Marry Me Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Pilot
Amanda Steinmetz
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So many women have dreamed about the moment they are proposed to.
For some reason I don't think this is what Annie had in mind.
On Marry Me Season 1 Episode 1 we are introduced to Annie and Jake on the day his marriage proposal completely falls apart. To be fair, it was mostly Annie's doing.
After arriving home from vacation, Annie explodes into a rant about Jake not proposing after six years of dating. During her tirade, Annie rips into him, their friends, and his mother. If she had turned around sooner, she would have seen Jake on bended knee with a ring in his hand. To make matters worse, all the people she just trashed come out of hiding in their apartment.
The rest of the episode revolves around Annie trying to make amends with Jake. I really enjoyed the proposal mishaps. The scene where she tries to propose to him at his office made me both laugh and cringe. After all the failed attempts, Jake and Annie are engaged by the end of the episode.
The title of the show is Marry Me, so will the series be just about their engagement or will we see them get passed the "I do's"? I never watched Happy Endings (don't hate me!), but I loved Casey Wilson when she was on Saturday Night Live.
I've also always been a fan of Ken Marino's from Wet Hot American Summer to the hilarious internet parody of The Bachelor, Burning Love. I think the two of them have the ability to pull off the chemistry and oddball humor the writing requires.
Without you I would just spin off into space like Sandra Bullock in "Gravity". You keep me grounded, like Sandra Bullock in real life.
Annie
However, I'm not sold yet on who these people are. So far, they are stereotypical rom-com characters. She's the high strung woman obsessed with marriage, and he's the laid back, not obsessed one. I'm not really sure why they are together yet or why he would want to marry such an over the top drama queen.
It'll help if the show continues to use the flashbacks sparingly. These flashbacks were the few times during the pilot where I could really see them as a romantic pairing. We need more context to see how these two fell in love and why they are a perfect match. As long as they are fleshed out more over the next few episodes, I have no doubt they will become an entertaining and funny couple to root for.
The pilot was centered around Annie and Jake, as it should be, but the show needs to explore the lives of the other characters. Right now, the best friends are mostly one-note: the schlubby guy and the free-spirited girl. I'd like to see them develop more complex personalities over the coming weeks.
Having Annie's two dads be played by Dan Bucatinsky and Tim Meadows is inspired casting! I already want to see more scenes with them. I just hope that they aren't going to be stereotypical gay TV characters. The lavender sweater isn't helping to ease my mind.
There is an inevitability with a show like this. Annie and Jake will get married. The challenge the show faces is how to keep this couple interesting. There is no will-they-won't-they dilemma, so the audience is going to have to find other reasons to stick around.
So over to you guys! What did you think of the pilot? Do you think Jake and Annie make a good match? What are your thoughts on the use of flashbacks. Sound off below and go watch Marry Me online if you missed the opener!
Amanda Steinmetz was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She went into retirement in June of 2027. Follow her on Twitter.
