I'm splitting this article into two parts. A review, and a prediction. Here goes:
Review:
Now, there was a lot of hype surrounding this show. Both good and bad "Pre-Pilot Reviews" were flying around willy-nilly. So even though I didn't have any particularly high or low expectations, I decided to tune into at least the first episode. The pilot was released on Hulu as a sort of preview into what NBC was getting themselves into.
The first 10 minutes took me off-guard. Because I didn't want to turn it off. If it was anything, it was entertaining. Sure, they had three of four really crappy jokes. The kind you only hear on Family Guy in a situation where it's apparent that the real joke is, none of the other characters thought the joke was funny. It was hard to put my finger on the kind of comedy The New Normal was trying to capture. It had the feel of Up All Night, but some of the punchlines I could've sworn they took from the three episodes of Work It!.
However, it was not a total crash and burn. Justin Bartha was brilliantly good, and the lesser known Andrew Rannells was refreshing and quirky. All around, a capable cast.
The problems they have, are sure to be taken car of in the next season or two, and I believe I might just go along for the ride, if not only to see where this is all going.
Prediction:
Okay, I think I might have a little inkling of insight here that I want to share. This is simply and educated guess as to where the show is ultimately going.
(if you haven't seen the pilot yet, go watch it on hulu.com and this next part will make more sense.)
At the end of the pilot, Goldie (Georgia King) is looking at the pregnancy test she just urinated on, being watched closely by two fathers-to-be, eagerly awaiting the results of their paternal status. Goldie gets this look on her face, then the episode ends.... The first episode never actually tells us whether or not she's got a bun in the oven.
Obviously though, the plot of the show, the entire marketing campaign, and common sense tells us that she is pregnant. They flat-out say it in the commercials. So she's clearly going to get pregnant, right? ...right?
I say, wrong.
Here's what I'm thinking. Before we see the look on Goldie's face, the look that means she know's whether or not the dudes are gonna be dads, Justin Bartha's character gives a long speech about how Goldie made this all possible. About how he and his husband want to help Goldie achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer, because she's helping them with their dream. They bought her an expensive suit for Pete's sake.
Everything leading up to this, the speech, and Goldie's character development, would lead me (a PhD in psychology) to believe that even if the test were negative, Goldie would tell them it was positive.
My prediction is that later on in the show, we will learn that Goldie was never pregnant, and drama will ensue. A falling out, hurt feelings, mixed up emotions, and the invention of the word surroghastly.
If in the second episode, I observe that the two fathers never even glance at the pregnancy test for themselves, I will be convinced that this is where the show is headed.
And if I am right, I will have so much respect for The New Normal. They will still have blown my understanding mind....
Review:
Now, there was a lot of hype surrounding this show. Both good and bad "Pre-Pilot Reviews" were flying around willy-nilly. So even though I didn't have any particularly high or low expectations, I decided to tune into at least the first episode. The pilot was released on Hulu as a sort of preview into what NBC was getting themselves into.
The first 10 minutes took me off-guard. Because I didn't want to turn it off. If it was anything, it was entertaining. Sure, they had three of four really crappy jokes. The kind you only hear on Family Guy in a situation where it's apparent that the real joke is, none of the other characters thought the joke was funny. It was hard to put my finger on the kind of comedy The New Normal was trying to capture. It had the feel of Up All Night, but some of the punchlines I could've sworn they took from the three episodes of Work It!.
However, it was not a total crash and burn. Justin Bartha was brilliantly good, and the lesser known Andrew Rannells was refreshing and quirky. All around, a capable cast.
The problems they have, are sure to be taken car of in the next season or two, and I believe I might just go along for the ride, if not only to see where this is all going.
Prediction:
Okay, I think I might have a little inkling of insight here that I want to share. This is simply and educated guess as to where the show is ultimately going.
(if you haven't seen the pilot yet, go watch it on hulu.com and this next part will make more sense.)
At the end of the pilot, Goldie (Georgia King) is looking at the pregnancy test she just urinated on, being watched closely by two fathers-to-be, eagerly awaiting the results of their paternal status. Goldie gets this look on her face, then the episode ends.... The first episode never actually tells us whether or not she's got a bun in the oven.
Obviously though, the plot of the show, the entire marketing campaign, and common sense tells us that she is pregnant. They flat-out say it in the commercials. So she's clearly going to get pregnant, right? ...right?
I say, wrong.
Here's what I'm thinking. Before we see the look on Goldie's face, the look that means she know's whether or not the dudes are gonna be dads, Justin Bartha's character gives a long speech about how Goldie made this all possible. About how he and his husband want to help Goldie achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer, because she's helping them with their dream. They bought her an expensive suit for Pete's sake.
Everything leading up to this, the speech, and Goldie's character development, would lead me (a PhD in psychology) to believe that even if the test were negative, Goldie would tell them it was positive.
My prediction is that later on in the show, we will learn that Goldie was never pregnant, and drama will ensue. A falling out, hurt feelings, mixed up emotions, and the invention of the word surroghastly.
If in the second episode, I observe that the two fathers never even glance at the pregnancy test for themselves, I will be convinced that this is where the show is headed.
And if I am right, I will have so much respect for The New Normal. They will still have blown my understanding mind....