As a series often at its best when its characters are experiencing some degree of existential or romantic friction, Two Guys and a Girl found itself in an interesting position following the events of “A New Hope” and “Au Revoir, Pizza Place”. With Sharon and Johnny now (seemingly) settled into a relationship without Pete wedged between them, and Ashley and Berg (who spent most of season two at each other’s throats) now in a maturing relationship, there was potential for the early episodes of season three to lack some of that energetic tension, with so many obstacles and conflicts being resolved with Sharon and Johnny’s engagement, and Pete and Berg both making their way out of Beacon Street Pizza. Thankfully, the writers clearly recognized this, and with “Teacher’s Pet Peeve”, quickly find a way to pivot, drawing out an intriguing professional dilemma for Berg in one of the stronger episodes for his character to date.
“Teacher’s Pet Peeve” introduces Dr. Peel, (Nancy Lenehan, who recently featured as Gerrie in Widow’s Bay) a training physician whom Ashley and a number of other third year residents get assigned to. After Berg realizes he’s going to get nowhere with the depressed, checked out Dr. Gordon as his teacher for their rotation, he pulls some strings to get himself into Dr. Peel’s class – a move that immediately draws the wrath of Dr. Peel, who is the first character, perhaps in the history of the series, to be thoroughly unimpressed with Berg’s jester shtick. Dr. Peel is an incredibly smart addition to Two Guys and a Girl‘s hospital setting, a character who creates a compelling amount of tension within Berg, as he considers the fact that not only could somebody be immune to his charms, but actually think that his unserious approach to medicine is a danger to humanity itself.
Though we’ve seen Berg be rejected romantically, Dr. Peel dressing down Berg and picking his character apart is a fascinating reality check for the character, a reminder that the show’s intentional change in direction last season was not a fluke, but a feature of the show’s foundation it is clearly ready to build upon. Throwing Berg off his game, and making him feel like he’s not the smartest person in the room, offers great contrast to every other interaction he has on the series; sometimes, laughs and jokes don’t diffuse difficult situations, and even a genius should probably pay attention when their work involves the very lives of other people. Unlike Ashley, Dr. Peel presents this in a form completely immune to the charms of Peter Berg; and at times, Two Guys and Girl pushes its co-protagonist into an incredibly uncomfortable, unsavory place when Dr. Peel’s frustrations boil over, and she flat out tells Berg he’s going to be a bad doctor whose arrogance will get someone killed, a conversation interrupted when Johnny comes in with a lure Pete got attached to his face – and even after Berg stitches him up, Dr. Peel doesn’t offer any resolution to her accusations or their argument.
It’s a palpable moment, one that is dramatic in a way that Two Guys and a Girl would often reserve for romantic plots in its first two seasons; and while it’s a bit of a jarring shift in tone (in that way, reminiscent of season two’s “Two Guys, a Girl and Fighter” to a degree), it further cements that this series is moving to more mature, challenging places as a natural progression of a series about adults and their individual areas of arrested development. Even more exciting is how it nails the balance between humor and drama when Berg, frustrated with the dismissive treatment from Dr. Peel, confronts her in the lobby of the hospital after she assigns him to file paperwork with the nurses – for once, we see Berg’s powers of defusal work used against him, exposing the dangers of Berg’s ego in an emergency department, and also exposing Berg as someone who is getting a little bit ahead of his skis as a third-year resident, a strong premise for not only this contained episode, but as a strong evolution of the show’s central exploration of his character’s personal growth.
With such a serious turn in Berg and Ashley’s half of the episode, it’s no surprise the rest of “Teacher’s Pet Peeve” is a bit lighter in tone – but smartly, still ties itself to the aftermath of “Au Revoir, Pizza Place”, with a paranoid Pete trying to avoid hanging out with Johnny in the lingering aftermath of their season two love triangle. Thankfully, this story is hilarious: without the recurring bits of Johnny trying to scare Pete into thinking his life is in danger, this story could feel a bit of a letdown, especially after the season premiere’s strong scene between Johnny and Sharon (in which it seemed this drama was finally being put to bed). With Sharon and Johnny well attuned to Pete’s paranoia, it instead makes for a fun, light aside, where Pete gets increasingly terrified by Johnny’s double entendres, rather than wallowing in the melodrama of Pete and Sharon’s unnecessary romantic conflict (though, no spoilers, this would not mark the true end of this plot on Two Guys and a Girl).
With Pete and Berg being such a focus, the one fault of “Teacher’s Pet Peeve” is the short end of the stick Sharon and Ashley both receive (also…. why wasn’t the name changed to Two Guys and Two Girls? there are a few reasons I ask this, that will become even clearer as the season continues). But in an episode anchored by an incredibly strong, challenging Berg story, it is something that isn’t really noticed – and to a degree, necessary, as the series hadn’t quite expanded its ensemble cast enough to justify three running plots in a given episode (though give it just a bit more time; we’ll get there!).
All in all, “Teacher’s Pet Peeve” is a Two Guys and a Girl episodes that is an impressive creative pivot – and also, a half-hour so well-delivered it sets up slightly unrealistic expectations for the rest of the 24-episode season (the longest of the show’s four) to maintain all of that comedic and narrative momentum. However, season three is certainly off to an encouraging start, with a strong trio of opening chapters representing a confident step in a new direction for the series, one willing to offer slightly more sober, reflective takes on its characters and their lot in life in ways that feel incredibly expansive for the series.
Other thoughts/observations:
- Dr. Gordon feels like Two Guys and a Girl‘s equivalent of Scrubs‘s Ted, and I wish the series had featured him a bit more than it does this season.
- Berg: “John Goodman’s mini bike isn’t ridden this hard.”
- Ashley’s mom doesn’t like Berg? Red flag, red flag!
- Dr. Peel actually calls Berg a wuss, which seems a little counterproductive to the points she’s trying to make.
- Ashley: “Worry’s good for a relationship.”
- Up next: Ashley’s past comes for a visit in “Career Day”.