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Review: #WilfredFX , Season 1, Ep 9 “Compassion” (“everybody’s a little coo-coo”)

Elijah Wood as "Ryan" and Jason Gann as "Wilfred"

Air Date: Thursday, August, 18, 2011 10:00 PM E/P on FX

Rating ★★★★★

UPDATED (8-19-2011) See below in BLUE

“Make no judgments where you have no compassion.” ~ Anne McCaffrey

While I enjoyed “Compassion,” it was a bit lackluster for me. I think Mary Steenburgen did a fantastic job of being the kooky mom but overall, the episode had only a few moments of ‘ha ha’ and not the usual ‘LOL! OMG! WTF!’ Of course, this episode has a grander purpose so I’ll excuse the shortage of guffaws.

Mary Steenburgen as Catherine

With Jenna (Fiona Gubelmann) out of town, Wilfred (Jason Gann), who’s wearing a cone to prevent him from gnawing at his paws, is staying with Ryan (Elijah). Ryan has to go to an “artist’s retreat” in Ojai to pick up his mother Catherine (guest star Mary Steenburgen), who’s been at the retreat (code for mental institution) for the last 20 years. Apparently she’s a little crazy and perhaps the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree where Ryan’s concerned. Could he be like his mother? Can you inherit crazy? I don’t know why she leaves her cat Mittens behind. I would think she’d want to take her along…right? Food for thought. <hint hint>

Update: The <hint hint> regarding Ryan being like his mother and why Catherine didn’t bring Mittens along is because Catherine can see and talk to Mittens just as Ryan does with Wilfred! Mittens (guest star Rhea Perlman) has a snappy comeback when Catherine asks if she missed her while she was gone, “Bitch please! I knew you’d be back!” Mittens isn’t such a nice pusssy is she? [singlepic id=1504 w=320 h=240 float=right]

I love that Catherine tries to make breakfast for Ryan. Of course, his diet has drastically changed from when he was nine.

Catherine: “I know how to turn that frown upside down – fish sticks and peanut butter tacos, your favorite breakfast.”

Ryan: “Thanks. These days I eat breakfast for breakfast…can I help you find something?”

Catherine (looking in cupboard): “Uh, let’s see; pork rinds, Funyuns®, and a 12-pack of Visine®. I was looking for a glass but now I’m looking for your weed.”

Wilfred and Catherine doing interpretive movement painting

As much as I love Wilfred, I just didn’t get Steenburgen’s over-dramatization of playing crazy. Sure it was kind of funny to see Catherine and Wilfred rolling around in paint on Ryan’s front lawn, but is that indicative of someone who’s crazy, or just someone who’s more outgoing,  confident and unaffected by what people think?

Ryan: “What are you doing?”

Catherine: “What does it look like I’m doing, silly? I’m making a statement about corporate greed and the death of selflessness through interpretive movement painting.”

Of course you are. Who doesn’t do interpretive movement painting when they make a statement? In no way does it remotely look like you’re just rolling around in paint on a canvas wearing a leotard for shits and giggles. Uh-uh, not at all.

Catherine (Mary Steenburgen) over-shares an embarrassing story about Ryan

Catherine also over-shares on the stories from Ryan’s childhood. She left when he was just a kid so how many stories does she have? The breech birth story is a bit much but I couldn’t help but laugh at the “Who’s The Boss?” masturbation story. Eight year old Ryan was crushing on Mona from the TV show Who’s The Boss! But, I think that story could have been shelved since they were having lunch with Jenna, who returned early from her trip. Just saying.

As they finish their take out lunch, some impromptu dancing and laughing causes Ryan to lose it! He’s screaming, “Why can’t you just act normal,” to which Catherine conveys her disappointment in a most unusual way – she lifts her skirt and moons Ryan. Yes, she moons him! Priceless! What really makes my hamsters spin is the short conversation between Ryan and Wilfred about Ryan being the same age as Catherine when she went to the loony bin.

Ryan: “I’m not crazy.”

Wilfred: “Said the man to the dog.”

Ironically, Ryan is forced to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after he brings his mother back to the institution. His ranting about how Wilfred orchestrated this whole thing and is trying to steal his mother also adds fuel to my previous notion that Ryan may indeed be nuts. But Dr. Cahill (guest star John Michael Higgins) releases him after only three days.

Dr. Cahill: “Well, you made a lot of progress over the last three days and based on years of diagnostic experience and your lack of health insurance, it is my medical opinion that you are not a danger to yourself or others and I am releasing you.”

Ryan: “So, I’m not nuts?”

Dr. Cahill: “Look, everybody is a little coo-coo, Ryan. The people who hide it well – those are the people I worry about.”

I know Ryan has some unresolved issues regarding his mother because she chose to stay in the institution for the majority of his life, so I get why he’s bitter. I think he should have put his foot down immediately when Cahill called to say his mother was ready to leave. Why is this Ryan’s problem? She’s a grown woman. She should be able to fend for herself if she’s so ready to leave and rejoin society, right? And I find it curious that Ryan’s dad continued to pay for Catherine’s 20-years confinement. Isn’t that…nuts? Maybe it just runs in the family.

Tune in to Wilfred, Thursdays at 10PM E/P only on FX.
For more on the show go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/wilfred/.

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Photos © 2011 FX Network, All Rights Reserved.

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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.

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.