The Grinder Review: Little Mitchard No More (Season 1 Episode 4)

It’s been four episodes. Doesn’t sound like much, but when done right, four episodes can be a lot. It’s enough for The Grinder to sort of establish who these characters are, what they want, who they care about and what their relationships are going to be like.

Now comes the hard part: exploring all these unique individuals and their connections. Making us relate. Making us laugh. TV is a tricky business. It’s not just about making us fall in love with these characters; it’s about keeping the flame alive.

So far, so good.

Let me just start by saying there was some sort of mix-up with this episode (Or maybe I’m the only one confused). As I understand it, it supposed to be the third one, it aired as the fourth, and honestly, it shows. In this Claire is still the new guy, Dean is much more obvious in his flirting, and she’s not smiling as much. Despite that, the episode has good moments, even if it’s plagued by the feeling of taking a step back – because, frankly, last week was much, much better.

When you know a celebrity, everyone tries to get to them through you – that’s basically the moral behind this installment. Of course, having known him the longest, this is a lesson Stewart has already learned time and time again, but that Deb needs a little time and a swift kick in the behind to understand. Gotta hand it to our boy, Stewart might be a cynic, but he is much better at reading people than he seems to be. It’s about time others in the family realized this.

It would save them awkward conversations like the one at the charity dinner. It would also save them from having to call Dean to “rescue them”. Dean doesn’t seem the type to let that one go, does he?

Of course, this is all because Stewart, unlike Lizzie, isn’t into this to take advantage of Dean’s fame. And, frankly, maybe Lizzie shouldn’t have done it either. She sucks at basketball pretty bad, why would she even want to play it?

Bad friends, check. Fun family dynamics, check. Dean walking into his brother’s room unannounced, check. Stewart realizing his new “friends” were lying about everything but thinking the compliment about his nice body was true, check,. Dean being the coolest uncle ever, also check. What else am I missing? Oh, yes, some praise for the ladies.

Deb really shines in this episode, especially in her dynamic with Stewart. Not only is she half of one of the best parental units in television, she’s funny on her own, she can rock a dress and she also gives really good advice. Even if Dean is very, very bad at putting that into practice.

And then there’s Claire. I asked for more of her in my last review, and I’m glad the show delivered. I enjoy Claire a lot, and its clear Dean does too. At first it might have been the thrill of finding someone who doesn’t care one iota about who he was, but I’m thinking at this point it’s starting to become a little more. Sure, he likes the challenge, but I think, despite his best intentions, Dean also likes her. We have no idea of Claire likes him back, but, if the show keeps delivering entertaining episodes like it has, we’ll surely get a chance to find out.

Other things to note:

• Dean is supposed to be a big-shot. Doesn’t he have friends? Girlfriend? No one? It’s cute that he’s at Lizzie’s basketball game and everything, but does he really have nothing better to do? There’s gotta be something there. A reason for him being around his family all the damn time, other than because he likes them. Right? Right?
• Either that, or Dean is just a really, really nice guy.
• Claire/Dean. I kind of ship it.
• What’s the reasoning for putting Todd out of his office? I mean the real life reasoning, not the show reasoning.
• Stewart is my favorite. Or Lizzie. Or both. Can I pick both?

Reviewer rating:

User rating: 

What did you think of this week’s episode of The Grinder? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The Grinder  airs Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on Fox.

Lissete Lanuza Sáenz

Lawyer. Writer. Columnist. Geek. Falls in madly in love with fictional characters. Hates the color yellow, misogyny, and people who are late. Can always be found with a book. Watches an absurd amount of TV every week, often, while eating coffee ice cream. She has no regrets. You can check out her blog here: Absurday. Lissete is a senior writer for Tell-Tale TV. Follow @lizziethat