Marry Me - General Discussion

[MelsW]

I love this show, but its Fake Chicago is just as bad as it was on Happy Endings, and I think they must be sharing wardrobe with The League.  How many stars were on that cop's patch - eight?  (The League used the same one last week)  You could probably buy a real cop's patch for $10, why make a fake one that's so, so wrong?

Probably because the bulk of viewers, myself included, have no idea how many stars belong on a cop's patch. Zero? Twelve? I have no idea.

[stanleyk]

I love this show, but its Fake Chicago is just as bad as it was on Happy Endings

 

I was super-surprised after the pilot to read that the show was supposed to be set in Chicago. Maybe I missed that set-up in the show itself, but I assumed it was set in LA. We just don't have a lot of restaurants that feature a good-sized patio of permanent outdoor seating here. I don't really understand the point of setting a sitcom like this in a particular city and then doing a terrible job of actually evoking that city. Just say it's set in LA, because that's what it looks like - if there weren't actual palm trees shown, it felt like they existed just outside the frame. I adored Happy Endings, but had the same problem with it.

 

Probably because the bulk of viewers, myself included, have no idea how many stars belong on a cop's patch. Zero? Twelve? I have no idea.

Four. And while I agree no one outside Chicago would even notice this, I think the more general question is why not pay attention to detail if you're going to the trouble of setting something in a particular place.

Edited October 23, 2014 by stanleyk

[mspaul]

 

I think the more general question is why not pay attention to detail if you're going to the trouble of setting something in a particular place.

 

THANK YOU.  I mean, David Caspe must be from Chicago or have some kind of affinity for Chicago to set 2 shows there, so why not at least try to make it look like it?  Admittedly, I'm pretty nit-picky about shows filmed in/taking place here (look at a map once in a while instead of just saying street names, ER!), but the Chicago flag (which is what the cop's patch is supposed to be) is pretty common knowledge for any Chicagoan and not a hard detail to replicate.  

 

[Batt Mastersly]

Saw Casey interviewed on "Ellen" earlier today, she is delightful.

[Batt Mastersly]

Yeah, in an interview Caspe said he's from Chicago so thats why he sets all his shows there. I think they might film this show on the same Paramount lot they filmed Happy Endings on? It looks a lot like it anyway. All these sitcoms filmed on studio lots never look that realistic to me, isn't it usually pretty rare for sitcoms to film on different locations like a movie?

[stanleyk]

Do not get me started on the inaccuracies of tv shows set in Chicago. Really, don't. I will bore the hell out of everyone, and also: off-topic. But I am truly baffled that Caspe keeps setting shows here when it really doesn't matter where they're set and he seems to lack even a passing familiarity with Chicago (despite apparently having been born here). 

 

On-topic: I didn't laugh once during this episode. I'm just finding the whole operation too try-hard and sitcommy and just...unfunny. Tim Meadows made me the closest to amused as I got. And unfortunately he's paired with the cheap stereotype of the other dad, so I was half-amused, half-annoyed at all their scenes. I'm really, really hoping we move closer to Happy Endings territory (though I guess not so close it gets canceled as soon as it gets good), but I haven't seen much to keep me watching. It just seems really tired to me.

[Craphole Island]

Okay I agree that Gil is pretty annoying, but I'm sorry I lost it when he said "You are not my wife, and NEITHER is she!" or something like that. That was my favorite line.

[formerlyfreedom]

Annie and Jake plan a haunted house in their apartment for the kids in their building but their plans run afoul of a super-mom Julie. Dennah plans to make a big splash at an exclusive party in a very skimpy costume. Meanwhile, Gil and Kay go trick-or-treating and use the opportunity to spy incognito on Gil’s ex-wife.

 

 

[Batt Mastersly]

"Super-mom Julie" is gonna be played by one of favorite funny actresses, Jessica St. Clair (recently starred on USA's Playing House) excited to see her on the show.

 

Also I'm always a fan of Halloween episodes of sitcoms because the costumes alone, Happy Endings always had some really funny ones. Their costume choice is pretty great:

http://i.imgur.com/v2BvXan.png

(spoiler tagged the pic just incase, even though NBC's been showing it in the commercials all week)

Edited October 24, 2014 by Batt Mastersly

[reggiejax]

I think Gil said, "Zuker!" If so, was that Danny Zuker, a writer for Modern Family? I think the last friend -- I don't know all the names yet either -- said, "Dana's face!" I assume that's a Real Housewives reference, but I don't watch those shows.

 

 

As has been mentioned earlier, Gil said "Joker", as in The Joker, and the other friend said "Dennah's face", Dennah being Sarah Wright's character's name.

 

But sadly, I could believe that this show would have the characters reference a writer from Modern Family and a Real Housewife, evidently one that is lesser known, at least to the average viewer like me. Which is part of why the duo of David Caspe and Casey Wilson try my patience. 

 

THANK YOU.  I mean, David Caspe must be from Chicago or have some kind of affinity for Chicago to set 2 shows there, so why not at least try to make it look like it?  Admittedly, I'm pretty nit-picky about shows filmed in/taking place here (look at a map once in a while instead of just saying street names, ER!), but the Chicago flag (which is what the cop's patch is supposed to be) is pretty common knowledge for any Chicagoan and not a hard detail to replicate.

 

 

As a lifelong Chicagoan, I like when shows are set here, and really hate when they get things wrong. Again, as mentioned previously, the patch should have had 4 stars. On the other hand, I will give kudos for casting an actor who really looks like a Chicago cop. Unlike some NBC shows I could mention.

[Roaster]

"Super-mom Julie" is gonna be played by one of favorite funny actresses, Jessica St. Clair (recently starred on USA's Playing House) excited to see her on the show.

Jessica St. Clair from Best Friends Forever (short-lived TV series)!  I will be glad to see her.

[dirtydi]

Gave it two viewings and I am not a big fan.  It makes me miss Happy Endings and that cast.  I think the main problem is the main female character is annoying.  I loved her (Casey Wilson) on Happy Endings, but just want her to shut up on this show.

[formerlyfreedom]

Share your favorite quotes here!

 

Episode 01:02; Move Me

 

Gil to restaurant worker:  "You're not my wife and neither is she!"

[Jillybean]

This episode was miles better than the pilot.  Dennah and Gil are funnier than Annie and Jake.

[carefree]

I think the main problem is the main female character is annoying.  I loved her (Casey Wilson) on Happy Endings, but just want her to shut up on this show.

 

She's my struggle with 'Marry Me' too. I caught up with both episodes after mainlining 'Burning Love' and 'The Hotwives of Orlando' and was left feeling like I actually don't like Casey's delivery. In Happy Endings it worked because the whole cast, starring and supporting, were like that but the fact Ken Marino seems to be almost too passive here and it doesn't work for me. It's not even about energy levels either but there's a strange disconnect between the two and I'm not feeling their love story. Also, the supporting characters don't make any sense to me. Obviously, they've got to find their legs but Annie seems to be the only rounded character and she doesn't come across well. 

Edited October 27, 2014 by carefree

[Roaster]

Sportscaster camp!  Excellent.

 

Derrick is back!  We're in the Happy Endings universe.

[Roaster]

Good energy in this episode.   Closest one to Happy Endings yet.

[Valny]

I didn't know Jessica St.Clair was going to be in this, so I was happily surprised to see her. She was her awesome self. (Man I miss  her USA sitcom,Playing House) She would make a great regular.

I've only watched some of the pilot, but wanted to see this one because I too love Halloween eps.

Thought this ep was pretty funny. I especially cracked up with the pickle bit.

[tomsmom]

Draaaama!! Loving this show uhhh FACE!

[Batt Mastersly]

Liked this one a lot more than episode two. Very fun episode and I always love anytime Jessica St. Clair pops up in anything. AND OMG DERRICK! I hope this means more Happy Endings cameos if this show sorta takes place in the same universe. (Greg Garcia used to cross-over some of his My Name Is Earl characters onto Raising Hope later on as well)

 

Loved the Zombie Lucy and Ricky costumes. Cracked me up how Ken Marino could never remember any of the catchphrases and kept getting them mixed up with different sitcoms (DY-NO-MITE!)

Edited October 29, 2014 by Batt Mastersly

[stanleyk]

I liked this episode enough to stick with the show a little longer - I think it helps to take the focus off the central romantic relationhip of Annie and...Ken Marino? It's probably not a good sign that I'm not sure what the character's name is. I was a little underwhelmed by the Gil plot, but rest of it was pretty funny. And as an urban mom, I found the Super-Mom only too real (and hilarious). I do not love, though, what seems to be a trend in each episode of sudden mawkish turns at the end of episodes where someone (Annie, mostly, it seems) learns a lesson about her emotions. Or something. But overall it felt a little closer to Happy Endings territory, and that can only make me happy.

 

I'll stop with the Chicago nit-picking (maybe), but in another attention-to-detail annoyance...there aren't any Rite Aids in Chicago. We're a Walgreen's town. So I ask again...why does Caspe insist on saying his shows are set here? I mean, you could fan-wank your way out of it, but it just seems dumb when you're making place-specific errors that could be fixed by a ten second check on Google. 

[Batt Mastersly]

One thing I'll say is I haven't developed enough of an attachment to the secondary characters yet so I'm not that engaged in their B and C stories, and the show sometimes drags when the show doesn't focus on Jake and Annie. But maybe once we get to know them better. Dennah (the blonde friend) is especially a forgettable character so far, though I did enjoy the rest of the characters reactions to her "botox face" last week. I do see a lot of promise with Gil and Kay though, I hope they pair them together more often. The Kevins were missed this week, but I guess the parents are the kind of characters who don't necessarily need to be in every episode.

 

I feel the show clicks the most when the cast is all together and gives it that ensemble feel, like in the opening tonight, thats when the show has that vibe that reminds me of what I liked so much about Happy Endings. I think I'd like it better if the full cast of characters were together like that more often and not always split up into different stories, I often thought the Happy Endings episodes that didn't split up the characters were often the funniest.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Batt Mastersly

[Latverian Diplomat]

Fun episode in general, really captured how frustrating somebody else's kid can be when they realize you can't really discipline them in any way.

 

The "slut costume" joke didn't completely land for me until the three girls standing next to each other, all digitally blurred and upset about wearing the same outfit.

 

I could do without the "lighter side of stalking" subplot, which even included a little validation for the creepy dude. Yuck.

[SilvaVocat]

I think this was the strongest ep so far, and the first week where we saw how Annie and Jake actually do work as a couple, as opposed to Jake just putting up with Annie's crazy.  I liked that they got a win, that Annie was a decent human being.

[Xazeal]

Definitely the best episode so far. It had some heart.

 

You know, I wasn't a big fan of Ken Marino's appearance on Happy Endings, but he's surprising me here. Annie and Jake are definitely my favorite characters and it seems like they're starting to get some more depth. I also like Dennah, but her character feels like a caricature right now. And she pales in comparison to the ultimate ditzy blonde, Alex Kerkovich.

 

Derrick was my least favorite character on Happy Endings, and yet seeing him again almost brought tears to my eyes. I may have a problem. 

 

And there's still just no way for me to write about this show and not mention Happy Endings about a thousand times. It's not really standing on its own yet. It shows promise, though.

[formerlyfreedom]

As the gang gathers to celebrate Annie and Jake’s sixth anniversary of their first date, their plans are disrupted by an epic storm and everyone retreats to the basement for shelter. Gil wows the group with his take-charge attitude, while Annie, Kay and Dennah become completely obsessed with finding out what Jake appears to be hiding in his desk.

 

 

[Cementhead]

The best take-away line that I am still laughing about days later is when Jake says to Annie, as a compliment:  'Babe, you're just like Oprah.  You don't have any kids of your own but you tell everyone else what to do with with theirs!'   Hee!  I am still laughing at that one.

[idiotwaltz]

I liked this one better than the last two, which is fair since I didn't fall in love with Happy Endings until about four episodes in. 

 

I snorted out loud when Dennah said, "I figured this year I'll just cut out the middle man and go as a slut!" 

[SmithW6079]

Derrick was my least favorite character on Happy Endings, and yet seeing him again almost brought tears to my eyes.

 

It brought tears to my eyes too, but they were of anger, because I am sick to death of Hollywood Gay Stereotype as a stock character. That makes three in this show already. This is nothing against Stephen Guarino, because I like the actor. Also, the introduction of Derrick just makes for confusion. So "Happy Endings" and this show exist in the same universe? So who is Annie to Penny, then -- her long-lost twin? Random doppelganger? Egg donor baby?

 

Broken-up Dave and Alex had more chemistry than engaged Annie and Jake.

 

Did blond slut say she once dated Derrick? Didn't Penny "date" Derrick too? And both of them didn't know Hollywood Gay Stereotype was gay?

 

I don't understand the point of creating a show exactly like the one you already created, which ultimately failed.

 

While there were some humorous bits to this episode, "Bizarro Happy Endings" just isn't working for me

[Batt Mastersly]

Did blond slut say she once dated Derrick? Didn't Penny "date" Derrick too? And both of them didn't know Hollywood Gay Stereotype was gay?

 

Penny never dated Derrick. There was a backstory (as seen in some flashbacks) that Penny used to date Max in college when he was still in the closet and because she's oblivious didn't notice the very obvious signs that Max was gay.

 

Speaking of flashbacks, I think thats the one thing that I miss from Caspe's Happy Endings style of humor here, the cutaway/flashbacks were often the biggest laughs for me on Happy Endings, but they don't really seem to do them on this show. I guess they don't want it to be a total Happy Endings carbon copy though.

[BoogieBurns]

Penny had Derrick pretend to be her boyfriend at Shershow's wedding. He came dressed as Danny Zuko from Grease to "butch it up". But no one on HE ever believed Derrick was straight.

[Craphole Island]

Max pretended to be straight on an episode of Happy Endings to date a girl with Bulls tickets, and at the end she was like "I finally learned my lesson and met someone new!" and it was Derrick, hee. So somebody believed he was straight!

 

I really liked this episode! So many great lines.

[Cosmic Muffin]

 

Thought this ep was pretty funny. I especially cracked up with the pickle bit.

"Technically, it was a gherkin."

 

I liked this episode pretty well, but it made me miss Happy Endings. Couldn't Happy Endings have gone online, or whatever Community did?

 

Plus Casey Wilson was on Conan talking about her crazy, violent temper, and it doesn't sound like she's really working on it, so I like her less than I used to.

[peeayebee]

It's weird. I saw only a couple of Happy Endings eps, and since this ep felt more like that show, I didn't like it much. Seems like it's Happy Endings-lite. Or maybe I didn't enjoy it because I didn't have the nostalgia for the previous show. I don't know if I'll continue to watch for much longer.

[arc]

Which will be John Gemberling's second bottle episode due to a storm in one year! (Broad City did one too.)

[Roaster]

Yeah, they don't need the parents in this show.  Another episode without them proves that.

 

I had a feeling they would try to pair up Gil and Dennah sometime.  Surprised they are starting it so early.

[BoogieBurns]

I would be very happy if they wrote Gil out of the show. He is too broad, and I haven't warmed up to him at all. Just have him slowly move away.

[Batt Mastersly]

Definitely my favorite episode so far. I'll have to notice if one of the Happy Endings writers wrote this one, because it had me laughing a lot in the same way the really good episodes of HE did.

 

"Dilda Radner"

[Xazeal]

Fake allergies, Annie with the EpiPen, Annie with the annual curse, Kay using Penny's abbreevs... the Happy Endings references were all over the place.

 

I'm still not feeling Gil at all, but I'm still liking the central couple and this episode made me warm up to Kay. It's sort of refreshing to have a character who's fully aware of how awful they all are.

 

I have to say, even though this show hasn't necessarily wowed me yet, I think it's been pretty consistent. There hasn't been an episode where I felt "well, this just didn't work".

 

ETA: Oh, and let's not forget: Annie getting whacked in the head. How very Penny.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Xazeal

[Batt Mastersly]

ETA: Oh, and let's not forget: Annie getting whacked in the head. How very Penny

 

I was thinking "she needs the hair helmet Alex made her!" when the horse kicked her in the head.

[CofCinci]

ETA: Oh, and let's not forget: Annie getting whacked in the head. How very Penny.

As Derrick would say, "You stupid clumsy bitch."

[peeayebee]

I have to admit, this was a pretty funny episode. I liked seeing the flashbacks of all of those cursed anniversaries, and then learning what really caused them. I'm still not in love with any of the characters, but I like the writing.

[Primetimer]

Tara's not a crackpot, she just thinks more showrunners should try remaking their old shows.

Read the story

[Sandman]

I like the writing, though I don't love it yet; and I think I had warmed up to Happy Endings more by this point in its first season. In theory, I have nothing against Caspe's using or re-using some elements of Happy Endings, since the point at which playing to your strengths ends and self-plagiarism (or self-parody) begins is open to debate.

 

But -- and it's a big "but" -- I don't like very many of these characters. I like Annie and Jake; I like Annie in particular more than the pilot suggested I was going to. I think Kay's funny; but Dennah and Gil bore me. I don't find either one funny or interesting. I just don't care. I find Annie's parents (and Jake's mom, from the little we've seen of her) funnier than the two friends, who feel kind of like placeholders to me. I'm still not convinced that both of Annie's dads needed to be named "Kevin," but it's a lot less cutesy than I thought it would be. Also: Derrick is my least favourite of the tertiary characters in Happy Endings. I am not a crackpot either. I swear! 

 

I do love the hair helmet image that Batt Mastersly posted above -- one of my favourite moments from that show.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Sandman

[Latverian Diplomat]

I admire the structure and the cleverness, but it's not connecting with me nearly as well as Happy Endings did. I'm not sure why, but on HE the characters had an emotional presence, they reacted to each other and schemed for or against each other. Here, everyone has their designated jokes, but the interplay isn't there, or at least I'm not feeling it. Gil and to some extent Dennah feel like the same joke over and over again, that everyone else tries not to react to.

[Sandman]

Gil and to some extent Dennah feel like the same joke over and over again, that everyone else tries not to react to.

 

Yes! Gil in particular feels very one-note.

[MelsW]

I am sticking with this show for now but it is still feeling too much like a poor man’s Happy Endings at this point. It just highlights to me how well HE was written and acted versus Annie’s group on friends on Marry Me.

 

I generally liked this episode but do have some nitpicks:

 

The Gil character is still an unfunny Zach Galifianakis. I did like that he was a doomsday prepper but then he opened his mouth. I’m not sure if it is the writing or the acting but they could do without him.

 

Annie = Penny as far as I’m concerned. I am really not seeing the difference other than Annie has two dads and her mother isn’t Megan Mullally.

Edited November 5, 2014 by MelsW

[Cherry Cola]

I really want to like this, but it just seems kind of predictable and boring. I loved Happy endings, and really like Casey Wilson. This show just seems like anything wrong that can happen predictably will.

[Cosmic Muffin]

In the Annie-versary episode, one anniversary was ruined by Ken Marino's character's crazy Asian ex, Fantasia. I don't think it was the same actress, but in HE Penny ends up tutoring a crazy Asian lady on dating. She ends up stalking Max at the end of the episode, but he tells her she's crazy, he loves it and they should hang out. So, crazy Asian ladies who date crazy have shown up on both shows. 

[Sandman]

The Gil character is still an unfunny Zach Galifianakis.

 

There's a funny Zach Galifianakis? ::rimshot::