Rules of Engagement – Did Adam expect Jeff not to open the cooler?

I’ve been saying for a while now that Rules of Engagement would benefit from a focus on Jeff and Audrey’s surrogate plot line; the show has consistently succeeded when it’s done so in the past. And last night’s implantation episode just served to prove my point.

Even the cheap zygote humor was funny, and I love how Jeff inadvertently talked Adam out of his eggs, and then purposefully got his bacon. The flip side, with Adam and Jen stealing Jeff’s steaks — Adam’s Jeff was great — was a little too much like Rachel and Chandler stealing cheesecakes from their neighbor on Friends. I think I’d rather steal from Momma’s Little Bakery, Chicago, Illinois, then steal meat from Jeff.

Jeff and Audrey’s back-and-forth about the surrogacy seminar at the diner was a perfect example of how well the two work together. Audrey pre-guessing all of Jeff’s thoughts read totally natural and unscripted (even if that wasn’t the case). And I loved Jeff’s “This is not a good night for me,” referring to the upcoming seminar and not a scheduling conflict.

And I was appreciative of the fact that Timmy and Russell stopped by for a visit with Jeff and Audrey. When the two of them are off on their own — as I’ll get to later — they can be less than interesting, but Russell versus Jeff and Russell versus Audrey (and lately Jeff versus Timmy) is always fun. Like Jeff’s interpretation when Russell mentioned that he and Timmy had picked girls up the night before: “You drove the van and you hit them with the blow dart.” And, of course, Audrey’s insult: “Does the one who ended up with Russell get to pick first next time?” Zing!

I don’t know how one gets escorted out of a little pre-birth seminar like the one Audrey and Jeff attended, but I loved how Jeff went to the candle well when he learned that every implantation costs money. Of course it would be nice, in a perfect world, for Jeff to feel as frustrated as Audrey about their difficulties getting pregnant, but it was definitely funny that he went to all that trouble to do whatever long-shot thing might possibly help them succeed … so that he wouldn’t have to write another check.

And as long as it makes her feel like she’s not alone, I was okay with Audrey misreading Jeff’s reaction to the news that the implantation had been unsuccessful. And I’m happy for us; the harder they struggle, the longer the story will go on for.

Meanwhile, Timmy and Russell picking up two WNBA players was only good for Jeff’s joke, and the severe height difference between the girls and the guys. The dating life and times of Russell (and Timmy) are kind of boring.

“They’re lady pro basketball players for the New York Empire.” – Timmy
“Oh, so by ‘celebrities’ you meant regular, unfamous people who I could beat in basketball.” – Jeff

“Humor is always welcome. So sir, feel free to keep trying.” – The seminar instructor to Jeff, after he made a joke

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Mar 04, 2011 @ 13:12 EST5EDT