After an eventful premiere where things seemed to work out a little too well for our eager homies Ben (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Victor Rasuk), things slow down a little bit in week two and the going gets a bit rougher as the duo try to land a sales rep. There's also some interesting chemistry brewing between two supporting characters, and of course, a whole bunch of Rene (Luis Guzman) foolishness that's much ado about nothing. Let's get into it:
Ben and Cam devolve into 12-year-olds at the worst possible moment
Seriously? We're all prone to a little playfight slap-box session every once and awhile, but not when we're in the posh home of a rich connect that could be our ticket to fame and success. Then again, we're not Ben and Cam. Sheesh, if it wasn't bad enough, they were barely invited guests that snuck away from the party and got caught clowning in a bedroom. The kid's bedroom no less. Needless to say, said connect, Nancy Frankenburg (Gina Gershon), is not impressed. This came off as the easiest way possible for the guys to get on Nancy's shit list, but the rest of this plot line was a step in the right direction.
If you were worried that the showrunners would start to lose sight of the struggle this series is supposed to represent and quickly stick the boys at swanky gallery parties and Crisp in Barney's store windows, then fear no more (for now at least). Nancy is extremely standoffish to Ben's attempts at charming her; leaving the overeager but less socially attractive Andy for a chance to work with someone at the top of the food chain is such a Ben, eyes-bigger-than-stomach move. It's easy to judge him, but the best part about this show is that you can sympathize with him. We probably would have done the same in his shoes.
Rachel's in a rut
Even more so than Ben's vanity, we can all identify with what Rachel's (Lake Bell) going through this week. She aces her interview and pushes all the right buttons on her new boss but the idea of jumping back into the rat race is depressing. Thankfully she knows Kid Cudi, er, "Domingo Brown" who's got the perfect antidote to depression. Out of all the characters, Domingo seems like the least insecure.
From the looks of it, dude supplies half of the Village with weed and manages to cover the rest of his finances with dogwalking. It also seems like his affability is winning Rachel over without much intention or work. Who wants to bet that Cudi's beefed up role this season involves violating the "bros over hoes" code and making time with Ben's ex? And how awesome is Domingo's business card?
Rasta Monster has a new sponsor
Remember Wilfredo Gomez, the mythical skater turned vagabond briefly seen last season? Yeah, probably not, but Rene does and now that an ad agency has put him on to the concept of athlete sponsorship he's out to bully Wilfredo into being his own cheap skateboarding Rasta Monster promoter. This comes after a random cameo from Andre Royo (best know as Bubbles from The Wire), and an even sillier scene with Rene's dumb goons trying to force a viral stunt, as if the one dude Plaxico-ing himself last week wasn't enough. Right now the show needs something else to round it out, and Guzman is killing it, but the Rasta Monster plotline was tedious last season at best, and has been just plain boring so far this year. Please, somebody, give this man something better to do and his goofy goon squad less lines.
Some story strands to keep in mind going forward: Cam's simp affair with LuLu the boutique owner, who is also being wooed by rival streetwear pioneer Tim (James Ransone), which inspires him to get a swanky new apartment, paid for by shuttling Domingo around to weed buys. Meanwhile there's simmering jealousy and commitment tension building between Ben and his current girl, fueled by Rachel's return.
