I've been riding the fence on this, mostly sticking it out for a handful of moments and several fine actors among the principals. The hard part has been finding a hook to hang enough empathy on. Hank's backstory makes him open as a sympathetic figure, with the wryly amusing wall of detachment he's built around his anger. But he also does so little to break out of that daddy-blaming malaise that he 's been wearing out his initial benefit of the doubt.
Their shrill, annoying daughter and feckless faculty (other than Bader's character) belong on a sitcom with a laugh track, not a dramedy with deeper ambitions.
Ah, but just as the show started circling my drain, this week's twist at the end reeled me back in. It capped Hank's water treading with a grimly ironic turn that perfectly capped all the angst leading up to it in a way that fits into Hank's existence better than O. J.'s glove. Accordingly, I'm staying at the table to see what they deal us next.
Their shrill, annoying daughter and feckless faculty (other than Bader's character) belong on a sitcom with a laugh track, not a dramedy with deeper ambitions.
Ah, but just as the show started circling my drain, this week's twist at the end reeled me back in. It capped Hank's water treading with a grimly ironic turn that perfectly capped all the angst leading up to it in a way that fits into Hank's existence better than O. J.'s glove. Accordingly, I'm staying at the table to see what they deal us next.
