While Two Guys and a Girl spent the majority of its time in the shallow end of the “young adult comedy pool” through its four seasons, it is a series capable of remarkable moments of profound reflection and/or creative expression, twisting the known tenets of the sitcom and resolving to never completely cede to them, even if most of its actual plots were as run-of-the-mill as they get. As a definitively Gen X comedy, Two Guys and a Girl aspired to be occasionally emotional and often dramatic, but could become too detached or agnostic to really drive home some of its most challenging, defining moments. And it’s exactly why an episode like “Liver and Learn”, where Pete’s grandfather (Charlie, previously seen in “Two Guys, a Girl and a Thanksgiving”) briefly moves in as he prepares for his impending liver failure and subsequent death, feels kind of like a missed opportunity; while it’s not a surprise “Liver and Learn” is mostly a parade of jokes about Johnny’s nipples and Berg trying to tell Pete his grandfather’s dying, it’s just a bit unfortunate the episode never ascends the most basic levels of narrative towards the more meaningful, harmonic truth at the heart of its story.
Both of the stories of “Liver and Learn” focus their attentions on the things we choose to reveal to the people in our lives; of course, the stakes of these stories are incredibly unbalanced, as one is about Johnny accidentally seeing Ashley naked in the apartment they now share (shades of “The One with the Boobies” are obvious), and the other is about Charlie not telling his grandson he has less than six months to live, a truth Berg is burdened with after he takes him in for tests at the hospital. Even weirder is how the stories are executed; Ashley and Johnny’s suddenly Odd Couple-esque living situation (with the added bonus of Sharon teasing Johnny all the time) is straight out slapstick comedy, while Berg and Charlie’s conversations vacillate between the former’s anxiety and the latter’s humorous, calm acceptance. With the only thing sticking these stories together being Ashley and Berg’s post-breakup bickering at work, it all makes for a weirdly paced episode with an incredibly odd scene-to-scene emotional timbre.
The biggest problem, however, is that “Liver and Learn” never really commits to the emotional half of its story; for a plot ultimately about Pete and his relationship with his grandfather (and death itself), there’s far too little time spent with Pete and Charlie together – and when they are, it’s just Charlie making jokes about Pete being a woman. In fact, by the time Berg breaks his promise and tells Pete, Charlie’s already leaving and Two Guys and a Girl is getting the credit sequence queued up; there’s just no time for “Liver and Learn” to bridge the gap between the detached silent generation and nihilistic, indifferent late ’90s mindset at play, which leaves the whole story feeling flat and a bit pointless (albeit amusing, as Berg’s attempts to keep his mouth shut are consistently amusing).
At least we have Johnny’s suddenly-awkward morning routine as a fallback, one of Nathan Fillion’s finest moments in the role of Johnny Donnelly. With Ashley temporarily moving in after her and Berg’s breakup, Johnny’s traditional sensibilities (aka cooking breakfast in his underwear) are suddenly disrupted by the presence of a second adult woman; he hides, buys an elaborate robe-and-pajama outfit, tries to change his morning schedule – which, of course, leads to him accidentally seeing Ashley’s boobs multiple times (once while thinking he was sneaking into the shower with Sharon, only to be greeted by Ashley’s shrill chuckle). With Sharon and Ashley teaming up to tease him, “Liver and Learn” can just sit back and let Johnny squirm – which brings great comedic energy to the episode, but admittedly feels wildly out of place while, downstairs, Pete’s grandfather is surprising him with the news that he won’t be around for his next birthday.
It sounds like a weird mix – and it certainly is, in ways that “Liver and Learn” (maybe smartly) never tries to unwind. However, it doesn’t replace it with anything, and offers up a shrug of an ending instead, albeit one with good intentions. With a minute left, “Liver and Learn” sends Charlie on his way, quickly throwing Berg and Pete into a reflective peace – which is then interrupted by Ashley, who returns to remind us of the more superficial conflicts on Two Guys and a Girl‘s mind. And I don’t even mind that moment, where Berg realizes he can’t just avoid the things in life he doesn’t want to deal with, especially if he’s going to be a doctor (and a decent human being); but it’s a lesson that literally comes as the episode is fading to credits, which understandably minimizes the impact the small revelation can have on mending the bridges between the two – which is already not much, considering Ashley’s justified anger still lingering over their sudden breakup.
Regardless, Charlie’s second, and last, appearance on Two Guys and a Girl is a good reminder that the series is still one looking to grow its emotional palette; episodes like “Liver and Learn” make it feel like a sitcom actively working against its own growth, of course, but in a way, that is befitting of a series about three people and their arrested developments – and, of course, the more mature, if shockingly conservative Johnny.
Other thoughts/observations:
- Gotta love women in the 1990s; somehow every single one of them used to change their shirts while facing open doors (and often braless). A strange time to enter rooms unannounced, I suppose.
- “Don’t come crying to me when Carol’s estrogen makes your boobies grow!”
- Berg has a proposition: “You win, you get ten bucks. I win, I get a cup of urine.”
- Ashley: “I’ll put some balls in your stocking.” Berg: “But that’ll only leave two!”
- “I’m 82. Most men live until they’re 76. I’m already in the bonus round.”
- Up next: Johnny’s little secret comes to light in “A Moving Script”.