Boy prays for a girl, boy meets girl, boy ignores girl, and boy…sort of comes around to that girl who happens to be the last girl on earth. Probably. It’s that non-sensical storyline that The Last Man on Earth continues to thrive by in all its ridiculous style, if only I could figure out what exactly that “style” is.
A week ago, I’d have done a double-take if anyone told me just how fun the apocalypse could be – much less as a romantic comedy. Beating the odds in every way it’d done for its past two episodes, The Last Man on Earth’s surprisingly – if not bewilderingly – become something of a love story and Raisinballs and Wedding Bells takes it to its next, outlandish level.
Some Spoilers Follow
With the fate of the human race at stake, it’s up to Phil Miller and one Carol Pilbasian to repopulate the planet earth, but it’s only in holy matrimony that Carol will ever do the deed. So it falls to Phil, err, President Phil, to do the one thing he simply cannot do, it seems: tie the knot. Yes, by a unanimous vote of two, Phil Miller just also happens to be the President elect of the US of A because Carol should only marry the most powerful (and last) man in the country. Phil already has the rug for it, after all. What he doesn’t have is a ring.
It’s fairly remarkable how much the series has managed to changed since we found Phil wallowing in his kiddy pool of booze and it’s that constant reinvention that’s served the show well only three episodes in. Here, it’s no longer Phil’s world, but a woman’s world too – namely Carol’s and Phil’s own insecurities about just what it means to let other people into his life. As fun as it might be to watch Will Forte blowtorch toilet paper all by his lonesome, Last Man is admirably setting up a family of two that’s slowly, but surely, beginning to rub off on me.
On the one hand, Forte’s surely an actor that can hold his own literally on his own, but on the other, I’m gradually enjoying his and Carol’s relationship, warped and insane as it is. I’m also glad that the unlikable aspects of Carol have been toned down from last week. I’ve been frank about the message the series applied to Carol’s debut. She’s possessive, she’s neurotic, even what Phil would consider a nag on his bachelor life. Nevertheless, she’s arguably the only honest member of this party of two, even if she only has a future of spaghetti raisin ball pasta and Phil’s sports balls to look forward to.
It’s an equally interesting dilemma that a man who so desperately wanted to escape from civilization has problems being alone and even bigger ones committing to people. “Everyone’s still dead,” Phil exclaims waking up from a nightmare. “Oh, thank God.” Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em, eh Phil?
This episode put the pressure on the both of them to understand one another’s worlds and I dare say that the show dearly benefited from it. While I find it far-fetched that even a slacker like Phil can’t even pick up a ring from a vacant jewelry store, it’s easy to think of marriage as Carol’s own obsession keeping her alive as much as sex is for Phil. She’s working hard to rebuild the freaking human race and getting zero help! The show plays off the idea of the loser guy and the obsessive girl, and despite the clichés, it’s at least viewing the two of them in terms of equally comedic opportunities.
It’s notoriously easy to joke about the guy being hassled by the woman in his life, cowering away in his man cave or always hanging with the guys. It’s a rather antiquated relationship I’m glad Last Man’s not falling prey to longer than it feels it has to. Last week, Carol was in danger of being a shrew. Now she’s a person. A very weird person, yes, but not any weirder than Phil. Phil, it seems gets that too. This episode saw them get the best out of both of their worlds and arguably the best gags as a result. Who knew that playing racquetball in the house and steamrolling beer cans could be more fun with the one you think you love? Maybe just as fun as introducing a spouse to your ex-mannequin girlfriend.
As charming as this episode was, it was noticeably less funny, if not a bit off in certain departments. Phil and Carol’s marriage bed antics proved hilariously awkward, but Carol’s musings about that “masturbatory” collection of Phil’s we were introduced to last week seemed too genuinely mature for a show this jovial. The novelties in Phil’s house, meanwhile, are proving to be amusing easter eggs to scout out each episode, including that fabulous T-Rex skull above his dining room table.
The surprise appearance of a third-wheel in their relationship’s another fantastic addition with its potential to disturb the balance that the two have begun to find. Even worse: It looks like there’s going to have to be a recount in that Presidential vote. If two’s a party, then three’s a crowd Phil’s going to have some very interesting dynamics to a show that’s as delightfully ever-changing as this one.
The Last Man on Earth’s second week threw another round of raucous curveballs, most of them funny, odd, and only infrequently uncomfortable. To think that Raisinballs and Wedding Bells shook up the status quo in just one episode is a feat in itself and one I’m proud to say is making Phil Miller’s adventures in marriage a wildly entertaining one thus far.
The Last Man on Earth airs Sunday nights on FOX at 9/8 Central. Catch all the latest episodes at FOX.com and all the latest reviews here at BagoGames.