Last Man Standing: Episode 12

Writer: Marieke Hardy
Director: Steve Jodrell

Plot Synopsis: Adam, burdened with guilt following the erasure of Ollie’s message on Zoe’s answering machine is pressured by his sister to invite her and girlfriend over for lunch.

Cameron is showering with his new girlfriend who asks how many women he’s slept with. Following the revelation that it’s 74, she lets out a ‘hmmf’, before walking out. Cameron is left bewildered and frustrated by the situation.

Bruno goes to the supermarket with Adams sister. While arguing over a 3-pack of jocks in his trolley, she insists that there is a set of rules at the supermarket that exist to help one pick up at the Supermarket. Bruno becomes obsessed with what is in his trolley and takes repeated trips to the supermarket to see how he fares.

Upon the revelation that his girlfriend Janessa has slept with 103 people herself, Cameron starts to freak out. As the least experienced in the couple, Cameron feels threatened that he may not be as good as the 102 that preceded him. Eventually, after an exploration through his own fears and inadequacies, Cameron realises that at the threat of losing Janessa, he can deal with the situation.

Adam gets a call midway through lunch by Zoe. Zoe tells him that she needs him. Adam rudely makes his escape and embarks on a quest to get to Zoe. Facing hurdles as he ventures out across Melbourne to meet the love of his life, Adam is pulled over by the police and forced to wait in a booze bus. Seemingly, Adam has had a couple of frosty beverages throughout his day, causing his blood alcohol content level to be higher than desirable. After being sent into the booze bus, Adam waits long enough for his BAC to reach the legal limit, however his car is held by the police due to bald care tires. Adam runs across Melbourne to reach Zoe to the tune of Gelbisons ‘All The Rage’.

Bruno, at the supermarket once more is called on his supermarket antics. Bruno tries asking her out, but she reveals that she is married.

Adam finally reaches Zoe, only to find she is asleep. She awakes and they sleep together. After, she tells Adam that she’s not interested in a relationship with him – just casual sex. Adam goes home, but has a moment of self-realization. He returns to Zoes and tells her he wants more than casual sex with her. Adam then confesses that he erased Ollie’s answering machine message. Zoe pulls Adam into her doorway.

Fade to black.

Thoughts: The episode was clearly written as an end point and pseudo-finale if Last Man Standing was to be canceled early. It would have been a solid-enough episode to go out on.

Adam seems to have just been biding time in the episode to reach the point that had him racing to meet Zoe. Bruno is provided with a sub-plot that just feels tired and dated. While Cameron is provided with yet another episode of the ‘alpha male is forced to confront the changing role of masculinity’. While I do enjoy that aspect of the series, it feels that the issues are never explored fully and that’s all the character gets to do in the show.

The writing in the episode was funny and slightly above par for the show, but it was just bogged down with some plots that existed out of necessity. As a series finale, the lack of closure provided to Bruno and Cameron would have been disappointing. As a series mid-point, the show feels like its finally reached a point where it has direction and purpose.

Recurring:

Boxey and Anto are given a short scene together.

Quotent Quotables:

Come on, I used to be a cop. Well, I wasn’t a cop, but I got pissed with two of the guys from Division 4, once.
-Boxey (Greg Fleet)