Image Credit: Richard Cartwright/ABC
It’s tempting to recap a show like Happy Endings by just transcribing every line and saying ”this was hilarious,” but let’s savor the hour a little more. The gang begins ”Deuce Babylove 2: Electric Babydeuce” hanging out with Penny’s mom, Dana (Megan Mullally), and Dave’s Dad, Big Dave (Michael McKean). When no one can hang out with Max, everyone starts to think about how much time the group actually spends together. Really, it’s just breakfast four or five times a week and drinks every evening. Oh, and they deliver all important news in person. That last part involves an awkward incident with Jane’s gyno.
Jane and Brad lied about going to a Bris, because they really wanted to try to join a tennis club. Max and Alex try to tag along to the Bris — Max wants to see his third one, though ”the second one was less of a religious ceremony and more of a horrific jet-skiing accident” — so Brad makes a quick lie about how he thought Max and Alex would make fun of them for wanting to do a rich people thing like join a tennis club. ”What time is your monocle-fitting, Ambassador Goldface Von Cash?” Max promptly throws out. Whew! Brad and Jane think they are off the hook. But really, Max knows they lied and he has a plan.
Meanwhile, Dave and Penny get some big news. They were hoping their parents might be tying the knot, but instead Big Dave and Dana announce that they want to adopt. Penny and Dave are obviously not excited, but they lie. Oh, do they lie! So much so that Dave has to improv a little jazz solo. Of course, they think of a plan and they think it up quick. They’ll just borrow a baby from one of their friends with kids — who apparently exist somewhere — and remind their parents how hard it is to raise a kid. We also learn that they once took Max to a prison to teach the inmates to get their act together. Also, Penny has a (frequent?) Jason Giambi sex nightmare.
At the tennis club, Brad and Jane are having a wonderful time. ”Tanning cream: heated, towels: heated, locker room attendant: heated… when I pointed out all of his lotions are full of toxic parabens,” Brad delightedly tells Jane. They’re about to go on a tour of the facilities when they are introduced to the people who will be touring with them: Max and Alex, sipping fruity drinks and trying to act rich.
Brad and Jane are not happy with their tagalongs, so Max makes a deal with them. The two pairs will play each other in doubles tennis; if Brad and Jane win, Max and Alex will leave. ”Max, nobody solves things through tennis matches anymore, bro. It’s not the ’80s” says Brad. Then Max calls Brad Arthur Ashy. Now, this moment right here is what makes this show so great. It could have gotten really offensive really fast, but instead Brad angrily delivers a line of pure hilarity: ”Nobody calls me ashy. Ever. That is not just a slap in my evenly moisturized face, it’s an insult to my personal lotion consultant and my creamist.” If you saw our clip, you know Brad and Jane win, but in the process alienate everyone in the club with their intensity and impressive racket-breaking skills.
The search for a friend’s baby is not going great for Dave and Penny, so they decide they’ll just hold a casting call for a baby. At the casting call, they try to find the worst mother and tell her they just need to take her baby for a quick screen test. Then they take the baby downstairs and try to make it start crying before their parents get there. Dave tries insulting the baby and Penny makes herself cry in hopes the baby will too — she just reminds herself she’s wearing Shania Twain perfume. When the baby’s mom comes down she threatens to call the police on Dave and Penny, just as Dana and Big Dave show up.
In the end, Dana and Big Dave solve the problem by paying the mom off. However, in the process, Dave and Penny did convince their parents not to adopt. So, win?
Brad and Jane explain to Max that they aren’t going to go off and do rich people things. They just want something to do as a couple. Max feels bad for ruining their chances of getting into the tennis club, but he has the perfect plan to get them back in. It doesn’t work though, and he ends up frantically running out of the club, naked, screaming as much. Well, he tried.
NEXT: Brooke out-Janes Jane… just accept that there’s a third Kerkovich sister.
