Saturday, January 21, 2012

Last Man Standing: Lies, Lies, Lies

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This show has been doing pretty well in the ratings, indicative that the average American is enjoying it for the most part. However, there is quite a camp of critics that pan it, week after week. Yes, I agree that it's Home Improvement, Part II, but I still think that it's a funny show. Yes, some of the gags have been done before, and I've caught myself called Mike and Vanessa "Tim and Jill" on more than one occasion, but I think the show is funny. Maybe it's related to the fact that I was a big Home Improvement fan fifteen years ago, but I'll take it. And, I'm not the only one. Do the similarities between Last Man Standing and Home Improvement bother you?

Last Man Standing
"Odd Couple Out" (S01E14): There's a bunch of wine bottles in the trash, and Mike wonders if it's the girls. Turns out, the neighbors are having parties and put things in the Baxters' can when they run out of space. [sensible, but this type of behavior bothers me. I'd like to be asked first. And, yes, this has happened to me in real life, only it was the plant/brush container...] Vanessa is really upset that she and Mike haven't been invited to the latest parties, so she interrupts Mike giving the girls another lecture (complete with pamphlets!) on drugs (he's in charge of drugs and alcohol, while she's in charge of sex) to ask him if he has any idea why they fell out of favor with the others. [especially since Kristin was invited to the party!] A month prior, at a 70s-themed party, Mike insulted the fact that Michelle (the neighbor) is a TV weather announcer. [haha!] Of course, he doesn't share this fact with Vanessa, but she finds out soon enough. She tells him not to be mean to their friends. ["you just threatened me with life"] At work, Ed tells Mike that women can't get rid of shoes or friends. Mike tells Vanessa that he knows she has a lot of shoes, and she has no idea what he's talking about... [much like Jill would be confused when Tim would come in and garble Wilson's words of wisdom.]

Vanessa tries to get back in with Michelle by going to a raw food restaurant with them, but Mike isn't excited. [I wouldn't be, either. Though, admittedly, I've never actually been to a raw food restaurant...] Michelle's boyfriend says that he was a Navy Seal, but then he quotes the Marines' motto, which Mike finds strange. [I did, too.] After a few more slip-ups, Mike tells Vanessa that the guy's story is full of crap, but she wants him to play nice anyway, even telling him that she'll root for Michigan over Ohio State, an act which makes her physically ill. [I love it. this little family rivalry is a lot of fun.] Mike keeps quiet, but after Michelle tells the Baxters that they aren't invited to her next party because another couple doesn't like them, Vanessa tells tells Mike to lay it on, and he points out some major errors in the guy's Navy Seals story.
(ABC/PETER "HOPPER" STONE)
Throughout the week, as all of this is going on, the girls are dealing with a lie of their own. Mandy only has to screw up one more time to lose her car (apparently she has quite a few tickets). [Mandy bothers me. I suppose this is what they're going for and all, but her lack of concern over anything that matters bothers me.] Well, Eve asks Mandy to move her car so she can play basketball, but Mandy tells her to move it herself. [now, why, exactly, would Mandy do that? She knows Eve has never driven before. AND, I don't think that Mandy would eve bother to get off the phone to drive anyway...] Of course, Eve gets a big dent in the car. [what exactly did she hit? why not ask Kristin (who is obviously home) to move it for her? and what's with Kristin's deer sweater??] Kristin knows that Kyle has a dent remover, but they'll have to wait until he can come over. Just then, Mike comes in to see what's going on, and Eve says they were going to surprise him by cleaning the garage. [hahaha!] He suggests they power-wash the floor. [LoL, even better!] Later, when Kyle comes to fix the dent, he pulls off some of the paint. [ahhhh!] Mandy mourns her car, figuring it'll be taken away from her, and Eve jokes about moving, right up until Eve realizes that there's a simple solution to the problem.... [what's with the cupcake hat Mandy was wearing?] Put a giant "Say No to Drugs" sticker on the missing paint! Mike figured it out REALLY QUICKLY, but doesn't say anything since making Mandy drive around with it on there is punishment enough. [love it!]

Other things this episode: Kyle doesn't know how to play poker, but is joining Ed and Mike's game. [will this come back up in the future?] And, Mike's vlog was about antiques, specifically old guns.
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