November 28, 2012

Quick Thoughts: THE NEW NORMAL, "The XY Factor"

Honestly, I was close to giving up on The New Normal because it's witty but it knows it and rarely takes the time to make me care about the characters or to make me laugh for that matter. Then "The XY Factor" aired and it brought me back in for now.

The reason why I enjoyed this episode more than the others was because it cut out the nonsensical, politically driven humor for something more human and emotional (I don't think it's a coincidence that one of the strongest episodes was one that didn't have Jane featured at all.) From what I can tell, new parents finding out the gender of their child's a big thing and I'm sure every couple could relate to what was going on with Bryan and David, and I loved how Bryan's insecurities were on display because again that's something that many people can relate to. He became human again, and this show's at its strongest when Bryan's not a hyper-stylized version of the already hyper-stylized man he's based on.

Even Goldie was given some significant moments since the pilot as she realized that maybe her dreams need to change since law's not for her. For some reason the show dropped the ball when it comes to Goldie because she hasn't been a fully realized character until now. I don't know if Ryan Murphy hates attractive blond women or he just can't write for them. Or maybe he just doesn't know how to utilized pregnant characters. Regardless, Goldie has been largely a non-entity even though she's had some issues with her family. Up until now, it's felt like the only reason we should care about her was because she had to put up with her grandmother and her ex-husband and not because she was someone worth rooting for. Hopefully, she'll become that kind of person now that she's decided to pursue a different path.

I still think that The New Normal could take some time away from its soapbox and cut down on patting itself on the back because it's a better show when it tries to put tell character based stories that highlights the people and not the issues. I feel like I've written that before in regards to a Ryan Murphy show...

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