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| Nicole Sullivan (with her all-powerful glue stick) on Less Than Perfect. |
Word has it that a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly (the one
with the Dixie Chicks nude on the cover) contained a rather unflattering
review of the April 29, 2003 episode of Less Than Perfect
(the episode to which I refer here). After screening the episode,
I'm starting to understand why. The plot of this episode, in which
Owen (Andy Dick) decides that he wants to be involved in
raising Deidre's (Nicole Sullivan) child, and then meets
his own father for the first time (Barry Bostwick), was
a trip into the realm of the absurd. The viewer is forced to suspend
disbelief: first, the viewer must take for granted that Deidre would
start a relationship with Owen in order to get impregnated, rather
than just go to a sperm bank; secondly, we get the stock "meddling
co-workers" that we see so often in workplace comedies, who in this
case track down Owen's father, because they care, dammit; thirdly,
we must assume that the confidentiality of a sperm bank can be breached
via a relatively small bribe; fourth, we must assume that Owen,
although he wanted to know who his father was/is, never had the
wherewithal and/or initiative to do this himself; fifth, above
all else, we must believe that people who work in New York City
never mention the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack. It's
not the element of fantasy that I ridicule; it's the fact that sitcoms
by definition are credible to the extent that they mirror real life.
The plot of this episode would seem more suitable for an episode of the
classic series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman than for a run-of-the-mill
sitcom.
Nicole Sullivan (with her all-powerful glue stick) on
Less Than Perfect.
One way a TV show can compensate for bad writing is with a good supporting cast, and in this department Less Than Perfect has an occassional edge. This episode's B-plots involved Claude's boss, Will Butler (Eric Roberts becoming obsessed with looking younger after a gossip column said that he "looked his age"; the other one involved Kipp (Zachary Levi) trying to find a gimmick in order to get more attention at work (he decides on "bicycle guy"). One of the last scenes features Barry Bostwick as Owen's father; he turns in a creditable performance as a loner artist living in a basement apartment.
Nicole Sullivan also appears in this episode, of course, reprising her
role as Deidre, the office supply rep who started a relationship with
Owen solely to get impregnated. Deidre doesn't want Owen to be involved in
raising the child, so Owen is determined to prove to her that he would make
a good father. She is in one scene at the very beginning of the episode,
and one at the end (in the latter scene, she inexplicably yields to
Owen's wishes). While both performances were credible, it's difficult
to think that this will be much of a recurring role for Ms. Sullivan;
too much screen time is already being devoted to the cast regulars for
there to be much time left over for her role. The writing is so
absurd that perhaps it would be make for an interesting episode if
Deidre were to be killed off, possibly in a style similar to that
of Maude Flanders on The Simpsons. Then Owen could attempt
to get custody of their child, and the soap opera that is Less
Than Perfect can continue well into the second season. So
go ahead, writers: do something slightly irreverant. You know
you want to. And if you're interested, I have some good WTC jokes
for you.
Another vidcap from Less Than Perfect.
Video clips (in QuickTime 4.0
format):