It’s been a long time since Phil “Tandy” Miller was the last man on earth and longer still since he had any hopes of getting lucky with a lady. Two’s a party, three’s a crowd, and I guess any more than that’s where we are now in The (not-so) Last Man on Earth. Six people and maybe six million lies later, the Phil I came to know and even love in his debut’s seemed to disappear with his beard hairs. As a wise wizard once said, not all who wander are lost and so is our once loved Phil T, nor our still lovable Todd.
Spoilers Follow
Last time we saw our two womanless gentlemen in question, they were were sitting around a campfire plotting girlfriend-nabbing Other Phil Miller’s doom. Wouldn’t you know that a lack of imagination and a lack of guts left them to do exactly what you would’ve guessed: nada. Worse, in the process of their outlandishly murderous brainstorming, Todd finally gets the inkling of just what Phil T. meant by desert-ditching him that other episode. Suddenly partnerless and unfashionably single, a rather revealing roundtable discussion with his now very pissed-off neighbors earns Phil T. the unthinkable: actual exile from the cul-de-sac. Of course, no one’s exiling former President Phil Tandy Miller without some grief!
The entire debacle largely leaves us with the same picture we’ve seen since the show’s fourth episode. Phil T. lands himself in some hot water, jealous of some guy or horny for some girl. Then he weasels his way out in some ridiculously ridiculous way and repeat the cycle. It’s a note that the show’s played all too often and I honestly would’ve expected nothing less from Screw the Moon – and to some degree, that’s exactly what it gives. Barricaded into his own bedroom and drunk on his own self-pity, Phil T. is in awfully familiar place by his standards, minus the hors d’oeuvres of toothpaste and (ugh) Carol’s raisin balls.
Ever since their mouth-to-mouth first meeting, it’s always been Carol’s name that the show’s real heart has hinged on and maybe it’s no surprise that its her voice that cures Phil T. case of the mega-mopey. For the better half of the series, it’s been both their struggle to realize what they want and if their relationship’s meant anything, what they want is what they can’t have. If Carol was the little girl we saw painting poodles into Monéts, than Phil’s the little boy locked in his room promising never to come out. In their own ways, they need each other, but Screw the Moon might’ve finally convinced me – and maybe Phil T. too.
Of the times we’ve seen Phil T. a ladder away from death, it’s a Road to Damascus revelation courtesy of a dead-serious Other Phil that finally scares the fear of God and dieting into him. The sight of an empty Cheetos bag is enough to frighten any man, I know, but for the first time, Phil’s been truly alone. Maybe it’s the irony of being betrayed by his own namesake that brings a sense of morbid irony to show’s season finale, but somehow, it’s the poignancy that the show’s deserved. After episodes of laughs, it’s nice that the season end on a heartfelt smile, its odd couple driving off into the sunset and all.
I can’t think about Screw the Moon without reservations. That Carol can’t be with a man who would leave another man in the desert is something I’d expect from the character, but that the show should simply demand she choose between Phils feels more scripted than the show’s original intent. Yet Last Man seems to make the effort to have both of them pick each other up as they have – equal opportunity and all that. And I can’t help but wonder how long we can really trust Phil T.’s eyes not to wander to another hot woman or grit his teeth at another hot man. I can only hope Will Forte’s sad song was as much the pathetic proof of his conversion as I liked to believe.
It’s all the better Last Man not close its first season without some amount of closure and questions. Todd and Melissa patching things up was nice to see (crumb shirts and all) and the series’ sci-fi twist leaves me thinking a weightless Jason Sudeikis’s trip back to Earth is going to be an interesting one. Still, it feels like the show couldn’t do anything more than wipe the slate clean of all its loose ends. I’m not anymore excited to revisit Gale and Erica’s woefully underwritten subplots or Other Phil’s characterless existence. Nevertheless, if rebooting itself was essentially the only thing left for Last Man to do, then so be it.
For all the twists and turns Last Man‘s given us, it feels like a fitting end that the series should end the way it began. Reboot or not, it’s Screw the Moon‘s last moments that truly felt that the series was found itself again – even at the expense of retreading old ground to get there. It’s painful to think that we’ll have to wait another year to know more about the Miller family, or where our zombies are, but for the first time in a while, I’m pleased to say that I want more of this post-apocalypse. And I really want more Good Phil.
The Last Man on Earth will be back for another season next year. Until then, check out any series reviews you might’ve missed and stick around for more about your favorite games, movies, TV shows, animé, and comics here at BagoGames.