-Ryan and Simone's relationship ended because Ryan couldn't commit to her. Simone promised to give herself to him if he promised he'd be about her and not Janie. Ryan couldn't make the promise. He wore his wedding ring on dates with Simone, and he'd call her Janie without realizing it. Simone couldn't be the void he needed to fill the hole Janie left; she wanted to live her own life. The Ryan-Simone relationship never really took off. Piper Perabo and Matthew Perry had passable chemistry. The characters came together in the most TV/Movie way possible. If you recall, Ryan couldn't stand her; so of course they slept together. It's something that'll happen again and again in sitcoms. Go On played up a loose connection with its A story and the 1980s film Sixteen Candles. I don't remember much about Sixteen Candles other than Molly Ringwald feeling down for the first two acts. Steven parked outside of Ryan's as Simone took off, and he played a song in Sixteen Candles that is connected to romantic longing. Ryan's situation was not connected to romantic longing but rather a struggle to move on into a new relationship.
The second-guessing and eventual re-commitment to Simone was rote. Ryan meets the typical fictional sad sack older bachelor who everyone thinks is living the life but is actually really miserable being single and alone. Huey, the sad bachelor, insists that Simone is perfect for Ryan. Huey's opinion is like Brick's opinion of love in Anchorman. Huey would've said any girl is perfect, like Brick pointed at any object and said he loved it. Huey's words are enough to send Ryan scampering away to San Francisco to win her back, to ordering Carrie to buy Simone-specific furniture for the house, because Ryan's afraid of becoming Huey. Simone won't go with him unless he's all about her, which he's not. Go On is about Ryan's journey back from loss, and the journey back from loss is hard.
Go On needed to tell this kind of story for Ryan because nearly every TV show tells this kind of story. Lauren and Steve meet him at his house after his failure to cheer him up. Ryan feels down, but Lauren beams about the progress he made. Simone represented a crucial step in Ryan's journey towards reaching a place of peace and contentment. Lauren insists Ryan feel proud. I'm not sure the effect of the arc will carry over. The story seemed inspired by Piper Perabo signing on for a few episodes and the writers having no other ideas for a well-known actress. Plus, this is a sitcom. Stories infinitely reset on sitcoms. Carrie and Ryan's little romantic beat a few episodes ago has been completely forgotten. Simone's probably already been forgotten by the 56 people that watch Go On weekly.
-Go On just needs to continue giving Brett Gelman good stuff to work with. Mr. K as a Mary Poppins-esque nanny for Anne was wonderful. Anne's kids are predictably disciplined and wound. Mr. K lets them have fun while Anne's at a deposition. Later, when her daughter, Abigail, cries, she's at a loss about what to do, because Abi doesn't want her; she wants Mr. K. The nanny storyline ties into Anne's loss. Her partner connected with children. Anne's trying to fill the void, but she's failing. Mr. K suggests she let go, have fun, and to quit trying to be two people when she's just one. Anne does let go and has fun with her kids. Mr. K leaves, saying his work is done.
-"Ring and a Miss" is an average episode of Go On. The B story elevated the episode. I thought the A story dragged the rest of the episode down. Go On can capture the process of grief well, but the Simone-Ryan relationship was way too traditional Hollywood.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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