Review: Wilfred, S2, Ep. 207 – “Truth”
Air Date: Thursday, Aug 9, 2012, 10:00PM E/P on FX.
Rating:
“The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” – James A. Garfield
A show of hands — who is disappointed with season two so far? I had to put both my hands up because I’m disheartened at how much this show has taken a turn for the…deep. Deep, as in the writers are diving too deep into the psyche of the characters and focusing less on the amazing dark comedy showcased in season one.
I miss the simplicity of having a guy in a dog suit talk shit to his neighbor while also helping him along the way. Yes, there is still that element going on in the show, but it feels different—almost haphazardly thrown in to pay homage to season one. I don’t need to know the complexities of Ryan’s (Elijah Wood) mental status. I don’t care if he’s seeing Wilfred (Jason Gann) as a figment of his imagination or if Ryan really did off himself in season one and all of this is an elaborate mind-game going on while he’s in some mental institution. What I do care about is the comedy, or lack thereof. Some of the comedy I enjoyed in season one remains but I can’t even laugh at those few funny moments in “Truth” because they’re overshadowed by the attempts of cryptic logic from, essentially, a guy in a dog suit.
Pictured: L-R: Jason Gann as Wilfred, Elijah Wood as Ryan, Dwight Yoakam as Bruce. CR: Patrick McElhenney/FX
Bringing Bruce (guest star Dwight Yoakam) back had me excited. I thought maybe Bruce’s return would mean getting into some wild antics, and I hoped the suitcase he brought contained something elusive, something fantastical… Alas, it doesn’t. It contained something so ludicrous and outrageous that it made the whole game of Ryan trying to outwit Bruce to get a chance to open it even more infuriating. Here, I’d wasted my time thinking Bruce had something really mind-blowing to show us, only to be let down. So not fair, writers! I mean, seriously, all that back and forth in the ‘Battle of the (dim)Wits’ only for Ryan to find out he’s been in the basement farting around for 12 hours?
The end result of “Truth” – we learn Ryan isn’t truly ready to move in with Amanda (Allison Mack), which is something that was already obvious. They haven’t been together long and he’s not even able to open up and share his secrets with her, big or small.
Season one was so great because of the simplicity of Wilfred teaching Ryan life lessons using crude and lewd methods. The dark edge on the comedy was also the right blend of ‘haha’ and ‘oh, that’s kind of wrong.’ The writers have taken the show in such a new direction that I can’t even remember what the hell the point is of each episode. Luckily, the titles clue me in to what the focal point is supposed to be. “Truth” begins with that infamous quote of “the truth will set you free” and it’s also the clue that “it will make you miserable.” Truth is, I reluctantly admit my displeasure at this juncture of the season, which pains me to say but there it is.
Because I love the show’s essence and premise, I’m not going to give up hope. I’ll keep watching. I’ll keep the faith that there’s a point to this absolutely erratic, nonsensical methodology that will hopefully come full circle and give me my beloved Wilfred back. I want the Wilfred I fell in love with in season one.
Tune in to Wilfred, Thursdays at 10PM E/P only on FX.
For more on the show, go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/wilfred/.
Follow Wilfred on Twitter @FXNetworks #WilfredFX.
Like Wilfred on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/WilfredFX.
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Photos © 2012 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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