Welcome to Last Night on TV, our new daily column that looks back at what happened on television the night before. If we’re going to stay up all night and watch TV, we might as well talk about it the next morning.
Last night on TV, Team Arrow returned in a chaotic episode that answered this season’s biggest question (sort of), Man Seeking Woman had what appears to be unsimulated sex with a 1998 Saturn, and I have some thoughts on the new theme song for The Daily Show.
Arrow
Oh, the tangled webs we weave. The Arrow writers room spent their entire winter break toying with the emotions of the audience. Who is in the grave? Is it Felicity? If Barry Allen is there in mourning with Oliver, it has to be Felicity, right? It’s definitely Felicity. (In my mind, it’s always been Thea.)
Up to about 30-seconds remaining in this first episode back from break, I was convinced that they would keep up the charade and continue to twist the knife on audiences who absolutely love Felicity Smoak. Because let’s face it, she’s been the most enjoyable character on this show for a long time. But then I remembered that we’re watching Arrow and this is a show that absolutely must keep pushing forward at all costs. For better or worse, it’s a show that rarely leaves threads hanging for too long. And while we don’t know any more about who is in the grave, we at least know that it’s not the person everyone thought it would be. (It’s still probably Thea.)
As to the other 43.5 minutes of the episode, Team Arrow was in panic mode. In the aftermath of the Felicity shooting, we get a lot of rage. This pent-up aggression finds a number of targets, including Diggle beating up on his little brother, Thea blowing up her budding relationship (only to piece it back together) and Quentin Lance completely blowing his cover with Damien Darhk (maybe). It was a chaotic episode that brought back a villain of the week for no seemingly good reason other than to get Darhk’s family out in the open. And surprise, his wife appears to be just as easy.
These kinds of episodes are some of the most frustrating for Arrow. A lot happened within the 44-minute runtime, but nothing really changed. That is, until the final 30-seconds when the show put one of its more compelling cards on the table. We’re still left to wonder exactly who is in that grave, but it seems less impactful if Felicity isn’t one of the options. Perhaps it’s too soon to pass judgment on this storyline, as Arrow has earned plenty of trust over the years, but in the moment it feels like too much, too soon.
Man Seeking Woman
What makes Man Seeking Woman an interesting show is that it’s so damn random. But it’s more than that. The show plays out like a modern version of “Your Brain on Drugs,” extracting literal interpretations of our perceptions of the situations that come along with being single. This episode begins by applying Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule to masturbation as Jay Baruchel delivers a TED Talk on the subject. Then it turns into an episode about lowering expectations as we lose confidence, only to find confidence in apathy after hitting rock bottom.
This show is the kind of show that has sex with a 1998 Saturn. But that doesn’t mean it’s also not insightful. As a man in his early 30s, I’ve been there. The ebbs and flows of self-confidence are very real. This version with Jay Baruchel is a spastic, amplified version, but it’s nonetheless on-point. It’s what makes Man Seeking Woman a compelling show. The big question is about longevity. I’ll be honest, I was surprised to see it get picked up for a second season and am equally surprised to see it continuing to flourish with the same chaotic formula in season 2. There has to be a limited number of gags left, right? Baruchel and Eric Andre are a dynamic duo, but eventually this is going to wear thin. At least, I think so…
Random Thought of the Night
I kinda like the new version of The Daily Show theme song by Timbaland and King Logan. In fact, I’m digging a lot about Trevor Noah’s young tenure at The Daily Show. Although he needs to figure out what he’s doing with his hands while standing. Fidgeting with his jacket buttons is distracting.
What did you watch last night?
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