and Jordan, by Mike and Jordan. Outside forces are great for shaking things up, especially when you're heading into your final season. The final season of Eureka initially dealt with reclaiming lost characters who where seemingly kidnapped on a super important space venture that was built up over the entirety of the the previous season. It really felt final, like things were completely and fully coming to an end. With this finale, the tone for the final season could definitely be set, even if the problem at hand is resolved in the first episode. That's all they need to do though, set a tone. It's awful when the final season of a show starts and it feels same 'ol, same 'ol. There's no sense of urgency now that the show's days are numbered. The final seasons of Dexter and Burn Notice felt that way for at least 3/4ths of their respective seasons before they finally kicked their asses in gear and realized they needed to give us a satisfying end. Burn Notice did, Dexter didn't, but that's a discussion for another time.
If you want the short version of this review, this was a grand episode. It had great elements to it, good pacing, and most importantly, a reason to tune in for what happens next. I'm very excited for you to see how the show goes from here, because there is still gold left in this stream. After the series concludes this December, when you're looking for a point when How To Live A Better Life grew up, learned from its mistakes, reached its near-final form and got ready to send its viewers on a ride, you can look no farther than here. Expect more typical antics next season, but this time, the show isn't playing around. It's all coming to an end, and it's all because of the Derkiss.
Stray Observations:
Right, the actual episode. It almost plays like a series finale with the amount of callbacks that are in the episode. For the first time what seems like a very long time, the infamous, deadly basement stairs are mentioned, and even walked upon! Twice! Mike begins to go downstairs at the beginning of the episode, and immediately corrects himself because obviously Jordan doesn't live down there anymore. That just seems like an odd mistake to make, especially now that you're pretty much a resident of that house. It makes the callback seem forced, and forced jokes are not fun. There was another Arrested Development reference in this episode, and unlike the one in "Mike and Jordan Get Serious", it wasn't forced at all, which is great. After Jordan prematurely runs off from James Derkiss's rejection of his audition, he's shown walking slowly, head completely down, set to the song "Christmas Time Is Here" from Charlie Brown. Arrested Development did the same thing multiple times in one episode, which was funny (notice the dog on top of the red dog house, a reference to the reference the show is referencing). The most terrible bit of filmmaking in this episode was in that sequence of events, which saw Jordan put on a leather jacket and gloves before heading out to the audition, only to not be wearing them in the next scene when he arrives late, only to be wearing them again when he gets back home. He had no place to store those things. The Derkiss wears a messenger bag, that's his thing. Jordan had to have thrown his jacket and gloves in a ditch and then pick them back up on the way home by that logic. I really don't know why this sort of mistake was allowed. HTLBL has let things slip time and time again, but nothing this blatant. It's just odd.
Speaking of James Derkiss, that's a fun character, and I'm not just saying that because I am the man who plays him. James Derkiss is a villain, and when was the last time the show had some direct adversity from a villain-type character? Off the top of my head, I'm going to say never. I could be wrong, but this is the closest thing to a Big Bad that the show has ever had, even if Jordan the character doesn't quite realize it yet. It's fun to watch my early portrayal of the Derkiss, because as of now...well I'm not going to spoil anything. Season three premieres soon and you'll see soon enough that the Derkiss you just saw is only the beginning. I remember Zach telling me that my character was originally slated to be played by someone else and was certainly never supposed to take on the life it has, which is everything that happens in this finale. Hell, I'm not sure this finale was ever supposed to be what it was, but don't you just love happy accidents? They seem to be quite common in this line of work, and I don't think the medium could ever survive without them. I really wish I could expound more on what the character of James Derkiss is going to be rather than what he brings to the table, but you definitely know he's going to be back for the season three premiere so I can talk a little about it more. I'm just glad that he's able to create some actual conflict in this world where most of the conflict is created between Mike and Jordan, by Mike and Jordan. Outside forces are great for shaking things up, especially when you're heading into your final season. The final season of Eureka initially dealt with reclaiming lost characters who where seemingly kidnapped on a super important space venture that was built up over the entirety of the the previous season. It really felt final, like things were completely and fully coming to an end. With this finale, the tone for the final season could definitely be set, even if the problem at hand is resolved in the first episode. That's all they need to do though, set a tone. It's awful when the final season of a show starts and it feels same 'ol, same 'ol. There's no sense of urgency now that the show's days are numbered. The final seasons of Dexter and Burn Notice felt that way for at least 3/4ths of their respective seasons before they finally kicked their asses in gear and realized they needed to give us a satisfying end. Burn Notice did, Dexter didn't, but that's a discussion for another time.
If you want the short version of this review, this was a grand episode. It had great elements to it, good pacing, and most importantly, a reason to tune in for what happens next. I'm very excited for you to see how the show goes from here, because there is still gold left in this stream. After the series concludes this December, when you're looking for a point when How To Live A Better Life grew up, learned from its mistakes, reached its near-final form and got ready to send its viewers on a ride, you can look no farther than here. Expect more typical antics next season, but this time, the show isn't playing around. It's all coming to an end, and it's all because of the Derkiss.
Stray Observations:
- The song Jordan plays at the beginning of the episode should be the theme song for next season.
- I modeled James Derkiss's voice after the lovely Ron Howard, who was the narrator for none other than Arrested Development.
- I still can't get over that damn jacket goof
- Lol @ Derkiss's hate for British people, even though it isn't outwardly stated
- I haven't heard "Right on, right off" in a long time
- They addressed the camera for the third straight episode!
- Jordan doesn't want to star in a movie that will make him famous because his show doesn't have any fans. That's a little backwards logic, isn't it?
- "That was like two days of food!"
- Jordan's bathroom diaries being filmed with a night vision filter during the middle of the day is hilarious
- "Hey, I might have a dog role for you later!" - James Derkiss to a dog
- Ryan Sylvan is auditioning to be the door people walk through to enter the theater.
- "I just really see something in Jordan for this role; a mafia cleanup man for toddlers."
- That final sequence, with the music, the callbacks, and the entire gravity of the situation, it's really well done. I love how Zach decided to make an actual credit roll at the end so the song could play all the way through. It really helps everything sink in. This is what I'm talking about when if you're going to threaten to change a show as we know it, you have to make us actually think it's going to happen.
Overall Episode Grade: A
excited to see how the derkiss plays into season 3
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