Quick Thoughts: HAPPY ENDINGS, "The St. Valentine's Day Maxssacre"

I cannot believe how much I missed Happy Endings, and I was so pumped that it was back with full force. I really shouldn't have been surprised that the Valentine's Day episode was so strong because this show really knows how to make holidays fun.

It's kinda hard to pin-point my favorite plotline because they were all pretty strong, but I guess I'll go with Brad's V-Day surprise for Jane that was ruined by him being hopped up on the goof gas he got at the dentist's office. What makes Happy Endings so special is it has a deep roster, and almost any one of the cast members can step up to be the MVP, and this week it was Damon Wayans, Jr.'s turn. Usually, Brad's good at hanging back and making quips about everything that's going on, but watching him dance around and act high was comedic gold. He was also responsible for the moment of the night when he compared everyone to the Friends characters. Seriously, Wayans was on fire all night long.

There really wasn't a B-plot this time around, and instead everyone else had their own minor stories going along. While I'm still a fan of Alex when she's a little off, I was happy to see her come off as an intelligent person, and I loved how she made it her mission to help someone fall in love. What was even better was the fact that Max was that person, and that final scene between him and Grant was pretty outstanding.

If I have to nit-pick, I'd say that Dave and Penny's bit about "the breakup window" was the weakest of the night mostly because it felt like something How I Met Your Mother would try to ram down our throats, and it felt superficial and fake. For example, I can buy Penny not wanting to date the winker, but Dave has never come off as a threesome kinda guy, so I was a little thrown off by his "perfect gift." Yet, weak scenes from Happy Endings are still better than HIMYM, so I can't hate too much on these two.

Lines of the Night:

• "How about a 'high school jock nod?'"
• "It was on a calendar, printed on a place mat, at a hot dog stand."
• "Hint, they ripped him tip to taint ..."
• "I'm scrip walkin'."
• "How did you get a table at Tableau? It's harder to get into than Obvious Joke Here. Yeah, the new alt comedy club downtown."
• "Put on some D'Angelo, then whip out my P'Angelo."
• "Seriously. I won't sue if I poo."
• "It's Camelot, bro."
• "Dude, how high are you right now?"
• Max: "No problem friend, and for just under seventy bucks I can throw in the romantic music package, which includes such hits as Extreme's 'More Than Words.'"
  Alex: "I secretly love that song."
  Max: "Who doesn't? It's two men playing acoustic guitar at each other."
• "No, no, no, no. I'm not a whore."
• "Fourth wind!"
• "You got faced!"
• "Oh, great. Another guy you know. I feel like I'm always swimming upstream against a steady stream of your ex-boyfriends. It's like I'm a gay salmon fighting for my life in a river of bears."
• Dave: "Well, I just blew a threesome."
  Penny: "We talking two V's, one D, or two D's, one V?"
  Dave: Two V's, Penny. Two V's."
• "X.O.?! Faith restored!"
• "Don't patronize me, Monica."

I know I keep saying this, but when Happy Endings is on its game, it is hands down one of the best comedies on television today. You through in some meta-jokes like they did tonight, and it cannot be touched. So good!