The Grinder Review: Giving Thanks, Getting Justice (Season 1 Episode 8)
After a so-so effort last week, The Grinder is back with a vengeance for its Thanksgiving episode, and what a welcome sight it is.
It’s unfair to judge a show by its worst episode, and The Grinder has had enough good ones to get a pass for a subpar showing, but when a show is still on its infancy, you get worried. You think: what if the six episode run was merely a fluke? What if I was wrong in touting this show’s horn? What if this really isn’t the best new comedy on TV?
Want to know what I’m thankful for this week? I’m thankful I don’t have to eat my words. I’m thankful The Grinder was not just good, but great. And I’m thankful that I get to sit in front of my TV every week and watch this wonderful cast have a blast. Because they are having a blast. And, if they’re not, then they’re even better actors than I thought!
This week’s episode was all about family. Well, and about Dean feeling objectified, but we’ll get to that in a second. Family has always been the main theme on The Grinder , but it’s never been as apparently as during this Thanksgiving episode. Maybe it’s because Dean has always been good at playing the affectionate sibling, perhaps it’s because Stewart is done pretending he doesn’t love and admire his brother, or perhaps because this time around, everyone in the family gets a share of the spotlight, but, as I watched “Giving Thanks, Getting Justice” I couldn’t help but remember family Thanksgivings at my house, where it wasn’t really about the good, or the football games, it was about the people.
As always, the Dean/Stewart dynamic was on point. It takes people years to get to the kind of comfort these actors have with each other. Mary Elizabeth Ellis was her usual brilliant self as Debb, and Lizzie, Ethan and Dean Sanderson Sr. were more than just footnotes.
The flashbacks were hilarious too, with two great guest starts like Jason Alexander and Timothy Olyphant. We haven’t seen Alexander play a nice guy in ages, and he wasn’t about to start now, but he’s great as the surly type, so they get no complaint from us. Olyphant was kind of the freenemy, and though he was okay-ish for three quarters of the episode, his last scene made it all worthwhile. The Grinder : New Orleans indeed. I’m still laughing.
We’re back in gushing mode, and for good reason. Sometimes it feels like we’re the only ones watching, and it shouldn’t be. This is not just an acceptable I-might-laugh or I-might-not comedy, it’s a great one. You should give it a shot. Everyone should.
As for us? You know what they say, when a TV show can get you to wax poetic, you should stick with it. And trust us; we’re sticking with The Grinder .
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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