Happy Endings Review: All in the Family

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The final Happy Endings happy hour of Happy Endings season 3 was all about family. In the first episode "Deuce Babylove 2: Electric BabyDeuce" we had a visit from Penny's mom Dana and Dave's dad Big dave, played by Megan Mullally and Michael McKean respectively. In "Brothas and Sisters" Jane and Alex's big sister Brooke was in town for her wedding. 

Now I know what you're all thinking...there's a third Kerkovich sister?!? I was pretty darn surprised myself. All you really need to know about her is that she out-Jane's Jane. But we'll get to that in a minute.

Parental Shocker

It's no secret that Happy Endings has suffered at the hands of ABC scheduling, first getting knocked out for a month and a half for Celebrity Wife Swap with Coolio and Kate Gosselin. Really America? That's sad. Then it was bumped to Fridays which everyone knows is kind of a death sentence in the TV world. If in fact, these were the finale two episodes of the series and it's not rescued by USA Networks, then at least Happy Endings had some consistency and went out the way it came in: wedding chaos!

Double points for consistency because it was another Kerkovich sister wedding: the one sister nobody knew existed, big sis Brooke. Apparently Jane and Alex have an older sister and she is more neurotic, organized, and uptight than Jane but not even remotely as fun. When Brooke is around Jane loses it and kind of regresses into Alex. Alex just stays Alex and enjoys her role as the baby. If an unraveling Jane isn't bad enough, Brad was shaken up when he found out Brooke's fiance Elliot is black and wouldn't have to endure the same ordeal he did with the racist Kerkovich relatives.

With Brad proclaiming himself the "Jackie Robinson of the Kerkovich family" and Jane repeating the mantra "strength, courage, composure, no carbs" it's no wonder everything else almost fell to pieces. The world is off its axis when our main couple are not themselves. I'm not going to lie, watching Jane meltdown and get weird Brooke-induced sweats was pretty funny. Brad's meltdown led to a lot of incoherent babbling and bug-outs, but Damon Wayans Jr. always excels in his comic delivery. Max had it pretty on the money when he told Jane:

Jane you’re actin extra nuts, and I’m not talking about mistaking the teaspoon with tablespoon kinda nuts, I’m talking about Mel Gibson downing a 5-hour-energy and showing up at a Bar Mitzvah kinda nuts. | permalink

I think the second episode was probably my favorite of the two because I love when the gang is all together. However, Penny and Dave freaking out about their parents adopting and regressing into total children was also a riot. I especially love Megan Mullally and Michael McKeon as guest stars. I loved Penny and Dave's reaction when they thought the announcement was an engagement and Dave quietly dropped a Rachel Zoe "I die."

Even better than Dave putting on his best Zoe face was the fact that he dropped a line from on-screen girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert's starring role in The Girl Next Door. The juice was worth the squeeze. I'm not sure if that was intentionally done by the writers, but if it was I want them to know that this reviewer noticed it and appreciated it!! Also the two of their dumbasses trying to make the baby cry was so stupidly funny. 

When all else fails, there's nothing like some good old-fashioned physical comedy and competition between Brad, Jane, Max, and Alex. The fact that they noted that nobody solves problems by tennis matches past the 80s was amazing. It brought on images of movies like Trading Places and the tennis montage was well done. Happy Endings knows all of the obvious assumptions people make and beat them to the punchline by cracking the joke themselves.

Max: I wouldn’t say we spend that much time together, I mean just breakfast 4 or 5 times a week before work.

Dave:  And drinks during the day most days, not everyday but definitely every evening.

Penny: And sure we always deliver news in person. | permalink

A great hour of television and what I truly hope isn't the last we'll see of Happy Endings. Were you surprised Dave and Alex broke up? What did you think of Brooke Kerkovich? Who had the best lines? What did you think of the season 3 finale episodes? Hit the comments! 

Brothas and Sisters Review

Editor Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
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Happy Endings Season 3 Episode 22 Quotes

Jane you're actin extra nuts, and I'm not talking about mistaking the teaspoon with tablespoon kinda nuts I'm talking about Mel Gibson downing a 5 hour energy and showing up at a Bar Mitzvah kinda nuts.

Max

Pearl Harbor cause we want this wedding to be da bomb! Like that Michael Bay movie Armageddon.

Alex