Revelations were found within our Three Musketeers last night. Some good, some bad, and some… well… liberating.
The Set Up
The episode opens during lunch at Norm’s Diner, where Owen is whining about a fundraiser for the local school that their kids attend (I assume). The conversation is quickly turned to who’s going, why, and with whom. Joe ponders why didn’t Sonia (special guest star Penelope Ann Miller) tell him about the fundraiser, even though he remembers her buying the tickets earlier. Hmmm… Owen (in an attempt at letting Joe off the hook on what could be the equivalent of a high school reunion nightmare) lets slip that Sonia has invited another guy to the fundraiser, which doesn’t sit well with Joe. He wants answers, stats, the works on this guy. But Owen doesn’t have anything to offer, besides that the guy will be at the thing. Joe still declares he’s not going. Terry, on the other hand, has been pegged by Melissa as one of the best auctioneers for the fundraiser and that’s why he’s going. Owen thinks that Terry is only going to score on single moms, despite having a thing with Annie, who is not going.
Joe brings the convo back to Sonia: wondering if she’s bringing a date due to Joe wondering about the two of them dating other people. In other words, he worries if he instigated this whole ordeal. And Captain Joe Neurosis takes off this week…
The Fundraiser From Hell
While Owen gets ready for the fundraiser, he finds out from Melissa that they will be picking up Sonia and her date, Harold (guest star Rob Moran). Ummm… Communication is key, Melissa! Owen doesn’t have any clue what to say to the guy, so he only stares daggers at Harold through the rearview mirror while he drives them to the fundraiser. At the fundraiser, Owen tries to size up Harold with Terry, who has other things on the mind. Namely, single mothers and old conquests. Harold tries his best to get on Owen’s good side and even signs up for a silent auction of a magazine featuring Owen Sr.’s years as a L.A. Laker. Just knowing this fact sets up more animosity towards Owen Sr., because he is a hating has-been. Alas, I digress.
At the table, the two couples talk kids and Harold’s profession, which is teaching at a university (I presume). During the convo, Sonia and Harold discuss how well Harold teaches to the masses and how he often speaks at other venues, one that Sonia attended with him last summer… while Sonia was still married to Joe. While it wasn’t explained in so many words as that, I still picked up on the indiscretion before Owen did and like Owen, I wanted Sonia to clarify herself. When the the guilty party can’t do that, Owen excuses himself from the table.
Meanwhile, Terry has had bad luck finding a viable woman to take home with him after the fundraiser. It’s not his game or 
his charm that is his downfall. It’s Dave, Terry’s boss and wannabe pal, who has now regulated himself to Men of a Certain Age’s version of Family Guy’s “Buzz Killington” because he just can’t seem to get that he’s the joke. He intercepts all of Terry’s plays unknowingly true enough, but when it becomes constant, it becomes highly annoying, especially when Dave tries to act cool, but is ten days from Sunday on that department. After Terry is blown off by a woman, Brenda, who he slept with and is now engaged, Terry tries to hit on two women when Dave arrives asking for some pot. Terry, of course, loses those two women as well. While outside, Terry entertains Dave’s company, but deep down I feel as if Terry wants to strangle Dave, but he puts on a good resolve and listens to Dave whine about stepping out of the dating game early. As if he had a choice… To stop Terry (and me) from losing our minds, Owen arrives and Dave’s wife (who I can’t believe is with Dave to begin with) calls, prompting Dave to leave. Owen tells Terry about Sonia’s adultery, but Terry brushes it off, saying that they shouldn’t kick Harold’s ass and that there are a lot of “gray areas” that neither he or Owen knows about. Owen tells Terry that he is full of crap before walking off. When Owen returns, Melissa is not happy with him about the situation, but reveals that she is not surprised about Sonia and Harold, especially after Sonia clammed up from revealing anything during Joe and Sonia’s problematic times. Melissa tells Owen that Sonia and Harold would not be riding back with them. Go figure.
During the auction, Terry is a crowd pleaser, especially with the ladies. But his cool is blown yet again by Dave, who interjects about seeing Terry’s chest and jokingly offers 24 million dollars for a bid on a romantic boat ride for two before seriously offering $2500 for the prize. The look on Dave’s wife has a combination of shock, confusion, and disgust when he makes the offer. Seems like she isn’t happy with their marriage as well.
Later, Owen gets ready to leave and says bye to Sonia and Harold, but Sonia tell Owen that she really wanted to see other people hence the reason she wants to change rides. Owen laughs at that flat out lie and Sonia pulls him to the side and berates Owen for being too quick to judge someone when he doesn’t know the full story. Owen asks her did she or did she not creep behind Joe’s back, and she admits it, but says that Joe is not perfect either. Say WHAT?!?! Owen declares Sonia is using that as a crutch so she won’t feel guilty, but Sonia says she doesn’t feel guilty and thinks she is making the right choice. Owen says it’s only right for her and not Joe. Meanwhile, Terry talks with Brenda, who despite being engaged, gives Terry the go head for an old times sake romp. When Terry prepare for take off, Dave again intercepts and says something about “husbands, hide your wives”, which prompts Terry into think mode. While he trails Brenda back to her hotel room, Terry gets one more final clue in Brenda’s license plate, which reads LK 2LRN, that he might not need to end up being a homewrecker so he turns the other way and doesn’t follow Brenda.
Joe and Manfro’s Excellent Adventure!
Joe, being bored out his mind, decides to call Manfro (guest star Joe Manfrellotti), his bookie, out of the blue to make a bet on some games. Manfro says he doesn’t have any games to bet on, but wouldn’t mind eating Chinese food with Joe. Um… ok?
Joe meets up with Manfro and immediately starts whining about Sonia, but Manfro jokingly asks if Joe wanted to have Harold “taken care of”. Joe is mortified, but Manfro gets serious and reveals how his own wife left him. To lighten the mood, Manfro gets Joe to let his resolve down and to live a little with no worries. Like two college age guys, the two men play in the pool, trash the pool, steal food from the vending machine, get drunk and terrorize the security cameras, and eventually lounge in the pool. Amidst all of this, Joe still hasn’t forgotten about Sonia! SMDH… (shake my damn head…)
Manfro lays down to gauntlet to Joe, by explaining to Joe that no matter if he would have done something different life would still happen. He just has to go with the flow of things and move on… Amen, brother!!!
The next morning, Manfro awakes Joe and tells him that despite the fast times they had the night before, it still will not matter a hill of beans if Joe is ever late on his payment for a bet. Joe acknowledges this and agrees. HA!
Ya Think Ya Know Someone…
The next day, Owen comes to Joe’s hotel room to deliver the damage to Joe. Owen eventually tells Joe about Sonia’s infidelity, but to Joe it makes sense. Um, excuse me? WHAT?!!
Joe explains to Owen that he got in contact with an old girlfriend through emails, which never went anywhere sexual, but the
emails started to get very personal to the point that Joe was sharing stuff with the ex girlfriend that he wasn’t sharing with Sonia, who eventually found the emails. Owen asks did Sonia break away before or after the email incident and Joe says he doesn’t know. Owen still doesn’t get it. I don’t get it. Owen says that Joe shouldn’t have given up on his marriage so easily, but Joe says he did everything he could and didn’t give up and that Owen should know that, which in a way is true, but it does seems as if Joe still gave up. Joe then borrows the wisdom that Manfro gave him about the universe and going with the flow of life and uses it to explain him and Sonia’s problems. Owen looks as if he still doesn’t get it and self-doubt forms.
When he gets home, Owen tells Melissa what went down and thinks that “people are screwed up”. Melissa says that the two of them aren’t, which Owen says at least not yet. Melissa declares, “Not ever.” Love that woman.
Mid -Life Newsletter
– So has Joe finally accepted that Sonia has moved on? And who is really to blame for their split? With Sonia saying that Joe is not who people think he is, the email fiasco, and Joe’s gambling addiction, I feel as if there is a big chunk to be filled and that both parties might be lying more to themselves rather than each other. It will hopefully all come out in the end.
– Owen seemed to be the big adult in this situation, even if he was being an ass about it. While Terry was swimming the waters looking for filet mignon and Joe was trying to find out what went wrong his life, Owen is the one is standing back, looking at his two pals, thinking that he might be the only sane one out the group. He is the only one in a stable, happy marriage, while his two friends are being complete adolescents about the subject. He just doesn’t get it, or them. Most people might disagree with me, but Owen clearly showed some sign of being a responsible adult last night.
– Terry’s quest to take home someone from the fundraiser was fun to watch when Dave wasn’t in the picture. I can somewhat see where Dave’s part came into play for Terry’s character last night, but I just got tired of the guy. Dave reminds me of Dwight Schultz from The Office, because Terry is his Michael to his Dwight, if you catch my drift. So eager to be liked in the eyes of the cool guy, but makes himself look even more stupid in the process than he already is. It is sad really. Again, I see that Dave was supposed to be the intercepter/comic relief for Terry, but I didn’t see where he fit into Terry’s revelation of not sleeping with women to fulfill something? Maybe Terry saw Dave as being childish about the whole marriage thing and women in general and didn’t want to end up like that? Or maybe it’s the NyQuil that had impaired my judgement a little. But anyway…
I am wondering, though, why did TNT air this episode (which is actually the 5th episode instead of 4th) and not the right one? Any ideas?
See you guys next Monday!
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