(S01E02) I love this show. Usually that's a bad omen though. Shows I like get canceled. Take Love Monkey... hooray for the last 5 episodes on VH1 though. Then consider The Unit. I was not a big fan, yet it's getting plenty of rave reviews and lots of viewers. Balderdash I say! Let's just hope that Brian doesn't suffer from the curse of me. What if I say I hate it? Maybe it'll stick around.
Anyway, last night's "premiere" picked up right where Sunday night's "sneak preview" left off. Did anyone understand the point of advertising the two episodes like that? By calling Sunday's episode a sneak preview, at first it made me think that I didn't need to see the episode. Like it was some sort of season overview. I don't know, that whole plan didn't make sense to me. But I'm glad I saw both hours, because folks, this is good television.
Brian ends up getting Lisa's number. Lisa, the girl Marjorie is trying to set Brian up with in an effort to mask her own feelings for Brian. Lisa, the complete idiot who thought This is Spinal Tap was the hip, new medical thriller. Of course, this was all against Brian's personal wishes to stop being set-up by his friends and start getting in the game. That worked out real well. Actually, it did if you consider that Brian sleeps with Lisa, and then meets her extremely hot roommate the next morning. Prompting Adam (we'll get to him, total jerk-face) to suggest that Brian goes for "two in twenty-four." Now you get what the title means?
As I said in my previous review for the pilot, I like how this show is putting equal effort into developing the stories of all the characters. In perhaps the best line of the episode, Nic's doctor suggests that her husband Angelo "shower her in sperm," in an effort to get pregnant following her miscarriage. Beyond that, Deena and Dave are still struggling with the open marriage idea. It seems clear that Deena wants to sleep around but feels guilty about it.
On to Adam. He's completely obnoxious. But he's a redeemer! No matter how much of a jerk he is to Marjorie, by the end of the day he redeems himself by doing something nice. In this case, offering to help plan the wedding. Something he should have been helping with in the first place! Marjorie is acting incredibly stupid and that's starting to bug me. She knows she can do better, so why isn't she?
In the end, after Brian sleeps with the other roommate (that's right, he accomplished two in twenty-four), he's left alone and ends up watching Spinal Tap with car girl's dog. I still can't believe she just left her dog. With the way things are going, there is no way that Brian is going to be able to shelf his feelings for Marjorie. She needs a nickname by the way. Can we just call her Marge or M? If M (there, I did it) and Adam plan the wedding fast, we're probably going to see a lot of awkwardness to come. It's only a matter of time before Adam finds out about the "closet kiss." We shall see.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-18-2006 @ 10:47AM
Joel Keller said...
What strikes me about this show is that everyone in it is too goddamned pretty. The awkward computer geek's wife is radiantly beautiful. They have three adorable kids. And I'm supposed to feel bad that they don't have sex. Feh, join the club, folks. Oh, and poor, unloved Brian is a handsome guy who beds down two hot roomies in 24 hours. Marjorie is not only model-skinny, but a *doctor* to boot. Nic looks like one of the world's sexiest 42-year-olds (but then again, I've always had a "thing" for Roseanna Arquette). They all live in fabulous houses and have great jobs and relatively stress-free lives. And I'm supposed to identify with these people... how?
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4-18-2006 @ 1:55PM
christopher daly said...
decent show - very well written... but Joel up here (comment #1) has it right on the button.
Computer geeks Dave and Brian are game designers and programmers, but not pale and wildly overwieght. Honestly, I've never met a game programmer with anything more than an eggshell tan and anything less than a 44 waist.
Dave's wife Deena... she looks like THAT after 3 kids! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!
the writing is still pretty sharp though. I'm willing to go a few eps deep before final judgement.
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4-18-2006 @ 2:27PM
Sheri B said...
Ok. Here goes........Can't anyone just enjoy tha talent and story line without critiquing it to death??? As far as tv goes, t his really is some fairly interesting stuff. I love tha thirty something crowd. And tha dialouge is kinda real................so, it's not perfect. ITS pretty good!!!
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4-18-2006 @ 2:33PM
Ann said...
Very fun show. Love it.
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4-18-2006 @ 2:42PM
Mazie said...
So, what about Brian? You pre-empted Grey's Anatomy for that? I'm tired of good shows being used as a scape goat to introduce another show. Give it it's own time slot and leave Grey's Anatomy alone, please.
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4-18-2006 @ 2:44PM
Mazie said...
Won't even watch it. Nobody should pre-empt Grey's Anatomy.
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4-18-2006 @ 2:48PM
Allison said...
Great show...and I know PLENTY of women who look fantastic after 2, 3, 4, and even 5 kids! Most of my friends included! Anyway, it's a fun show! Hope it lasts. It reminds me of 30 Something, which I watched in may late teens and 20's.
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4-18-2006 @ 2:58PM
Mardi M said...
I watched both Sunday and Monday. I found it really entertaining! I love the weaving of all their lives around the main story. I agree with #3, sit back and enjoy. I hope this one sticks around, just don't take
Gray's Anatomy away!!!!
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4-18-2006 @ 3:09PM
Rick said...
What about Brian is a bore. It was called 'Friends' the comedy. And it is so unbelievably white, I want to puke. Get some original ideas.
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4-18-2006 @ 3:13PM
Rick said...
What About Brian is a bore. It was called 'Friends' the comedy. And it is so unbelivably white, I want to puke. Get some original (and more diverse) ideas. PLEASE.
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4-18-2006 @ 3:44PM
sherrie said...
Love it!! My husband has even taken interest.
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4-18-2006 @ 3:50PM
Liza said...
i totally wanted to punch the "pink ranger"/car girl, what a jerk!!
yeah i liked the show, but they are all really too perfect, great jobs, great houses, all eating dinner all perfect out on the backyard deck on a perfect sunny day, all perfect, ick. and i don't believe that blond girl with the 3 kids would be married to that dorky guy.
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4-18-2006 @ 3:57PM
Rich said...
I think it's a keeper! Very well written, somewhat believeable and very sexy without being lewd. As with most shows the characters are all extremely attractive, to a fault, but I like the casting. Why not put this in the Monday night time slot? It would have its' own unique spot.
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4-18-2006 @ 4:05PM
kay said...
Well Mazie you may be on to something. Grey's Anatomy preempted Boston Legal on Sunday nights once upon a time. Of course it now has Boston's time slot, but Grey's did use another good shows time slot to get started. I doubt it will hurt them to have the same done to them.
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4-18-2006 @ 4:08PM
Tina said...
I agree with others that NO show should preempt Grey's...at least not now. It's the hottest thing on television (not to mention, it hasn't had a new episode in a few weeks). However, I did watch both episodes of Brian, but I think I'm done already. I don't like the story line of the married couple that doesn't make time for each other, but will make time for outsiders. Disgusting. I thought after Sunday, that story line was over. No matter whether or not I liked the rest of show, I disliked that part enough to never watch again.
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4-18-2006 @ 4:19PM
Nancy said...
Well, I watched the first two episodes & agree that the 'sneak peek' idea was not only lame, it was just wrong, it was the pilot plain and simple - so just call it what it is. How many people missed the usually crucial beginning because of that and then during the
'premiere' were trying to figure out who everyone was from the 'middle' of the movie so to speak? silly - Instead they should have promo'd like 24 does, with the BIG start to a new season with either 2 or 4 episodes right off the bat to get you hooked into the plot line: it's smart, clever and it works!
So on to Brian... so far I'm not impressed, I will give it another ep or 2, but so far it looks like it's going on my "Easily Missed" list of TV Shows. First, the show is pretending to be serious, but clearly it's all about sex - the main character has sex with 3 diff women in only 2 episodes! Second, his best friend is a total jerk. He gets Brian to ditch his current relationship simply because Adam wants to breakup with Marjorie, the longtime g/f, who is an amazingly perfect woman, just so they can both be free to troll again after what? no accounts? WHY?? And then, Adam wimps out on that idea after Brian dumps car girl just because Adam said to. (of course, the idea that a person MUST be in SOME sort of romantic relationship to be real or whole is another absurd plotline - to where everyone is trying to fix Brian up thinking he can't even go to the movies with the 'gang' without a date!) And then... the whole Deena/Dave thing... puhlease! If it were the HUSBAND suggesting they go have sex with other people to make their marriage 'better', most people would be completely repulsed and disgusted (as they should be) - so they try to make the plotline appealing by having the wife suggest it instead. Well, it's STILL repugnant and disgusting. Why not try simply FIXING what's wrong in the relationship she committed to and brought children into instead!? Dave clearly is interested, but Deena simply pushes him away... she's failed him and isn't even trying, and expects him to give her permission to sleep with someone else, basically saying Dave is not good enough for her anymore, but 'she supposedly still loves him and wants to stay married him'??? That's a load of pure bull! And Marjorie, this supposed perfect amazing woman doesn't realize the creep she is with is just that, and she doesn't have the guts to dump him and go for Brian whom she supposedly REALLY loves? silly again.
This show's only REAL relationship is Nic and Angelo, a devoted, committed, loving couple who are facing a trial, and are supporting each other through it.
So far this show is more lame than daytime soaps, I haven't any concern for any of the characters except for Nic and Angelo, and figure the rest are all useless warts who actually deserve each other and the anguish they bring upon themselves... nothing funny in this show, no empathy, no insight, no day to day heros of character... just drivel that will most likely be all it amounts to... Most posters above seemed to like it but, I suppose lamer ducks have lasted even a few years on TV... we shall see... but I probably won't waste my time ont it much longer.
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4-18-2006 @ 4:22PM
mj said...
why do you people whine about grey's anatomy, is that show crack?
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4-18-2006 @ 4:28PM
rick said...
You all realize that you would have seen a Grey's Anatomy rerun on Sunday if What About Brian hadn't been there, right?
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4-18-2006 @ 4:38PM
krys said...
wow well .. they shouldnt have sed that it was a sneek peek because it was the series premiere and i totally missed greys .. but anyway what about brian is a good show it is nothing like friends but it is very well written i like the whole concept its great and yes dorky guys do get the hot chicks look at bill gates comon lol .. but still stop burning it to hell just let it live plz i like it
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4-18-2006 @ 7:38PM
Em said...
I loved this show. I think it would do perfectly at a monday night at 10 spot. I LOVE grey's too, but this is a very entertaining show to replace what would have been a repeat of GA.
I hope it sticks around.
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