This episode of Last Man Standing really balanced two of the shows strengths: emotional, realistic stories and goofy, funny interactions between characters. I knew this was going to be a good one when Mike decided he was going to teach Kyle and Ryan some things, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.
This week on Last Man Standing: Mike comes home to Ryan and Kyle baking because they were unable to fix a plumbing problem at Ryan’s house. Because of this, Mike decides to teach them about home repair…by pitting them against each other. Meanwhile, Eve’s boyfriend drops an “L-bomb” on her, which leads her to seek her sisters advice on how she feels.
It’s a tough battle for me to pick which story I liked better. Eve’s story brings out a lot of what I like in the show. The sibling bonding/ribbing was so natural and fun. I enjoy any good sibling bonding stories, especially over shared experiences. It took me a long time to bond with my siblings growing up, but it got easier with shared experiences. The larger the age gap, the harder that becomes. But this was a well-told sibling bonding story, as much as it was an awkward “I love you” story. Either way, I really enjoyed it.
But I think my favorite is going to have to go to “The Fixer” namesake. Any story involving Ryan and Kyle being goofy “modern men”. The fact that they bake together may be my favorite thing. There are a lot of character team-ups that I enjoy, but Mike, Ryan, and Kyle all together in the same story is the absolute best. It was funny on the surface, but even better when they explore the surrogate family element. As I previously described, it took me a lot of time to bond with my brothers growing up, so I relied upon surrogate brothers for emotional support. As briefly mentioned in the episode, Kyle and Ryan don’t have the best history with men or father figures, either, so on a deeper level it functions as a reminder to the audience that Mike, while putting up a tough front, is actually a good man with a good heart. With his reputation as an ultra conservative character, empathy is more important than ever.
Here are some other thoughts/funny moments:
- “She works all day, you’re the nice lady who bakes!”
- Calling Kyle “Alpha” does work, but in more of a Power Rangers sort of way.
- The drawn out “I love you”/”Thank you” moment was really great, and so was all the subsequent ribbing from Mandy and Kristin.
- “I’m going to die first, I’m going to die better, I’m going to die faster”- Mike will be competitive in death
- “If Mr. B thinks I’m going to fall for it, I’m not going to let him down!”
- “Cotton balls! Unicorns! Fishing pole!”
- “That’s not a puppet fight. That’s two guys trapped in a car with a bumblebee”. That made for a great physical moment, too.
Overall this was a strong episode, showing off some of the show’s best qualities. It makes for a fun Friday night in as always.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know!
Last Man Standing airs Fridays at 8/7c on ABC
