RJ Writing Ink

Close Enough Episode 2A/2B Review

I used to think that the transitions from kid to teen and teen to adult were hard. Then I realized that its the transition from our 20s to 30s that’s the real challenge! You know you have to deal with adulting and its ups and downs, but want to stay young. And in the second episode of Close Enough, Emily and Josh deal with that exact problem.

Now more than ever, I’m convinced that youth is a state of mind.

Logan’s Run’d

With Candice away on a sleepover, Josh and Emily have a free night on their hands. So what do they do?

• Go clubbing all night?
• All night XXX make out session?
• Do errands and watch a British baking show?

They (and Alex) freak out when they realize they’re acting old and go with Bridgette to a new club. However, the club in question sends anyone over 30 to the VIP room. As in Very Irrelevant Persons, as in they kill them.

From the way Josh and Emily treat their errands like an all-night sex-a-thon to the VIP Room concept, I found this episode to be hilarious. Our generation can’t deny it: we’re getting older. That’s not a bad thing, though: with age comes wisdom and new tastes. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that being young is a state of mind.

My high school voted me “young at heart” and I take that to heart. It doesn’t matter how old I get; that isn’t the same as growing up. If I still like the same things I liked as a kid on my deathbed, then I can die happy.

Bottom line, whether you embrace your age or remain young at heart, just do what makes you happy.

Room Parents

In the second segment, Josh gets suckered into becoming Room Parent at Candice’s school, and in charge of their fundraiser. He doesn’t mind it at first, but then this single mom named Nikki offers to help him out with it. Only, she seems less interested in fundraising and more into Josh…

I admit, the premise of this episode was pretty funny. It seems obvious to everyone that Nikki’s got it bad for Josh, much to Emily’s fury. However, Josh is too sweet to figure it out, at first. It gets even funnier with the innuendo’s flying over Josh’s head. If this were the whole plot, then it would be fine with me. However, this is J.G. Quintel. That guy loves making regular problems into surreal adventures.

Turns out Nikki’s this thief who steals money from room parents for herself. Then the thing devolves into a chase on a runaway kid’s train. Classic Quintel.

Much Better Episode

The first episode may not have been as strong a start to the show as I’d wanted, but this episode’s a return to form for Quintel. I don’t know what’s funnier, the club that kills old people or the evil room parent scammer. If you ask me, though, “Logan’s” spoke to me. I’m at the age where I’m transitioning from youth to adult, and sometimes, it’s a struggle to stay young. Like I said, though, I’m not worried. I’m going to enjoy the age of millennial domination as long as I can!

I Give “Logan’s” a 4.5/5, and “Room Parents” a 4/5

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Click here to see my review of the entire season.

Close Enough Season 1, Episode 1A/1B Review

Finally, after all this time! Close Enough is on HBO MAX, and I’m already halfway through binging the first season. And like I promised, I’m going to be reviewing every episode. However, since each episode consists of 11-minute segments, I need to lay down some ground rules for this:

• No Recaps like I used to do with Amphibia. Just brief reviews.
• I’m not gonna release these things all at once. Two a day, at most. Gotta space it out.
• Going to save the big stuff for a full season review at the end of this.

Now, let’s establish the premise: Close Enough is about Josh and Emily, a millennial married couple living in an apartment with their daughter, Candice, and the divorced couple Alex and Bridgette. And their ex-cop landlady and his shirtless son. Now look up any episode of Regular Show, and you got the premise.

Thus, let’s get this party started.

Quilty Pleasures

The first two minutes of the first episode are a microcosm of what the show’s like. Josh is filming Candice setting a record on an obstacle course, they break open the thermostat, thermostat turns air vent into a black hole. It’s nice to see that Quintel’s kept his surreal sense of humor intact, because from there, that’s basically the entire episode.

The whole premise involves Emily and Josh trying to make a quilt for Candice’s project at the last minute. Then it somehow involves a racist parrot, tiny old people that look like British orphans, and sweatshop sewing. It’s funny, so long as you don’t try to look for any deep meanings behind it. That comes later.

The Perfect House

Emily goes on an open house binge-trip because she wants a taste of what a normal family home would be like. Given how she’s living in a rundown apartment with a crazy man, a free-spirited social media whiz, and a childish husband, it’s understandable.

More importantly, though, seeing all the houses made me realize something: I liked looking at open houses! And then I started worrying that I was letting my inner child die on me and inwardly started panicking. It’s fitting, though: Close Enough may be the first show I’ve seen that’s putting my generation in the realm of adulthood. It’s crazy, but eventually, I’m going to start liking this kind of stuff.

Given that this is Quintel we’re talking about, though, things get surreal and crazy. Emily gets trapped in the house as part of this perfect sitcom family and the only way to get out is to accept her current living conditions. Thankfully, she puts up with it so Candice can go to a great school. That’s good parenting in my book.

Not the Strongest Start, but Close Enough.

So, the first episode wasn’t exactly a game-changing bomb-shell, but then again, I don’t recall “The Power” being one, either. But that doesn’t make this any less fun. This show’s coming at the right moment in my life, after all. I’m out of college, I’ve got a full-time job, and I’m trying my hardest to make the transition without giving up my inner child. That’s why I think I’ll like Close Enough. It’s about our generation learning to be adults and have our own families. I may not have my own family yet, but I can relate to everything else.

I Give “Quilty Pleasures” a 3.5/5, and “The Perfect House” a 3.7/5

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Click here to see my review of the entire season.