“Never underestimate the power of a dream.” – Cinzia
I was extremely high on Wilfred for a large portion of the show’s 13 episode run. Despite it being a remake (reboot? reimagining?), I thought it was very unique. I was most impressed by the writers’ willingness to explore and experiment with different styles and genres. The fact that I have enjoyed Wilfred so thoroughly up to this point makes it much more difficult for me to admit this: I was really disappointed in the show’s penultimate episode, “Sacrifice.”
It’s okay to have a let down every once in a while. Even the greatest shows struggle to be great week in and week out. But to air the series’ (arguably) worst episode a week prior to the season finale is a dangerous move. It’s easy to forgive a show for a let down early in the season when the kinks are still to be worked out, or in the middle of the season when the pieces are being put in place for the climactic second half. However, when the low point of the season occurs very near the end, a show risks turning viewers off going into a hiatus. People tend to remember recent things better. So if the season finale is a stinker as well, there is the chance that viewers and critics could forget all of the excellent episodes in the middle of the season. Is this fair? No, probably not. But the “recency effect” is real and should not be underestimated.
It isn’t just that I didn’t think “Sarcrifice” was as funny as previous episodes. It wasn’t, but that isn’t why it bothered me so much. “Sacrifice” is pretty much the manifestation of Wilfred’s weakest element: Ryan’s (Elijah Wood) lack of agency. In prior reviews, I’ve discussed the fact that Ryan’s inability to take any semblance of control over his life has really made it tough to enjoy the show.
Early in the season, I remarked that Elijah Wood makes a great comedic straight man. I stand by that observation, but unfortunately the show doesn’t want to seem to stand by that initial format. What I mean is this: Ryan is no longer really a straight man or a sounding board for Wilfred (Jason Gann) to bounce jokes off of. Instead, he has become a punching bag — someone who simply stands there and takes abuse from Wilfred. For a while it was funny, now it’s just pathetic. What’s more, it’s sad. Wilfred is becoming more and more a story of a mentally ill person (Ryan) allowing his neuroses to limit his horizons.
In “Sacrifice,” Ryan meets Cinzia, a mysterious Italian beauty, at the beach. They hit it off with surprising speed and she invites him to accompany her to Italy. He says no, then yes, then no again.
His initial reaction is to stay and continue to be Wilfred’s whipping boy and Jenna’s errand boy. But it doesn’t take long for him to realize “it’s time to do what makes [him] happy” and he agrees to throw caution to the wind and join Cinzia on her European vacation. He immediately begins to second guess his decision to leave when Jenna has a crisis at work and comes to Ryan for support. After a strange dream sequence, it’s decided: “Italy will just have to wait.” It’s not clear whether or not Cinzia is a figment of Ryan’s imagination, but it doesn’t really matter. Either way, Ryan is a beaten man. His happiness, his needs, will have to wait. Jenna’s/Wilfred’s/Kristen’s/Everyone’s needs are more important.
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.