I hate to sound like a broken record, but if you’re not watching Men of a Certain Age, you’re missing out on something really special. Last night was the season one finale, and, for a short season, it packed quite a punch.
I’m not sure I could claim to have ever found myself so fully immersed in a drama before, and if I was listing the show’s quality neighbors, I’d be throwing out names like The Wire, The Sopranos, and The West Wing — all else being equal, the highest quality programming on TV. Saying that Ray Romano and co-creator Mike Royce hit a grand slam on this would minimize how great it is.
And what I’m finding is that my praise goes beyond the writing, acting, etc. I can empathize with all of these characters. I’m right there with Joe, Terry, and Owen as they experience life, whether I can relate to the situations or not. That doesn’t happen every day.
Joe seems to have been a bit oblivious to how his gambling could, and does, affect his kids. Not only was it Manfro showing up at his house when Albert was over, and Joe’s leaving Albert in the movies long enough for him to have an anxiety attack, that woke him up. I think, instead, that it was when Joe found himself firing Carlos (Shelly Desai) because he couldn’t control his gambling and he needed to lower costs at the store in order to increase the “Other – gambling” line of his expenses that he finally saw what was happening to him. Did Joe want that guy around his kids? Was that the type of person he wanted teaching morals to his still developing teenagers? I’m sorry that it came at Carlos’ expense (temporarily), but I’m glad that Joe did learn that lesson. Or at least has appeared to … I’m sure he and gambling are not through.
I know it’s not the case, but does it seem to anyone else that Sonia keeps coming back played by a different actress? It’s like she’s redone each time she returns for an episode. Anyway, she always appears to be overreacting when she gives Joe ultimatums, but the truth is that she’s responding with all the baggage and history between them. Maybe if we saw a little more of that, and her, we’d be on the same page.
I’m really proud of Owen. He finally took his life into his own hands, and whether or not he should have just moved down the block professionally, he finally said “Enough.” And in doing so he also found within himself the fire to excel, even if he’s only looking to shout down his detractors. Who cares the reason if it’s good for Owen in the end? Clearly that, combined positively with Owen Sr.’s bad taste from Marcus, resulted in a job offer to come back and work for Sr. Again, I’m sorry that it necessitated some pretty unloving barbs thrown from Sr. at Jr., but in the end it gave Owen what he always wanted, and he earned it himself, which is great.
But I have to again question Melissa’s support for her husband. She wasn’t disagreeing with him because his choices had left him miserable; she was upset that the change erased all the free perks that indirectly made her life easier, the ones that provided her with some choice freebies in life. So maybe Owen wasn’t loving what he was doing, but he had a job, and he had it in order to support his family. So what if it meant he’d miss Saturday activities in the beginning? He finally did something about how miserable he was, and he was still bringing home a paycheck — he hadn’t gone out on his own, putting his family’s financial future in jeopardy. I’m finding Melissa to be an incredibly selfish person.
And then there was Terry. The most movement in this episode came from him, started when he returned from working on Bobby’s (Salvator Xuereb) movie only to find his apartment padlocked and Annie gone. Was that Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins) playing the building’s owner last time too? Man has he aged. Anyway, how can you not feel for this guy who’s still trying to make his dreams come true and always coming up short? On the other hand, how about taking some responsibility for your obligations? How hard is it to manage that little apartment complex?
I feel Terry’s frustration, and I also feel Annie’s and everyone else’s with him for not being an adult. And the irritation at his attempt to run away and join the guys on a beach, dovetailing into a total crash after Bobby cut him from the next project. It was building, and no one’s that Zen, but Terry’s explosion during the boys’ hike (glad to see that back) was phenomenal. Totally organic, completely within character, and written and acted so well … I know, the same thing over and over again, but believe me when I tell you I’m giving you the cliff notes on how much I’m loving this show.
My only anger comes at only getting ten episodes, and at having to wait now for more. I want to see Joe struggle to make the Senior Tour (yay!) while running his store, bonding with and helping his kids, and trying to stay on the straight and narrow. Or appreciate how a reborn Owen does in his new job, with a (hopefully) repaired relationship with his father. Or how “professionally charming” Terry does working a career (yikes) that’s not of his choosing. So much good stuff to wait for!
I’m sorry to be saying goodbye for now, but thanks so much Men of a Certain Age for appearing in the first place!
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Feb 23, 2010 @ 17:00 EST5EDT
First:
You’ve ragged on Melissa all season, and this time, I finally agree with you.
Yes, that had to be Dennis Haskins the last time as well. The wife didn’t believe me until he spoke. But, it’s been like 20 years since I’ve seen him on TV so I guess the difference wasn’t that shocking to me.
Second:
Really enjoyed this final episode of the season. Hopefully Owen Jr. can turn the dealership around. From his brief time at the other dealership, it seems as if the Thoreau dealership is struggling anyhow. Maybe that will be his challenge next season; Struggling against his father to make changes to increase business and having to contend with a very pissed off Marcus.
And finally:
I’ll take shorter seasons if they can keep up the writing and acting. I’d rather have 10 great episodes, than 20some okay ones.
*POST AUTHOR*
I knew Melissa would eventually go far enough for you to see my take on her! :)
Yeah, according to IMDb it was him both times. I think when he was in the car we only got a profile, and he was wearing a hat, so a faceless familiar voice didn’t do it for me. But seeing him really made it click.
You’re definitely right about shorter seasons in general, but I’d be willing to gamble on this team’s ability to churn out 22 phenomenal episodes a season. Not a scene dragged in 10 episodes. Not a scene! How insane is that?
Let’s face it, when in the same week Patricia Heaton and Ray Romano were on the Late Late Show, we all thought that those interviews were the most entertainment we would get from both this TV season. Nobody expected “The Middle” to succeed as much as it did after “Back to You” and nobody expected Romano to pull the role in a drama off.
This show is really really good. I can see it going on for years. It caters to a very specific demographic that very seldomn gets shows that aren’t of the “According to Jim” or “King of Queens” kind.
“Breaking Bad” is coming back soon so I guess that will soothe the pain of MoaCA being off the air. At least for me it will :-)
Sebastian, I too am awaiting the “Breaking Bad” return. However, that one I have to watch alone as it makes the wife uncomfortable. Part of the reason I like it is because it makes me uncomfortable.
Anyhow.
Yeah, I had no idea Ray Romano could be this good. All of the actors actually. I only gave the show a chance because I had heard a little buzz and thought of giving it a shot. Hoped it would fill in the space I had for “Big Shots”, which wasn’t great, but it had Christopher Titus in it. MoaCA has done more than a good job filling that empty space. Hope this show sticks around for many years if they can keep up this level of quality.
*POST AUTHOR*
Interestingly, I didn’t not expect good things from them both. I thought The Middle would fall into the same category as Back to You — a great show, but whether or not the audience would be there would be anyone’s guess. As for Ray Romano … I gained a greater appreciation for him listening to the commentary on the Everybody Love’s Raymond DVDs (and I already loved him before that). He worked really hard on his acting all those years, and the writing ability was clearly there. I didn’t know what to expect, and I did not expect him to act so well, but it was a pleasant surprise.
Not me — once they locked that dealer to the pipe with the bike lock in season one of Breaking Bad, I split.