Wilfred: "Service" Review

Warning: Full spoilers from the episode to follow.

After last week's incredibly depressing (albeit engaging) episode, it was nice to see "Service" work to get Wilfred and Ryan back to the basics again. Of course, this couldn't happen without the spectacular finish to Ryan's working life. I have to say, of all the ways for Ryan to lose his job, I did not foresee his boss's public suicide pinning the last nail in the coffin. Hats off to Steven Weber, whose inspiring monologue offset his final moment perfectly.

And just like that, Ryan was off the hook once more to smoke pot in his basement full-time, freeing him from all ties both romantic and professional. However, there was still the matter of Kristen and her unborn baby, as well as Ryan and Kristen's mentally unstable mother (reprised by Mary Steenburgen). Following the death of her kitten, it was up to Ryan to raise his mother's spirits.

While it was great to see Steenburgen's return to the show, the whole road trip aspect didn't really ebb with the rest of the episode. There were a handful of funny moments -- the policeman encounter at the forefront -- but it was really Wilfred's own antics before and after the journey that delivered the lion's share of the laughs. His bloody-teethed interactions with Ryan and his passive-aggressive paw-over-hand bit were easily among the story's greatest bits.

I think it was the ending with Kristen going into labor that really elevated the arc to new heights. Some of the best moments between Wilfred and Ryan are when Wilfred lucidly convinces Ryan to achieve his unspoken goals. The final painting scene with Ryan and his mom was also a pleasant way to close out the episode -- a far cry from last week's melancholy conclusion.

In a way, it was kind of nice to see the show hit the reset button on a lot of the events that transpired this season, especially considering Ryan's breakup with Amanda last week. Wilfred's time at the office was also beginning to reach the end of its schtick, anyway. However, it will be interesting to see where this takes Ryan next, if anywhere.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

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Wilfred: "Truth" Review

Warning: Full spoilers from the episode to follow.

In this week's episode of Wilfred, we got to see a side of the show that we only occasionally catch glimpses of every now and then. This series constantly walks a fine line between situational comedy and hard emotional drama, and "Truth" definitely leaned more towards the latter. But it's a testament to the characters that this story was just as riveting -- if not more so -- than last week's goofier, lighthearted fare.

From the moment Amanda asked Ryan, "What's your biggest secret?," you knew the episode was setting itself up for another heady mind trip. Wilfred's doomsday predictions were also a signal of the madness to come. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, Ryan ignored Wilfred's warning and instead decided to ask Amanda to move in with him; and to Wilfred's credit, the very idea of Amanda moving in at this point in Ryan's life did sound a mite preposterous. After all, the dude still has no earthly idea whether or not he actually has a basement -- and by extension, neither do we. I'd say that's the mark of an unstable individual.

Of course, the real fun began when the earthquake struck. Here, we saw the return of Bruce (Dwight Yoakam), the mysterious man from Wilfred's past. I have to say, as stark and dreary as this episode was, the montage of ridiculous challenges between Bruce and Ryan were pretty hilarious. Just the utter insanity of the rules were enough to break up the tension.

However, it was the phone call to Ryan's dad that clinched the arc here. Season 2 has continued to hint at a confrontation between the two at some point, and it makes me wonder if that is the disaster Wilfred is talking about. If that's the case, we may be moving towards something huge, especially since we've been given the red flag this much ahead of time.

But the heartbreaker this week was Ryan's final scene with Amanda. Their breakup was thoroughly gut-wrenching. A part of me wished Ryan had just told her the truth about his relationship with Wilfred, if only so he could finally confide in somebody. Alas, I fear we've seen the end of our dear Amanda. True to Wilfred form, we had to wait until Ryan had reached his highest point before we could nosedive to the worst possible outcome.

Again, this was definitely one of the darkest episodes of the season, with only a handful of laughs to latch onto. Nevertheless, it also gave us plenty to chew on in terms of Wilfred's existence and where Ryan is at emotionally. It actually felt appropriate to have the credits over black this week, as Ryan and Wilfred's conversation at the beach really said it all. Something horrible is about to happen, and it sounds like there's no stopping it.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

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