A Carol/Tandy baby is finally on the way!

The Last Man on Earth Season 2 Episode 16 was a surprisingly heartwarming and satisfying installment of the series. It also ended on a very intriguing cliffhanger that potentially may serve to set up a storyline for next season.

There are only two installments of The Last Man on Earth Season 2 left, so it makes sense that they'd start laying groundwork for The Last Man on Earth Season 3.

The central plot of "Falling Slowly" dealt with the immediate aftermath of Carol's request of Todd at the end of The Last Man on Earth Season 2 Episode 15. As expected, Phil was not thrilled with the idea of any man other than himself boning Carol, even if it's just to act as a sperm donor.

Carol: Well, there is Mike.
Phil: No, absolutely not. My own brother, Carol?
Carol: Well, re-enter Todd. Pun intended.

Permalink: Well, re-enter Todd. Pun intended.

And yet, it somehow got even worse.

When Carol brought up the idea of Mike acting as the sperm donor, Phil immediately dismissed it, and with good reason. Mike apparently has a history of going after women that Phil has been interested in (according to Phil, at least). Phil is absurdly territorial about pretty much everything, but Carol in particular.

Unfortunately, when Phil divulged the news about his and Carol's divorce to his brother (amid karaoke rounds of "Falling Slowly"), in light of Phil's infertility and Carol need to marry Todd in order to properly have sex with him, Mike was visibly miffed that he hadn't been asked to step up and act as a sperm donor.

You could see Phil's resolve to exclude his brother slowly crack as he noticed how Mike reacted to the news. He allowed his guilt to eat away at him, finally forcing him to pull an old switcheroo and ask Mike to step in as sperm donor/Carol's husband at the worst possible time – mid-wedding ceremony.

Todd, as we knew, was thrilled to be doing this favor for his best bro. He even went so far as to agree to a formal wedding ceremony with Carol, following along with Carol's rather stringently traditional views about sex, marriage, and conception.

Todd, this is not my first sexual rodeo. But still, you accepted me as a pure and unsullied vessel for your seed, and because of you, our child will not be a bastard. No judgment, Erica.
Carol

Permalink: Todd, this is not my first sexual rodeo. But still, you accepted me as a pure and unsullied...

Carol's vows were just perfect, weren't they? So very Carol. Actually, the only thing better than Carol's vows may have been Gail's and Melissa's irritated/disbelieving reactions during the entire ceremony.

Poor Todd was immediately and noticeably crushed to be booted from sperm duty in favor of Mike. Despite how busy he'd become with his "two lovers," he desperately wanted to be there for Phil and Carol.

Todd's overreaction is clearly rooted in one of two things. Either he has a deep-seated pathological need to be the most important male in the group or he feels as though he's being slowly edged out of his friendship with Todd by Mike's return. I'm thinking the latter.

Meanwhile, Carol and Mike got closer post-wedding as they prepared to do the deed. Phil, being Phil, immediately flipped out and decided to intervene in the most over-the-top, absurd way possible: by demanding that he be an audience to their baby-making.

Phil was not a silent spectator. Nope, instead, he showed up to the conception appointment fully prepared, with body-covering, unflattering body suits, a grabbing stick, and lots of opinions about sex with Carol.

Mike: Phil, I gotta say I'm not totally comfortable with this arrangement.
Phil: Well, this is the arrangement we've got, so if you don't like it, there's the friggin' beads.

Permalink: Well, this is the arrangement we've got, so if you don't like it, there's the friggin' beads.

Weirdly enough, after initially backing out, Mike was prepared to go through with it, as Phil sat there watching intently – either because he truly loves his brother, or because he's a giant weirdo. He seemed to be getting really into Carol's mandatory super-specific themed sex talk, so it could very well be the latter option.

After realizing that Carol and Mike were getting really into their baby-making picnic party, Phil intervened by pulling out his wildcard – a first-time declaration of love to Carol. As she sat atop his brother's penis. Yep.

I'm not sure what's stranger: the idea that Phil wouldn't already have told Carol he loved her or the fact that he spilled the beans as she was literally riding his brother.

Naturally, that killed the mood, but lo and behold – it didn't even matter in the end! As revealed in the closing moments of this installment, when Erica and Melissa read the pregnancy test that Carol had confused for an ovulation test, she's pregnant! And the child is, apparently, Phil's.

I'm not sure who's glee was more infectious, Carol's or Phil's. Phil's shock and excitement over having done something correctly was utterly adorable, at the very least.

Elsewhere, boozehound Gail was drinking up a storm in the back yard, using a contraption made of many straws, when a flying object appeared. Is it a drone? Is it a model plane? Is it actually nothing at all but rather a drunken Gail hallucination?

Other thoughts:

Todd's break-dancing continues to be one of the greatest recurring gags on the show. His angry break dancing during "Falling Slowly" was somehow even better than his break dancing distraction a few episodes back,
In other fantastic character touches, I will never stop loving Carol's bizarre sexual roleplay. "No 'cuz, you know, I have a bad po-tah-to allergy."
Phil is obviously very often a worrywart for no reason, but to his credit, Mike did seem to be overtly flirting with Carol after the wedding reception. It's possible that Mike is just a naturally flirtatious character and didn't mean anything by it – on the other hand, it's totally possible that Mike is a bit more nefarious than he's let on so far.

What did you think of "Falling Slowly"? Chime in by leaving us a comment below and catch up when you watch The Last Man on Earth online here at TV Fanatic.