Go On "There's No 'Ryan' in Team" Review

"There's No Ryan in Team" was messy and problematic.

Tone is the major problem of the show. Scott Silveri tries to balance the sad with the funny, the healing moments with the irritating ones. The balance worked fairly well last episode (the problem in that episode was too much storytelling in too short a time span---a trend among network TV writers, comedy and drama). The balance did not work out this week. The episode began with Ryan's radio show voiceover, which dealt with final cutdowns for NFL teams. Ryan wouldn't talk about the cuts, because he dislikes giving bad news to people. At home, his gardener Miguel is unaware of Janie's death. Ryan tries to avoid telling him because he hates giving bad news. Miguel's fond regard for Ryan's wife makes Ryan fear Miguel's histrionics once he hears the news.

Ryan's worried the news will put him in an awkward position. Matthew Perry plays Ryan's feelings rather well; Ryan's mixture of dread and anxiety worked and is relatable. It's hard to tell someone bad news. It really is, especially when it's about the death of someone one loved very much, like a parent, grandparent, sibling, child, etc. Tension builds up in one's chest and one would rather be anywhere else than in front of someone who doesn't know. Miguel takes the news well and walks away. Ryan exhales, looks around, and smiles, relieved by the burden lifted. Miguel begins to construct a fountain fixed with the Virgin Mary on top. Ryan's freaked. The turn in the story is played for laughs. The jokes stem from Ryan's stereotypical opinion of the histrionics of Hispanics. The fountain with the Virgin Mary is identifiable iconography of Catholicism. Many Hispanics are devout Catholics. I probably didn't need to write four sentences explaining the joke.

Ryan isolated himself from the group, Miguel, and his friend Steve. It's part of the grieving process. He has a moment in group therapy when he opens up about a painful time of the night. 1:23AM every night Ryan wakes up alarmed, waiting for his wife to turn over in his sleep and hit his face. The nightly jolt is a painful reminder of his loss. The group therapist commends him for making progress in his personal growth. The lesson Ryan will learn is the healing that'll happen when he lets people in. Ryan joins the group for bowling. Later in the night, at 1:23AM, the group shows up to support him in his minute of need. Miguel's statue is actually beautiful and holy. Silveri executed a sort-of forgotten aspect of grief very well, the kind of grief that happens after the funeral happens, and the fruit and flowers stopped coming to the house, as well as the sympathy cards.

The goofy stuff in Go On just doesn't work. It's possible to write a sitcom about someone overcoming the death of his or her spouse but not the way Silveri set up the show. The group is a major problem, especially because the group is supposed to be Ryan's comfort zone. The radio station is for work; that's why he and Steve can't hang out or bond the way Steve wants to. Ryan wants a place where life is normal, and a place where he can talk about what happened in his life. Steve's attempt to let Ryan open up about his loss fails. Steve's too affectionate and touchy to be taken seriously. The group gets pissed off when Ryan blows off bowling. Ryan smoothes things over with Steve by assuring him it's okay if they don't talk about that stuff. Guilt moves Ryan to attend the bowling outing. By the end, all are gathered in Ryan's backyard to be with him at 1:23AM.

The goofy stuff in between the heartfelt and heartwarming scenes involves the group pitching their ideas for letting Miguel know via license plate that Janie is dead. Sonia tries to 'aww' everything Ryan says about the group, but the abrasive woman who wears glasses shuts her down each time. The tall goofy bastard tricks George into wearing basketball gear to a meeting under the idea the entire group will play a game of pick-up basketball. Ryan receives a new car and lets the group members drive around, which is a chance for each member to show off his or her quirk. Now that I think about it: sadness and comedy were blended real well in DFW's Infinite Jest. Silveri would be wise to take a page from DFW in depicting the group in its sillier and light-hearted moments. The comedy can be heartfelt and touching and heartwarming. All of the gags are designed for cheap laughs and Matthew Perry's reaction shots. None are funny.

Go On's is a product of the Hollywood bubble. I think it's a show that could only be made for TV and on a network. The group members are stereotypes of the ideas of quirk Hollywood executives seem to have. Go On's still in its infancy. There's potential for the show to be an average sitcom if the aforementioned tonal balance is balanced.

Other Thoughts:

-I barely watched Friends, so I don't know how Matthew Perry portrayed Chandler. Perry, in Mr. Sunshine and Go On is, in a word, theatrical. It seems like Mr. Perry finds the jokes unfunny and overcompensates for it by reacting like he just saw two squirrels debating 19th century Nihilistic ideas. Perry should tone it down.

-John Cho is a hilarious actor. Cho's one of my favorite actors because of his work in Harold & Kumar and the American Pie franchise. Cho stole American Reunion from every other actor in just one scene. I laughed during Cho's abandoned lot scene with Perry--the only time I laughed during the episode. John Cho deserves better.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK