Sunday, March 18, 2012

Happily Divorced: Reunions of Family & Friends

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Peter is pretty closeted. Apparently the writers realized that and have him coming out to various people in both episodes of the second season so far. Now that some of his college buddies and family members are in the loop, what's next? Well, let's just hope it was Cesar in it, because he's really the funniest character on this show. Sure, Fran's parents have decent lines and Judy delivers a hilarious one-liner or two per episode, but Fran and Peter are just not overly-funny characters. And, with Fran Drescher, that's hard to do - the woman has become synonymous with the very definition of "over-the-top"!!! One other thing that bothers me about this show? Fran and Peter are always happy at the end of an episode... a bit too The Brady Bunch, don't ya think? We can't just not comment on their strange lifestyle? It just seems out of place that it's emphasized over and over...

Happily Divorced "The Reunion" (S02E01): The gang's college reunion is coming up, and Fran thinks she's too fat and poor to go, though her real concern is that some girl, Jill, will show her up. [interesting. I guess I was never in such close competition with a single person that I'd feel it really mattered.] Peter is worried about "coming out" to his classmates. [this one makes more sense. though I loved Fran's joke about everyone in the drama department knowing he was gay except the two of them!] Anyway, Peter, Fran, nor Judy actually belong to the gym... so they're pretending they're guests of Ellior's. Lo and behold, Elliot is there, and Fran invites him to attend the reunion with her to show up Jill, though Peter thinks it's a bad idea. By the time Fran gets home, Judy, Peter, Cesar, and Fran's parents are all there for an intervention. [hahaha "three hours to coordinate a trip to Costco."]

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At the reunion, it's not long before Fran goes overboard with Elliot. He plays a rich fiance and they make out on the dance floor, but when Peter and Judy confront Fran in the bathroom about her behavior, they don't know that Jill is in a stall, eavesdropping. [that sucks. But WHO starts talking about something secret without checking the entire bathroom first?? and, ewww on Jill's dress, by the way!] Fran talks to Elliot about their relationship, and Elliot talks says they should just being friends. [man... people still say that in their 40s??] Another guy overhears and starts hitting on Fran... and it turns out to be Jill's husband! [love it!] Jill tells Fran that she knows what happened, as Frank flirts with others all the time. Fran is classy about it, whereas Jill has already spread the first on Fran. [b!tch!] While all of this is going on, Peter is talking to a guy from college, but it's weird because Peter has stalked him online already. [awkward!] The episode ends with Peter and Fran being happy with their lives after all. [dumb.]

Happily Divorced "Peter Comes Out Again" (S02E02): Fran has invited Peter's brother, Matthew, to stay the weekend while he's in town. Peter freaks out because he hasn't come out to his family yet. ["don't answer it!" was good acting!] So, he intimately kisses Fran at the first opportunity in front of Matthew, to act like everything is status quo. Fran says that she won't lie for Peter, but after he says that his wife is better than Matthew's, she agrees to cover for him. [haha!] Cesar goes along with it, too, saying that he's the one who buys gay magazines. [the "how to drive a stick" joke made me laugh. as did, "that's the secret."] That night, Peter sneaks in to sleep with Fran, but she kicks him out. When Matthew asks Peter what the fight was about, he says "I'm gay," which bothers Matthew, as he felt like Peter should have told him. [interesting reaction... they could have gone any way with this, and I don't know that I was expecting this one.] Matthew admits that it wasn't THAT big of a shock... Peter could cook and garnish an egg white omelet when he was five. [ewww on the seashell pattern on the dining room chairs!]

It turns out that Fran and Peter only got together because Matthew had made a date with Fran that he couldn't keep. This now leads Matthew and Fran begin to wonder about their own potential relationship. [whoa.] Fran's mom tells her to ask Peter, who is a bit surprised but says it's fine. [it wouldn't be fine with me, I'll say that right now!] Their date starts well, but Fran realizes that there's no chemistry. [not thrilled with that neutral-colored dress on Fran.] Fran tells Peter that he's a better kisser, and all is well.
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