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)

Plot Synopsis: Taia, now living in the apartment above Adam, has decided to throw a party. Despite being hung-up on him still, she decides to invite Adam and all of his friends. Problematically for her, neither Adam, nor any of her own friends, turn up. It’s a fairly shit party. Taia knows it. The guests know it.

Meanwhile downstairs, Adam has been seeking to escape the party by watching the Football on TV. After being burdened by refugees from Taia’s party, Adam throws all the freeloading guys out of the apartment.  Adam then escapes his apartment to go drinking with Boxey. At the local pub, A resplendent-looking Boxey, dressed in a suit and tie, is challenged to square a bet, prompting him to do a nudie run around the pub.

So, what now? Well, the only course of action is for Boxey to take Adam to a brothel. Adam remains unamused, even after being coaxed into a bathtub. Boxey remains completely amused, playing a game of fantasy football with one of the prostitutes. Footy guernsey included.

Interestingly, while there, Boxey goes by the name of Boxey Daytos. A real name? Unlikely. He also informs Adam that he was commissioned to write some erotic fiction. Boxey is a professional writer?

Back at the party, Ollie gets increasingly upset that Zoe has spent all night hanging off Cameron after he came with his new girlfriend – the exceedingly hot Janessa. Ollie breaks off the relationship with Zoe.

Adam returns home that night and makes a call to Zoe’s phone. Being the wee hours of the morning, she doesn’t answer. As Adam listens to her answering machine message, he realises he can also listen to the messages left on her phone. Upon hearing one from an apologetic Ollie wanting to patch things up, Adam defies his moral code and deletes the message.

Fade to black.

Thoughts: What an amazingly fun episode. Any time Boxey is given an opportunity to play an effective role in an episode, it’s almost as if it gives the show permission to have fun. With such a Boxey-heavy presence this episode, the eccentricities of the show were in full force.

Interestingly, while the show kept its washed-out colour palette, the cinematographer had the outdoor party scenes looking vibrant and super colourful. It was a great look for the show and really jazzed it up. Visually, Director Jeffrey Walker really made this episode pop. It was great.

For an episode that was clearly structured to serve a bridging function to evolve the character arcs on the show, bringing simmering relationship dramas to boil, the episode really delivered a good dose of charm. Ultimately, this serves to be a lot more valuable to the show than the relationships pay-off will be.

Recurring: Greg Fleet as Boxey. Fletcher Humphreys is actually great in this episode as Anto. Peta Sergeant makes a return appearance as Janessa, following last weeks introduction. And Nikola Dubois returns as Taia. What we haven’t heard is Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side on the soundtrack for a few episodes now.

Quotent Quotables: “I once went to the most amazing party at Molly Meldrums house in Richmond. We ended up streaking at the MCG. Mollys a really fast runner.”

Plot Synopsis: Bruno is beginning to feel like Goose to Camerons Iceman. He’s really not enjoying spending his nights as a wingman, especially where he isn’t doing very well with the ladies. Later when chatting to Camerons former wingman Mark, he reluctantly agrees to attend Marks ‘Mens Group’ where men discuss issues relating to being a man. During drinks following the Mens Group, Bruno suspects that he’s inadvertently accepted a date with a gay man.

Bruno-less, Cameron drags an unwell Adam out to serve as his wingman. It turns out Adam isn’t needed as Cameron still manages to pick up a woman at the bar for a one night stand. The next morning Cameron wakes up to a note from the woman, Jaessa, thanking him for a nice night. Cameron politely leaves a note in return as he leaves, only to find the door is locked. After spending the entire day in her apartment surrounded by her things, Cameron falls wildly in love with her.

Adam feeling unwell, takes a walk and bumps into the ex-girlfriend Louisa. An opportunity to look after him leads to her kissing him. Louisa, stirred by feelings once more for Adam, tells her boyfriend. He promptly kicks her out. Standing at Adams doorstep, she asks if he will take her in. Adam politely closes the door in her face.

All of the characters are surrounded by the past: Camerons surrounded by the past of his one night stand, Adams got his ex-girlfriend smothering him while he’s sick on his couch, Zoe is surrounded by the memories of her failed marriage when confronted by the prospect of meeting Ollie’s family, and Bruno’s friendship with a new mate is founded almost entirely on the disatisfaction he’s had with his relationship with Cameron.

Thoughts: Its a great little episode. Bruno’s storyline is a total write-off, but Adam and Cameron both deliver quite well.

I think its easy to fall for someone based on the things they own and the material items they surround themselves with. You fall in love with the world you’ve constructed around them rather than the person themselves. This is exactly what Cameron has done in this episode, surrounded for the entire day by the world of Janessa.

Adam, meanwhile, gets to live the dream of turning down the romantic intention of a person who had dumped him. Adam, however, finds little joy in doing this. Clearly this fictional character is a better man than I will ever be.

Recurring Peta Sergeant starts her 4 episode arc as Janessa, the object of Camerons affections. This is the show that I fell in love with an actress who can only politely be referred to as smoking hot. We also get another appearance by Mark (Stephen Phillips), who is a lot of fun in the few scenes we have with him. And the lovely Sue Jones appears once more as Adams mother.

Plot Synopsis: Camerons mother is having trouble dealing with her separation from his father and asks to spend time at his house while he is away on what is supposed to be a boys weekend. Cameron is forced to accept that his mother is actually an adult with emotions, something he had never seen in the rigid exterior she presents to the world.

Taia moves in to the apartment above Adam.

Bruno is facing a dilemma. His new woman, Princess Leila is saving herself for marriage, but it’s becoming apparent that while she doesn’t object to Bruno going south of the equator, she seems to have no interest in getting out her passport and visiting Bruno’s locale. The taste is the issue for her, so she offers to work it manually, but apparently lacks the skill.

A planned boys weekend falls apart when Bruno lets it slip to Zoe that they are going away to a large beach house. The boys weekend suddenly changes into a couples retreat with Cameron and Adam joined by Bruno and Princess Leila, Zoe and Ollie, Mark and Charlotte, and Clare with her son.

While on the weekend away, Cameron criticises Clare of not liking him. She says Cameron lacks a moral code. At the end of the episode, Cameron returns home early to spend time with his mother – another step in the maturing of Cameron as he realises his mother is a woman also.

Adam is sitting in a spa with Zoe at the holiday house when he announces he is in love with her. As she deals with the shock of it, Clare enters and sits between them. Later she confronts Adam and tells him that its unfortunate that he has an interest in her as she is with Ollie now.

The audience knows better.

Thoughts: Last Man Standing interested me as a series as it works counter to most other shows of this genre. Its a relationship drama that has little interest in playing up to its female audience. The men in the show are depicted as the pathetic, insecure, grotty boys that we really are, yet still depicting them as romantic ideals. They’re real (to an extent) and flawed. The show explores romance and relationships through the eyes of the male leads, along with their behaviours.

The character of Cameron embodies the shows exploration of masculinity in modern day Australia. He is very much your typical chauvinistic ladies man. He doesn’t treat women poorly, but he certainly does treat them as objects. Camerons arc within the series is to develop and grow as a man. He’s lost his first wife as a direct result of not respecting her. His path is not redemption, but rather to allow him to mature enough to learn from the mistakes he has made and to equip him to be a better man.

What infuriated me about this episode is how little time they gave Cameron in this episode. When you consider the point of his character arc, to give such little time to a defining moment in his relationship with his mother was criminal. I’d hate for the show to overtly come out and beat us over the head with it, but a few more character moments with them would have been nice.

Likewise, Brunos relationship with Princess Leila was given the short shrift. Princess Leilas two-episode story-arc looked at the way that a relationship is tested when one partner has chosen to save themself for marriage. Can love find a way when the physicality is denied? The problem with the arc was that it seemed meaningless as we had very few opportunities to see their relationship outside of the bedroom. Both Princess Leila and Bruno believed they were a good match, yet the viewer never got the chance to see if that was true. It would have been good to see this storyline stretched out over a few more episodes (if only to have some more screentime with the super-pretty Roslyn Oades).

A show like this always walks a fine line between trying to provide substantial moments on screen for the characters and moving storylines along quick enough to maintain the interest of casual viewers. This was an episode which could have spent a little bit more effort on the former for the betterment of the series as a whole.

Recurring: Kat Stewart returns as Clare. Princess Leila (Roslyn Oades) finishes her two-episode stint on the show. Fletcher Humphrys is again around as the always irritating Anto. Chich, Mark, Charlotte, and Ollie also register some screentime. The only recurring actor that is sorely missed in this episode is Greg Fleet as Boxy. It’s hard to imagine a boys weekend away where they haven’t invited him.

Writer: Marieke Hardy
Director: Emma Freeman

Plot Synopsis: Adam wakes up next to a naked fire-twirler he met the night before at a house party with Boxy. The next morning, Adam is living with the guilt of shagging someone other than his girlfriend. Taia starts to get concerned that there’s something going on with Adam, but this doesn’t stop her inviting over Adams mother for a dinner. The dinner puts a stamp of approval on their relationship and Adam freaks out.

Cameron stops by to visit Zoe where he bumps into her new lover Ollie. Ollie gets weirded out by Camerons visit, but still mans up and joins Zoe on a double-date with Cameron.

Bruno embarks on his internet date with ‘Princess Leila’, which seems to be enough of a success to end with Princess Leila inviting herself back to Bruno’s house. While there, things start getting amorous, at which point Princess Leila announces that she doesn’t believe in sex before marriage, but evidently she is a huge fan of ‘Anything But…’. One gets the impression, however, that Princess Leila might be more of a taker than a giver.

Adam finally reaches the point that he comes to terms with the fact he’s in love with Zoe and breaks up with Taia.

Thoughts: There is something slightly off about the production style of this series. Every scene seems to be slightly empty. Background music doesn’t seem to fill the white space. The dialogue is certainly not the problem. It might just be an editing problem, but somethings certainly askew. This episode was certainly no exception.

While the episode concluded with a friendly bbq, the episode certainly had no happy endings. Bruno started a relationship with his internet lover, Princess Leila. Her no sex before marriage policy wasn’t entirely restrictive, yet not reciprocal – meaning there were no happy endings for Bruno. And Adam ended things with the awful Taia.

There was a lot to like about this episode, but what I enjoyed most was the Adam storyline. Taia was absolutely awful in the series, bogging it down severely. The character herself wasn’t terrible, nor was the actress. It just seemed like an ill-fit. The writing for the storyline was clever in that while Adam is pining away for Zoe, using this love as the impetus for the break-up, they have no contact at all in the episode until after Taia is farewelled. The motivation is purely mental with the audience remaining in Adams head. So much so that when the break-up actually happens, the viewer is kept at a distance with a camera shot from across a busy road, never hearing what Adam tells Taia.

It is becoming somewhat apparent that one of the flaws in the series is that it lacks forward momentum. The show really needed some sort of spine to hold the series together – a purpose that at least one of the characters is working toward. Instead, all the characters just seem to be flailing about living a generic relationship drama series existence. It’s a shame as the characters are so well drawn and the cast are all quite charming. It just feels so meaningless.

Recurring Chich gets all Yoda while wearing leather-print jocks about how to deal with an internet date. He also manages to be his standard creepy self by citing the downtime in his relationship with his lady due to excessive chaffing. Sue Jones scores some screentime once more as Adams mother. Why isn’t Sue Jones on TV anymore? She’s always a compelling screen presence.

Quotent Quotable: “Oh, you don’t get it. I mean, Taia, she’s a nice girl. Isn’t it bad enough I’m with her when I really want to be with someone else? Let alone the fact that I’ve cheated on her with someone with a tatt of Gandalf on their arse.”

Plot Synopsis:Adam falls in love with a genuine 1960′s-style bar that he finds derelict on the side of the street that he considers to be very ‘Sean Connery’. Bruno delves into the world of Internet dating with a foray onto Hot To Trot dot net. Adam starts dating an older woman who seems very hung up on her age. Adams girlfriend, Taia, goes to a product launch with Zoe.

Thoughts:
The Internet and mobile phones have dated television programs. TV pre-1995 tends to remain unaffected, but as soon as a character breaks out a chunky-looking mobile phone, a pager, or talks about Internet trends, suddenly the show becomes exceedingly rooted within a 1 – 2 year time-frame. Bruno’s attempts to find a bed buddy and/or relationship online feels VERY dated. It’s not that Internet dating is a thing of the past, but rather the characters attitudes to it feels very 2004.

On the surface, the storyline with Cameron dating an older woman is a little dull. In the greater context of Adams character arc, it explores the flipside of Camerons hound-dog attempts to crack onto the young twenty-somethings from Episode 5. Previously we have seen him attempt to bed Taia’s young friends, only to be rebuffed by the younger women seeking boys their own age. Here we see Cameron seeking to grow in his sexual and emotional maturity by exploring a relationship with the older woman. Of course, Cameron is unable to escape his own sense of self, put off by his lovers desire for marriage and children.

By and large the episode is a bit of a dud. The show, just seven episodes in, feels as though its in a bit of a rut. The fun and vibrancy of earlier episodes is lacking. That said, there is one worthwhile sequence in the episode. We’re treated to a flashback from Zoe’s perspective on how she first met Cameron. The music of the sequence has it feeling like a coffee commercial, but it does provide a great glimpse into the formation of the relationship that has so far underpinned the series to date.

Recurring: Yet again more Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side is heard on the soundtrack. “Spell of The Moon”, “Begining of The End”, and “Caroline” all get some airplay. Chich gets some excellent screentime in the episode as he finds nightly success with Hot To Trot dot net.

Plot Synopsis: The sexual and romantic politics of the past is the theme for this weeks episode.

For Adam, his ghost is the memories associated with taking his ex-girlfriend away for the weekend to Dalesford – the location of his getaway with current girlfriend Taia.

For Bruno, the excitement of helping father his ex-girlfriends child is exciting. The ex-girlfriend in question is Adams sister, of whom Bruno dated for three months when he was eighteen. These days she identifies as a lesbian.

For Cameron, the ghost of his past is an old (married) friend seeking a sexual relationship with him. Cameron is disturbed not by the fact a married woman wants him, but rather that his ex-wife Zoe had given her permission to pursue Cameron.

The episode is exceedingly clever in the way that it juxtaposes the character of Anto against the three main male leads. Anto, a young guy barely in his twenties, is not old enough to have any ghosts of his own, so is instead dealing with his own immaturity of his sisters lesbian relationship and her desire to start a family. While it’s largely an issue of Anto’s immaturity coming to play, ultimately the character is having difficulty watching his sister move forth.

Thoughts: The best episodes of Last Man Standing tend to feature our three protagonists in situations together that reflect general day to day experiences. Once the characters are separated for significant amounts of screen-time, embarking upon their own solo explorations of self-awareness, the show loses the zest that it requires.

This episode is, awkwardly enough, all solo self-exploration. Maybe five minutes in total have any of the characters sharing any screen-time together. The episode suffers for it.

That said, there was quite a bit to like about the episode. Each of the characters had a nice moment of realization that managed to define their characters further than we’d seen previously. Adam fighting against the idea of Taia being ‘the one’, practically refusing to verbalise his emotional state despite Taia calling him directly on it. Bruno reaching a mature decision regarding his emotional ability to father a child he’d have no responsibility for was a nice, if of little consequence, decision. It was when the script dovetailed to draw Cameron into the storyline by exercising his alpha male bravado by donating a sample in Bruno’s stead (thereby fulfilling a sexual thrill by providing his sperm to the lesbian couple) that the script delivered beyond the expected. Cameron finds the experience to be emotionally void.

Inspired Moment:The inclusion of Cameron into the sperm donation story verged on brilliant, unfortunately it didn’t quite sit well with the C story that he’d been saddled with until that moment in the episode. The scene that really resonated was the reaction of the lesbian couple to the actions of Bruno and Cameron. Despite approaching the situation with a clinical approach, Camerons bravado regarding the donation simply highlighted the value of a man like Bruno to serve as a donor.

Recurring: This episode provided a very brief scene with the lovely Kat Stewart revealing her new love for sci-fi. Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side make yet another appearance on the soundtrack with Lo Sciento is heard playing in the background of the final scene.

Plot Synopsis: As we re-join our intrepid inner-city dwellers the night after the big landscaping awards, we are privy to two weekend staples of modern day Australian life. The post-big night hangover breakfast at a cafe. Sausages, eggs, bacon. And lots of it. This is then followed by the great Australian tradition of spending part of the weekend going to a massive hardware store.

Adam invests in an expensive barbeque, which serves as the impetus for a Sunday afternoon gathering at Adams place. Quickly the barbeque is hijacked by his new lady-friend Taia (a younger woman), of whom invites all of her friends. The inability of Cameron to pick up Taia’s friends hits him hard as he realises he has past his prime somewhat.

“Be the buffer zone between me and the products. The place is evil. The last time I went there to buy hinges, I left with an eight outlet surge powerboard and three banana lounges”.

Thoughts: The trip to the hardware store was an inspired moment and serves as an example of what I do enjoy about this series. It served as one of those small slices of life that resonate within my own life. Being of a similar age group with no real idea how to really build or construct anything, yet still feeling the strong desire to spend up big at the local Bunnings.

Hearing Bruno extol the majesty of the hardware store to Adam had the desired comedic value, though with the combination of lavish praise and the big-honkin’ visual of a Mitre 10 logo adorning the store, one can’t help but sense the product placement.

Both Bruno and Cameron are given fairly mediocre plots this week. Bruno’s friendship with a doctor from work whom he meets after being roped into playing netball with his fellow nurses has merit in examining the construct of a developing male friendship in ones late 20′s. Unfortunately, the storyline has come so soon after Adams storyline in which he is befriended by his personal trainer. And considering we’re only five episodes in, it’s certainly a tad worry-some.

Meanwhile Camerons desire to gain equality in the landscaping business (the almost cleverly named ‘Manscaping’) provides some character growth for him as he asserts himself professionally, but serves as a fairly uninteresting and unsatisfying B story.

The relationship between Adam and his new ladylove Taia felt horribly forced. Hopefully she isn’t long for the series.

Recurring: At the barbeque we are treated to a return appearance by the most excellent Kat Stewart. How that woman hasn’t top-lined her own comedy series by now is astounding. Comedian Cal Wilson makes her first appearance as a co-worker of Bruno. And Fletcher Humphreys makes a relatively brief appearance in the recurring role of Ando.

Oh, and Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side are heard quite prominently with their single The begining of The End. This would be two episodes in a row now.

Plot Synopsis: The sexuality of Bruno’s parents continues to haunt the lad as he see’s mental images of his naked parents everywhere. Bruno finds himself quickly cured by a model he starts dating, under the pretense that he’s a doctor (and not the nurse that he actually is). After several dates filled with lies, it becomes apparent that Bruno isn’t the only one lying.

“I can’t get them out of my head. Everywhere I look I see naked old people. I’m like that kid in that Bruce Willis film. Only all retarded”.

Adam is feeling fenced in by family obligations with his brothers insistence on using Adams apartment to entertain his new girlfriend. While sympathetic to his brothers desire not to take women back to his own place, where he lives with his mother, he’s not particularly keen on all the romance taking place on his couch. Adam later finds himself reluctantly in the throes of a budding relationship with a woman at work. His lack of enthusiasm for the pairing is heightened by the erectile dysfunction he encounters prior to an impromptu afternoon delight.

Cameron encounters professional disappointment as he and his partner find themselves nominated for an industry award for their Landscaping business. Cameron is disheartened when they win with his partner accepting all the glory without thanking him.

Inspired moment: Adams mother on the phone to him having trouble coming to terms with why his brother doesn’t feel that he is welcome to bring his lady-friend to the family home. Cut to a flashback of Adam in his youth bringing home a girl at the end of a night after attending a gig, only to find his mother greeting them as they quietly sneak in the front door.

Mother: So, what band did you see?
Adam: (sheepishly) The Hard-ons.
Mother: Uh, oh, right. I bet you could both do with a cuppa.

Thoughts: The episode seems a little lifeless compared to the previous episodes. A spark seems missing, despite the episode having an abundance of great one-liners. This may stem from an awkward combination of the episodes gust-stars, or simply a Director who hasn’t quite gelled with the rhythm of the show.

Camerons storyline is a bit on the dull side, but certainly necessary to develop the character beyond the walking-penis he has so far been depicted as.

The bright-spark of the episode comes from Bruno as he revels in lying to impress his attractive new woman. Watching Bruno claim he’s renovating his conversation pit at home, just moments before splitting payment for an expensive hotel room across two credit cards goes to strengthen the likeable everyman nature of the character.

Recurring: Sue Jones (best known as Pam Willis from Neighbours) is great in her first appearance as Adams mother Gillian. The episode also see’s more Anto and Chich. Featured for the first time in this episode is music from Brisbane band Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side. The same couple of songs from their debut album are featured so often from this point in, one would assume that they were commissioned specifically for the show.

“He’s not Cary Grant. He’s a 23 year-old with a half-mongrel”

Plot Synopsis: This weeks episode is very much centered on notions of self-improvement. Adam is concerned that he has put on weight, having been complacent while in a relationship and so decides to lose some weight at the gym. Adam awkwardly develops too close a relationship with his personal trainer.

Cameron, having cock-blocked Bruno and engaged in a threesome with two ladies on Bruno’s bed (leaving him outside to listen from the couch), has come to the realization that he’s really a bit of a bastard. Cameron decides to clean up his act somewhat and try to seek a relationship of meaning.

Bruno, hurt from the experience with Cameron, takes a further blow by discovering the strong sexual appetitie of his parents after walking in on his very naked father. The experience rattles him so much that he seemingly sabotages a threesome set up for him by Cameron.

Thoughts: The wit and charm of the characters is in full force with this episode. One of the strengths of LMS is watching the characters interact outside of a loose plot. And this was just loose enough. The finest moments came from some of the physical gags, such as seeing a red-haired kid hit in the head with a football, and Bruno encountering his very naked father mixing drinks in his kitchen.

In terms of character development, the Cameron/Adam storylines juxtaposition was well-done, if perhaps poorly timed. Adam’s desire to get in shape was a plot that worked perfectly in the timeframe of the show. It was the first thing he really concentrated on while getting out of the funk of his relationship, yet was still early enough in the series for it to resonate strongly as a direct evolution from the events of the first two episodes of the show. Cameron’s storyline simply felt too early in the series. I’d have much rather seen more of Cameron the complete cad prior to any notions of self-awareness on his behalf.

Recurring: We see the brief return of Bret and Chich. Also, Zoe makes a brief appearance in a couple of scenes. The character of Zoe is potentially problematic at this point. As a regular character, there is a need to beef up her character as to give her something to do, yet to do so takes away from the shows focus and general conceit, being the lives and development of the three lads. It will be interesting to see the next couple of episodes in how they write her into the episodes.