Mulaney returned to its Sunday nighttime slot after a Halloween break, and the return was better than expected. This new episode was interesting in that the show’s creator made references to Mulaney’s critical reception during the latest episode. So how was the latest episode, Sweet Jane? Did it make enough changes to keep viewers interested?
Sweet Jane is an episode with a very interesting premise. Yes, the episode is technically about John’s roommate Jane and her relationship with his girlfriend, but this relationship is actually less important to the episode. The main story of Sweet Jane actually follows Motif as he learns about the most popular TV show in history, Friends. Apparently, Motif didn’t know what Friends was until John randomly brought it up one day, so he went on a 10-season binge. Most of the episode follows Motif during his discovery of Friends and his time trying to force new relationships on his friends. This premise is weird, but it actually works within the show while providing some entertaining scenes.
Unfortunately, Jane does play a decent role in the episode, but she isn’t great. Granted, a few of her scenes are entertaining, but the majority of Jane’s scenes are more irritating, especially the ones involving John’s girlfriend. I do appreciate that the writers are trying to find more varied scenes for Jane, but they seem to be trying to force a specific craziness on her character that isn’t needed. Some of Jane’s best moments happen when she is being earnest and showing actual emotion. Unfortunately, these moments are few and hidden between the utter craziness.
Thankfully, Lou Cannon made up for Jane with a welcome return to being entertaining. Instead of working on being a horny game show host, Lou spends the episode trying to figure out the best method for avoiding an embarrassing death. This method involves pre-written obituary messages, famous last words, and exceptionally tight pants. Actually, the scene where Lou tries to put on these tight pants in front of a chuckle slut is pretty entertaining. Martin Short showcases his physical comedy in the background while John and the “Ha Ha Ho” are having an entirely separate conversation.
Sweet Jane is by far the best episode of Mulaney, and the writers seem to be finding better methods for crafting jokes. Actually, one of the characters had a very pointed comment toward John in which they accused him of being a “Seinfeld ripoff.” I don’t know if this comment was in reference to Mulaney’s critical reception, but I actually laughed during the scene, which is unusual. I appreciate that Mulaney is getting better, but the show still has a way to go before it is safe from the possibility of cancellation.
