The genius of “Knotty Pine,” this week’s exceptional episode of Playing House (aka TV’s most under-appreciated comedy), is how effortlessly it runs the gamut of human emotions. Beginning with comedy, its tone slowly shifts from the normal goofball, optimism into something much more raw and emotional, the kind of truth Playing House has occasionally flirted with in the past, to equal success. “Knotty Pine,” while still retaining the normal comedic priorities of Playing House, continues this season’s trend of reaching a little bit further and deeper, turning on a dime from slapstick to serious when Mark and Tina’s marriage goes under the microscope once again.
“Pine” benefits from the hilarious premise the episode is built from: Tina, still struggling with her marital problems, signs her ‘girlfriends’ Maggie and Emma up for a woodworking class. To those unfamiliar with the show, this seems like typical comedic fare, but the recurring joke of Tina’s nickname – Birdbones – immediately establishes “Knotty Pine” is working on deeper levels than its usual, lighthearted brand of comedy; we all know what people build in wood shop class, which sets the stage for the delightful, surprisingly poignant story to follow.
It would be easy for this week’s Playing House to rest on its laurels with this wonderfully-crafted zinger, and yet, “Knotty Pine” (which may be the best episode title of the year, by the way) surprisingly takes a typically hammy Rob Riggle guest appearance and uses it as a catalyst to shift its dynamics heading into the last four episodes of the season (and hopefully not series… hang in there, USA!). Buck Finch is a cartoonish figure, a man who takes his woodshop class packed with sexual innuendo around America and the Philippines to sleep with married women – but as the man who can provide Tina with a fantasy of a new life (he literally can build her a new, fantastical birdhouse), he serves an important purpose in pushing forward a bit of story that some may say should’ve happened already in a meaningful way, that doesn’t trivialize a development that’s essentially been telegraphed since the pilot.
How it gets there, of course, is the meat and potatoes of what Playing House does. There’s a hilariously goofy, very aggressive take down of Pulp Fiction in a local Pinebrook bar, and a scene where both Keegan-Michael Key and Lindsay Sloane can display emotional range we don’t often see from them (or on Playing House as a whole). Their ultimate break-up brings “Knotty Pine” to new heights, paralleling Maggie’s own plight to divorce back in the pilot: conflict in their marriages led their partners astray, and their discoveries of such act as breaking points in both episodes. Because of that, Maggie consoling Mark at the end of the episode becomes an oddly cathartic moment, one that reinforces the philosophies about friendship and maturity built into the show’s DNA.
It all makes for a wildly satisfying and funny episode, one that shows off just about everything Playing House can do, both in its writing and performance. There are few shows on television that can deliver such satisfying episodic character arcs with the combination of improv and physical performance Parham, St. Clair, and company bring to the table – not to mention the little things that inspire cult fandom, like “body be bangin’!”, great character names (Rod Rocklemore?), and ‘body rolls.’ Guided by Vera Santamaria’s terrific script (whose credits also include BoJack Horseman and Community), “Knotty Pine” is a showcase of Playing House‘s personality, brain, and heart, as impeccable a half hour as this show’s delivered in its 14-episode history.
Other thoughts/observations:
– SO MANY double entendres (a recurring theme this season), so I’ll just pick my favorite: “My hole is not rough – my hole is very welcoming!”
– The sign in the dressing room next to Tina is great: “You wear it best. I should know.”
– So when do we get to meet Shirley Lambert? Shirley we’ll get to see her soon, right? *groans*
– Of course Tina wears safety goggles while lightly sanding. She’s like the closest thing we have to actually seeing Maris from Frasier, if only in spirit.
– Okay, Mark obsessing over a Pinebrook train set is essentially Tom’s version of the cul-de-sac in Cougar Town, but I don’t care. Partly because it serves its purpose as depicting the emotional stalemate he’s reached in his marriage… mostly it’s worth it for the look on Maggie’s face when Mark tells her he hasn’t built a mini-Maggie for the train set yet, and is using a Grimace from McDonald’s in its place.
– “Can we moveon.org from that, please?”
[Photo via USA Network]
Follow Us
Grimace was a reference to Marissa Wompler.