Accidentally on Purpose - The Odd Couples

Network: CBS
Time: Mondays, 8:30-9:00pm
Cast: Jenna Elfman, Jon Foster, Ashley Jensen, Lennon Parham, Nicolas Wright, Grant Show

Summary: In an effort to find out how they are as a couple, Billie and Zack go out on double dates with first Abby and Nick, then Davis and his new girlfriend.  But both dates backfire and leave everyone mad at them.

Review: To my embarrassment, I'd completely forgotten that we ended before the break with a marriage proposal from Zack and a declaration of mutual love between them.  So I definitely had a shocked moment when the first scene in the episode was Zack walking in and making out with Billie.

Once I had my bearings, my thoughts went from, "WHAT?!?" to "Aww..."  Zack and Billie have always have had a fun relationship, and they managed to become a couple without losing the back-and-forth that I've enjoyed so far this season.

Billie has decided that, before she will accept Zack's marriage proposal, they should first see how they are as a couple when dealing with other people.  Which means Zack has to bond with Abby's weird husband Nick.  Nick, who likes hospitals and engineering and finding out all the different ways he can get sick doing something, is a little odd for Zack, who likes to surf, drive a van and be spontaneous.  But the interaction between them is funny, and it leads to a very sweet moment between Abby and Nick, where he admits that he knows he's weird and that he loves that she loves him for it.  It's the first time I've had any real positive emotions directed at Nick, but that scene really endeared me to him.  And to Abby, who I've really only liked because she's Billie's sister.

Then Billie and Zack try their hand with Davis and his new girlfriend.  Did I mention that Davis has been lying to her and telling her he's Dave Grohl's younger brother?  And that the only reason she likes Davis at all is because she thinks he'll help her meet Dave Grohl?  Yeah, Billie doesn't do so well with that part.

The Davis/girlfriend storyline does give us another wonderful Abby and Davis moment, however. Abby, it turns out, is way cooler than Billie is when it comes to lying to a woman to get her into bed, and she definitely steps up and has Davis's back on this one.  The Abby/Davis relationship is something that the writers have only just played with a little, but the unlikely combination is always good for a laugh.  I like a show that's not afraid to play all its characters off each other.  So often, a show sticks to the pairings it establishes early on (Billie and her friends, Zack and his friends, Billie and Zack).  I like that this show is not only willing to mingle the groups, but seemingly eager to do it.

My favorite thing about Accidentally on Purpose however, is that it never ceases to surprise me.  Just when I expect them to go for one joke, they turn around and smack you with something else.  Billie is established early on as a self-confident woman who isn't afraid to tell people how she feels, and that trait is often called on for its comedic value.  Zack is more mature than most guys his age, but sometimes he's just a 22-year-old.  I love that this show doesn't take the easy route with its comedy.  It's rarely physical, relying on wit and character interaction to be the humor.

The only downside to this episode was the conspicuous absence of Olivia.  I know this episode was focused on the relationship between the sisters, but it was also about friendship, and Olivia should have been there (I'm sure her absence had nothing to do with the show and was probably the result of a conflict with the shooting schedule or another project she was working on).  Plus, I enjoy watching Olivia's interaction with Abby.

All in all, another winner for Accidentally on Purpose, which is moving to Wednesday nights sometime in March.  I know CBS is worrying about its ratings, but I hope they decide to keep it on, because I think this show could only be made better by the addition of a baby.

Favorite line:
Davis: Yes, people, my new girlfriend has a credit card.
Billie: Girlfriend?
Zack: Credit card?  When did this happen?
Davis: While you two were shacked up grossing out your baby.  Yeah, I stumbled upon a new method to pick up chicks.  [flashes back to lying to this girl about being Dave Grohl's little brother]
Zack: You dog.  That's awesome.
Billie: If your new method is lying to chicks in bars, I hate to tell you, but every man in history has beat you to it.

Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad