“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Max utters this famous line from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (which also happens to be one of my favourite films) in a fantastically executed scene in this week’s homage to John Hughes’ body of work. You would think the plot consisting of Max and Penny going on a John Hughes themed scavenger hunt around Chicago would be the highlight of this episode, but surprisingly it was the storyline dealing with the aftermath of Dave and Alex’s one night stand that made this outing truly worthwhile.
Alex denies the events at the end of last week’s episode ever happened, but Dave knows it to be true. So she recruits Jane to ‘Kerkovich Way’ (the act of altering a persons perception of reality until they accept it to be true just like their Serbian ancestors have done before them) not only Dave but Brad as well to rewrite their Thursday night. Jane goes to ridiculously elaborate lengths to make Brad believe Alex was at home with them that night eating Thai and watching Mamma Mia (Brad was jonesing for some Streep) – by placing the receipt for dinner in his wallet, faux fur on his sweatpants from the blanket and best of all, planting a popcorn colonel in his teeth. Jane brilliantly playing the evil puppeteer pulling at the strings was capped off by her villainously petting a fluffy white cat. In the end Alex admits to sleeping with Dave, she just didn’t want to accept it because they were in such a good place as friends. Now both of them are just going to pretend it never happened and move on, but I’ve seen enough sitcom relationships go down this path that I know this is only temporarily being rested. We shall see though.
Meanwhile, the scavenger hunt plot was your standard Penny and Max crazy adventure, complete with an added rivalry with a perfect couple, some gags that didn’t quite work, (Penny walking into a sign) others that did (Max’s slow motion run to catch the egg) and complete with a cameo from Richard Edson the valet guy from Ferris Bueller as an actual valet guy. We also got to see Max’s sensitive side yet again as he continues to miss Grant. Everything reminds him of Grant, including Risky Business – not because it was his favourite movie, but because he owns a few businesses and thats risky. Not the best B-plot for the show as it was problematic in places but still plenty of fun. Overall though any episode that continuously references John Hughes, Inception and The Untouchables is enough to make this yet another great offering in a so far extremely satisfying season.
Other favourite tidbits:
- “Dave, cheesy crust is back. You gotta get in on this.” – Alex
– “I did not push that guy out of the way because he was French. I pushed him out of the way because he was moving slow, like a damn French.” – The reason Jane is banned from scavenger hunts.
- “Actually Penny, I am much quicker with my mouth that I am with my hands. That’s why I can speak so much faster than do sign language.” – Max
- Great physical comedy by Dave with the mannequin, recreating his night with Alex.
- “The same Alex that thinks the computer and TV are friends?” Dave on Alex
- Penny: “Year of Penny!”
Max: ‘The year’s been over for a couple of months now. Pen.”
Penny: “Well not the fiscal year of Penny! Suck it, taxpayers!” – The year of Penny lives on
- Alex krumping.
- I don’t know about you guys but I thoroughly enjoyed recurring character Scotty (Seth Morris) in this episode as the creepy referee of the scavenger hunt obsessed with large feet.
About the Author
Loved this episode. Great use of the characters and really made good use of Dave, a character we’ve discussed ad nauseum as being pretty useless of late but after last week and this week it is turning back around for the weak point of the show. Brad’s concern about perhaps having killed a farmer was inspired.