“It’s eat or be eaten. Find the animal within.” – Wilfred
The Wilfred universe has developed into a surprisingly versatile canvass on which the writers and actors can experiment with various forms of comedy. They’ve done dark, edgy stuff, conversational sitcom-style banter, drug humor, gross-out humor, and weird experimental sequences. It’s truly impressive how successful the show has been moving between styles. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what “kind” of show Wilfred wants to be, but I’m starting realize that the show is intentionally always trying new things out. The more interesting question isn’t what kind of show is Wilfred trying to be, it’s what kind of show is Wilfred going to try to be next week.
In “Pride,” the Wilfred crew tries their hand at making a full-fledged sex romp. The concept — a young guy with an ulterior motive seduces an older woman with a voracious sexual appetite — is by no means unique, but the jokes are funny and the actors make the most of the material. “Pride” makes great use of Elijah Wood, who seems to have found his calling as a comedic straight man. He’s always a great foil for Jason Gann, but last night’s episode lets him off the leash a little and gives him some physical bits of his own.
When Ryan’s (Elijah Wood) air conditioning goes on the fritz, he’s forced to acknowledge his dire financial situation. His sister offers him a loan, but his pride won’t let him accept it. Wilfred has no such qualms. “She’s your sister, she loves you. Bleed the bitch dry,” he suggests. The obvious solution would be for Ryan to get a job, but if he did that how could he make time to hang out and smoke bud with a dog all day? Plus, as Wilfred so eloquently puts it, “Jobs are for immigrants.” (Wilfred is an immigrant himself, right?)
Gainful employment is great and everything, but a quick buck is way better. While cruising down the highway, Wilfred grabs Ryan’s steering wheel and sideswipes another car with the intention of suing the driver. Not the greatest plan in the world, but I suppose it’s pretty clever for a dog. That other driver turns out to be Beth (Jane Kaczmarek), a high-powered business lady with an apparent fetish for unemployed pale guys. At first she’s furious and demands payment for the damage to her car, but Ryan is able sweet talk her and drives away with a dinner invitation.
I won’t go into details about Beth and Ryan’s date because to do so would ruin the shock factor involved with some of the jokes. Not to say that the episode is particularly shocking or graphic, but it certainly has its “Awwww, sick!” moments. I’ll simply say that the things that go on in Beth’s house are enough to make Ryan forget about his pride and go crawling back to his sister for a loan.
Ryan isn’t the only guy who gets lucky in the episode. “Pride” offers an extended look into Wilfred’s sexually devious psyche. Over the past several episodes, he has cultivated something of a long-term relationship with Bear, the stuffed animal he rescued from Ed Helms. Things in the bedroom have begun to slow down for Bear and Wilfred, so Wilfred is on the hunt for some strange. He falls head over heals for a stuffed giraffe, which leads to some of the episode’s best moments. A sex scene — complete with an R&B soundtrack — starring Jason Gann and the long-necked stuffed animal was something to behold. I think I might have even learned a new move or two.
Give “Pride” a watch and check back in. We’ll be talking about the funniest, most salacious moments of this super-sexy episode in the comments section.
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.