Last Man Standing Season 5 Episode 15 Review: “Home Sweet Loan”

I find Last Man Standing funny because it’s also extremely relatable. As an adult with a day job (I’m a critic on the side), lots of normal and boring things happen to me like house buying. Last Man Standing has characters in each walk of life, and this week just happened to be the married couple buying a house! It’s funny, but especially so when you can relate.

This week on Last Man Standing: Kristin and Ryan find a great deal on a house thanks to Mike, but Ryan doesn’t think the “vibe” is right. Mike suspects that Ryan’s manhood is preventing him from being on board. Meanwhile, Eve is frequently trying to use the basement, much to Mandy’s chagrin, so they both trick Kyle into helping their cause.

This episode was instrumental in figuring out what it is exactly I love about this show. Most people my age scoff at a Friday night, conservative leaning sitcom. But, what I love about it is that it’s so true to life. Some shows premises are absolutely ridiculous, but Last Man Standing, while suspension of disbelief is still necessary to a point, deals with real problems and real life. Having an entire episode regarding a mortgage and buying a house is an excellent example. Unmarried renters may not understand, but Last Man Standing really knows its audience.

The Kyle subplot wasn’t my favorite, but it was actually redeemed largely on how much I love the Kyle character. This episode was clearly more intent on involving Ryan and Kristin (who were mysteriously absent last week) but Kyle endearing himself as both a future husband and brother-in-law was adorable and amusing.

One of the best things about Last Man Standing as a whole is that it sees the value in humanity. Mike and Ryan, for instance, disagree on a lot of issues, but Mike knows that Ryan has a good heart and vice versa. Even though there are jokes (and jokes, and JOKES), they treat each other with civility. “Home Sweet Loan” gave us a good reminder of the relationship between Mike and Ryan, and how important that behavior can be.

As always, here are some of my favorite quotes/moments from the episode:

• “There’s 5% savings right there. Maybe you should get a Target card!”- Mike
• “You can butter me up all you want, but you’re not getting my Target card.”- Mike. In other news, this episode was apparently sponsored by Target
• “The noble work of fashion, making dumb people look pretty.”- Eve
• “What should we do first? Eat ice cream or build a fort? Who am I kidding? BOTH!”- Kyle, best brother-in-law ever.
• “A real musician can spend a lifetime mastering the tambourine.”- Ed
• “If you can swallow those kale chips, you can swallow anything.”- Mike, bringing the TRUTH

This was the funniest episode of Last Man Standing this season, and hopefully they are poised to continue their upward trajectory. Hopefully, this show will continue Standing for some time yet, so I don’t have to end my Friday night ritual anytime soon.

What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know in the comments!

Last Man Standing airs Fridays at 8/7c on ABC