Humorous Confusion Compounded. Review: Wilfred, Season 3 Premiere — “Uncertainty”

Air Date: Thursday, June 20, 2013, 10:00PM E/P on FX.

Rating: ★★★★★

“The mistake is thinking that there can be an antidote to the uncertainty.” – David Levithan

L-R: Elijah Wood as Ryan Newman and Jason Gann as Wilfred

Our {mostly} loveable, yet outrageously raunchy dog Wilfred (Jason Gann) returns for another season of hijinks, confusion, existential nonsense, inappropriate humping, pot smoking, confusion, and did I mention confusion? While I look forward to what’s in store this season, admittedly, Wilfred has become a bit of a downer for me. True, I love the raucous antics and dark humor, and even the vile disgusting things he does to that poor giant stuffed bear don’t offend me. What I find contrite is the rigmarole of figuring out whether Wilfred is all a figment of Ryan’s (Elijah Wood) elaborately complicated imagination.

If you recall, in last season’s finale (if not, read my review), Wilfred said he drew the picture of Ryan, Ryan’s mother Catherine (Mary Steenburgen), and the little doggie that looks a lot like himself hiding behind the tree. Of course, Ryan learns the truth, of sorts, when he looks at an old photograph and the same drawing is in the background. Of course, if Wilfred actually drew the photo, then his outlandish claims of being an immortal supernatural being could be true. Doubtful, but possible.

Wilfred isn’t immortal after all…

The debacle of the drawing leads Wilfred to do something drastic to prove his immortality to Ryan. Thankfully, the vet pumps Wilfred’s stomach of the antifreeze cocktail, which leads to the discovery of a micro-chip inside Wilfred. That chip leads them on a perplexing journey to northern California to find Wilfred’s original owner. There is a twist when they find the house and even more twists when Wilfred recalls burying a certain stuffed green hippo toy in the lawn. Of course, if you, like me, are completely thrown off and confused, fret not; it only gets more confusing!

Despite the enormity of the circuitous clusterfuck that’s being written, Gann and Woods continue to amuse me with their performances. It’s almost as if they are actually Wilfred and Ryan and we are watching home movies of them. They are so convincing in their portrayals, it’s only when the show ends that you realize this isn’t real at all. But, this diabolical fabrication the writers have created continues to astound me. I hope they stop being so incomprehensible with the whole ‘is Wilfred real or not’ story line because it’s becoming tiresome. I want to see more of Wilfred’s darkly humorous side as he plays pranks on Ryan. I want to see more of Ryan’s sister Kristen (Dorian Brown) because Brown is absolutely hilarious in her role. Kristen’s priorities are skewed and she’s desperate to find a replacement daddy for her son. And, I want to meet Ryan’s elusive father. I know we’ll see him soon…right?

The question remains – is Wilfred the labyrinthine concoction of Ryan’s post-suicide attempt in season one? Do we care if Wilfred’s real or not? My answer is no. Stop the lollygagging and bring on the dark humor, post haste!

Tune in to a double feature of Wilfred premiering Wednesday June 20 with “Uncertainty” at 10PM and “Comfort” at 10:30PM E/P only on FX Networks.

For more on the show, go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/wilfred/.

Follow Wilfred on Twitter @FXNetworks #WilfredFX.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.