When the episode starts, Ted is being ridiculously friendly, throwing jokes to everyone. I was thinking to myself, “OK, we get it! He loves to crack jokes! He’s nice! He’s just what we need during the pandemic, BLAH BLAH BLAH!” Luckily I read a review of an earlier episode on NPR that points out that Ted’s friendliness feels off, that it’s become too much, and that’s what I’m reacting to. It’s a very good point and I wish I had thought of it myself! In the midst of all this joke-cracking, there’s a seemingly throwaway moment where Ted gets a call from his son’s school that Henry forgot his lunch, but of course he can’t do anything about it. It’s easy to forget about it because Ted so quickly snaps back into his usual rhythm. Until, that is, it all breaks down later in the episode.
Continue reading →