Second Look: Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place Season 2, Episode 14 – “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal”

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place Season 2, Episode 14 “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal”
Written by Stevie Ray Fromstein
Directed by Gil Junger
Aired January 13, 1999 on ABC

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place continues to find a groove with “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal”, an episode that takes a simple premise – Pete acts like himself, while Berg and Sharon fight over photographs – and turns it into one of the most fun, propulsive episodes of season two. And even though the episode’s big development – Pete and Kaitlin breaking up – is a thoroughly unsurprising one, how Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place processes that story through its main character is terrific, marrying his well-known qualities of pessimism and impulsiveness (often at the same time, somehow) in a story that might be a bit simplistic, but is nonetheless another strong chapter in the Pete’s journey of self-discovery.

In fact, “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal” is one of the most Pete-forward episodes of the entire season – with Sharon and Berg distracted by chasing down embarrassing childhood photos of each other, and no Johnny or Ashley to be found, there’s a noticeable runway clearing for the end of Pete and Kaitlin’s month-long relationship. And it does so in pretty straightforward fashion: after Pete and Kaitlin’s first declarations of love to each other, Pete overreacts and asks Kaitlin to marry him, ending their relationship on the spot and putting Pete in the awkward position of saying goodbye to her son Michael.

The mechanics of it are incredibly straightforward; in the course of 22 minutes, Pete’s relationship goes from curious to serious to over in the span of three acts, a rise and fall that the show doesn’t anchor to his feelings for Kaitlin, but the relationship he’s formed with her son. But as Pete is cosplaying Daddy, teaching Michael how to dance (using Pete and Berg’s patented “hockey goalie” moves) and helping him paint Fenway Park on his bedroom walls, “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal” slowly reveals that Pete’s desperation to find purpose and definition in his life are clouding his sense of reality. When him and Berg are discussing Pete’s intentions to propose to Kaitlin, he tells Berg that he’s ready to start a family – to which Berg cleverly reminds him that he’s not starting a family, but joining another one that’s already in progress.

Once Pete meets Michael’s father in person, Berg’s warnings hit home – and as Pete is wont to do, he proposes to Kaitlin in front of Berg in their apartment, a choice so ridiculous even Kaitlin doesn’t think he’s serious at first. When it’s clear he is, Kaitlin’s mood changes and “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal” gets to the heart of the issue; Pete is not ready to start a family, he’s just ready to stop living in the uncertainty of his mid-20s – and although Kaitlin loves him, she’s also not going to just sit around and wait for a young man to find himself.

And just like that, Kaitlin is gone, and the episode ends with Pete saying goodbye to Michael, the painting of Fenway’s iconic scoreboard fully complete on the kid’s bedroom wall. And for a moment, Pete has to face the consequences of his decisions (in a way that’s a lot more serious than say, the resolving moments of “Two Guys, a Girl and an Internship”), when Michael asks him if he likes him and his mother or not – and then subsequently points out that Pete is being unrealistic about coming back to hang out with him from time to time. That’s just not how life works; once Pete leaves Michael’s bedroom, he’ll be sad for a couple days about it, then he’ll go back to his life with Kaitlin and his father, until someone else comes along and takes Pete’s short-lived presence in his life.

What I like is how “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal” treats this a somber moment more for Pete than Mike (who is clearly a kid that’s been through this before), who ends up consoling him in the final moments; you can feel Pete’s spirit fall when he realizes a network traffic reporter and her sock-throwing son are not the answers to his existential questions, and that pure willpower is not going to be enough to enough for him to find his way in life. There are no shortcuts in the path to understanding oneself – though “Two Guys, a Girl and a Proposal” takes a very silly path to that idea, how confidentially it sticks the landing makes for an undeniably strong Pete episode, and raises expectations for Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place‘s ability to deliver subtle emotional notes within its silly, occasionally melodramatic stories.

Grade: B+

Other thoughts/observations:

• Sharon and Berg’s little competition is fun, but incredibly weightless. Worth it to see Berg argue with another elderly administrator (a nice callback to “Two Guys, a Girl and Oxford”), and to meet Gilbert, Sharon’s idiot 10th grade boyfriend.
  
• Berg, about Sharon: “Most of her personalities are sweet, but stay away from Daryl.”
  
• Michael is impressed that his father drives a DeLorean in 1999.
  
• Michael’s last words to Pete are “When you get a real job, put a check in it”. It’s a great final touch for Pete and Kaitlin’s very brief arc.
  
• Up next: A dark secret is revealed in “Two Guys, a Girl and Graduation”.