Go On: Collages, Hockey, Ghosts, Cooking

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I think that Matthew Perry is great in the role of Ryan King. The first few episodes weren't bad, but this show is really in a groove now, so I'm very glad that NBC went ahead and gave it a full-season order. The characters are such an odd conglomeration that it works for me, though I know that isn't true for everyone. I kind of wish that Lauren was a little different, but it's not the end of the world. Plus, I much prefer Steven being the work buddy instead of Carrie! On the homefront, I guess I hadn't realized that Ryan has managed not to cook for himself for months now. How has he been handling laundry and other household tasks? I guess that will come to light, too.

Go On "Bench-Clearing Bawl" (S01E04): Ryan brings Janie's sewing machine to the group to give to Sonia, and the others warn him that it's too early to give away his wife's possessions. Everyone is supposed to make collages, but Ryan isn't sure what to put. [Hunger Games? really?] Well, Lauren decides to send Ryan pictures that Sonia sent of her cat in various positions, including with the sewing machine, which gets Ryan crying on-air. [didn't see that one coming!] Then, Ryan sits down to put together his collage of past and future items, which includes his wedding invitation.

Anne wants to skip a wedding because she doesn't want to go alone, but Ryan offers to go with her, as he's skipped three himself, because of the "+1" thing. [lol... maybe it's because I didn't actually "lose" my husband so much as he was someplace else at the time, but I've gone to two weddings with other people as my +1 since being married.] At the wedding, someone comes up and talks to Ryan, while a woman is interested in Anne, but she's not ready. Ryan pushes her a bit, saying that she can keep it light by going for smoothies at an off-hour. [what was with that Rachel Maddow comment??] Well, Sasha tries to kiss Anne anyway, so she freaks out and runs to Ryan, deciding to go ahead and kiss him just to get the awkward "first kiss after your lover died" out of the way. [um... okay.]

Jeremy Roenick has a pick-up hockey game that Ryan has been trying to join for years, so when a slot opens, he asks Carrie to get him in. She can't, but Steven does, by playing the "his wife just died" card. [I wonder how long you can use that? a year, probably?] All of the other players go easy on Ryan because word has spread about his wife. [figures.] At the next game, Ryan is so excited that he invites the group to watch, but he finds out that the others have been treating him with "kid gloves" and demands they stop, even if he gets hit and falls often. [even the guys on his own team were wailing on him!]

(Photo by: Justin Lubin/NBC)

Go On "Do You Believe in Ghosts... Yes!" (S01E05): Ryan is seeing Janie around the house and it pesters him so much that he interrupts someone else's story in group so that he can talk about it. [we couldn't get someone pretty to play Janie??] The second day Janie appears, Ryan tries to talk to her, and she tells him to go grocery shopping. He doesn't know how much milk to buy, so he copies another guy... then proceeds to follow him throughout the store, picking up anything and everything that he does... though he does have to throw in a frozen turkey when the guy looks at him. [I loved this. seriously, this was brilliant.] Ryan gives up at the cashier, though, when he's slightly ahead of the guy he's copycatting, and asks him if he wants paper or plastic! [I'd like to have Ryan shadow him again in some other aspect of life, haha!] In group, he asks Faustia for cooking advice, then talks her into making a casserole for him, though he drops it when he sees Janie again. The next morning, he pulls out a cookbook and sets out to roast a turkey, then realizes that when he starts taking care of himself, it really does mean that Janie won't be returning. [awwww. but haha on "what's the iTunes password?"]

Steven and his girlfriend, Ashley, have broken up, and Ryan volunteers to be his wingman sp they walk a random dog in a park. They met some girls and Steven offers to put them on the air after Ryan stumbles in telling them he's a recent widower. [yeah... awkward!] At the station, the guys act like Steven is the star and Ryan is the producer, then decide to just leave the girls and go back to Ryan's to eat turkey, drink scotch, and play video games. [not sure how that is going to play out, but I liked it. It was a tad too House-and-Wilson, though.]

The group (minus Ryan) goes to spy on Lauren, who is working as a parking cashier. At the next group meeting, everyone wants to know what the deal is, and Lauren says that she's only doing it to make money until she passes her real estate test and then she'll do that while studying for her Master's in counseling. [wow. that's an involved plan! yay, the Griffith Observatory! that's like the one LA landmark I've seen besides the Hollywood sign, LoL! and I've been to it twice, no less.] But, she gets test anxiety and has failed the test a few times already. [how, exactly, do you get that far in life without figuring out how to deal with test anxiety?? or maybe it was late on-set or something?] The group bands together and terrorizes her while quizzing her. [I thought that Sonia reading the score as it steadily decreased was knee-slappingly hilarious! 100. 65. 25. 22. !!!] So, when Lauren takes the exam for real, the rest of the group shows up with tests and take all of the surrounding desks so their leader can focus. [sweet. I don't believe it actually would have happened, but sweet.] She passes with a 92 and immediately gets a job... Mr. K. scored 100 and is also now an agent. [um... what?]