Wilfred – Dogs versus babies

Ryan has a lot to deal with on this week’s Wilfred as Kristen returns from India toting a big surprise: an unborn child! Yep, Arturo knocked her up, and now seems to only want to see her when it’s convenient for him. Now Ryan has to deal with her moving in and making him feel guilty about his past actions, which gives us this week’s theme.

I don’t know how seriously we are meant to take each week’s theme, but I found guilt to be an interesting one for this episode. Ryan feels it towards Kristen; Kristen feels it towards her ex; and Wilfred feels it towards Kristen’s fetus by the end of the episode. Also, as is pointed out, Kristen and Wilfred’s feelings were more about themselves than those they were angry at. I think the same goes for Ryan — he was more interested in alleviating his guilt at first than in helping his sister.

They reach a nice moment by the end, as Wilfred does with the baby, tying the episode together well. Everyone’s showed a little growth and learned a Very Important Lesson, but with Wilfred we always have to wonder when the rug will be pulled from under us. Ryan is functioning well now, but considering that the weirdness of the season premiere — excuse me, “special preview,” rather — nothing seems at all settled about Ryan’s mental state. He still talks to a dog, after all. As long as the show has this premise, he can’t grow too much.

For me, the highlight of the episode was Wilfred’s almost Shakespearean descriptions of the ongoing battle between babies and dogs. Jason Gann just plays this role with such commitment; I can’t help but love how he goes on about getting fontanels as trophies and so forth. Fortunately, no fetal blood was spilled, and Wilfred, like Ryan and Kristen, came to feel guilty about his actions. Aside from being a comedic echo of Ryan’s story with his sister, there wasn’t much to this, but it was amusing enough that I didn’t mind.

Notes and Quotes:

• Ryan is still dating Amanda, and it’s going well! Forgive me if I share Kristen’s skepticism about the long-term prospects there, though. I don’t think Ryan has resolved his feelings for Jenna, but it’s nice to see him stop mooning over her for a while at least.
• Kristen is still annoying. She seems redeemed by the end of the episode, but I won’t be surprised if she is back to her bossy ways soon. She ought to start saving for that kid’s psychologist bills now.
• All this talk of killing babies makes me wonder if there will be a brouhaha about this episode.
• Wilfred, about Kristen: “I thought she was running a brothel in India.”
  Ryan: “It’s a birthing clinic.”
  Wilfred: “Riiight, a brothel supply company. Same difference.”
• Wilfred: “Why do any great civilizations go to war? To see who’s cutest. Through the millennia, under the unseeing eyes of mankind, we have done battle. The rivers have run red with blood. And towers of mutilated corpses have cast shadows upon entrail-laden battlefields. It was dogs versus babies, so it was still pretty cute, but …”
  Ryan: “So call a truce. Just take it easy on Kristen.”
  Wilfred: “Take it easy? Did those babies take it easy at the massacre on the border of the Canine Cabana and Norma’s Daycare?!”
• Wilfred to the baby: “Maybe it’s time we end this madness. I mean, how many babies’ faces need to get bitten? How many dogs’ ears need to be played with not gently enough?”
• Amanda: “You’ve never dated a scientist before?”
  Ryan: “No, and if we’re going to stay together you need to promise never to mention back faces again.”
• Wilfred to the baby: “One, two, vaccum’s coming for you. Three, four, you’re mother’s an unwed whore.”
• Wilfred: “Looks like I shall have another fontanel to hang from my belt.”
• Wilfred: “We all know life doesn’t begin until a fetus is ten years old.”

Clacked by Christina Furtado
on Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:28 EST5EDT