The Grinder Review: Exodus (Season 1 Episode 11)

Sooner, rather than later, if The Grinder wanted to be something other than a forgettable comedy, it had to do this. It had to drive a wedge between Dean and Stewart; it had to play up their “issues” and personality traits to achieve some sort of drama.

That’s the way of TV.

We tend to think that only dramas do, well, drama, but the truth is, comedies that can pull laughter out of drama are the ones we usually remember. The ones who stick with us. Real life, after all, is more often dramatic than funny. Before “Exodus” The Grinder hadn’t proved to be one of those. And, though we might think the reason why Dean and Stewart are fighting is as absurd as it comes, the show can only be better for it.

And boy is it silly. Silly, but warranted. Dean has never been anything but a two-year old both in how he deals with life in general, and how he handles his relationships. All his life he’s gotten everything he ever wanted, and his struggles against his brother can all be traced back to the fact that he doesn’t think common sense, rules and law apply to him. He’s The Grinder, after all!

Is Dean right? No. Dean is…well, he’s just being Dean, taking things to extremes normal people can’t even conceive of. Is Stewart right? Well, not completely. He really could and should be better about appreciating his brother, because despite the Hollywood stigma Dean is a good guy who genuinely cares about his family. The truth is that in this case, as it is in most real life arguments, both are a little right, and a little wrong, and I’ll take both of them to fix the divide.

But I hope they don’t fix it soon. I hope Stewart doesn’t given in, like he always does. I hope this takes them closer to the path to understanding each other. And I really, really hope we get to see them play out this juvenile anger that’s very, very familiar to anyone with siblings.

This is, after all, a comedy.  We can laugh while they beat us over the head with a message. In fact, we should.

Other things to note:

• How many rooms can Stewart’s house possibly have? It’s like it keeps expanding!
• The women in this show are the only ones with common sense. At some point soon I’m going to need Debbie and Claire to have an actual conversation regarding this subject.
• What’s Rozz and Landy’s endgame here? Are they just trying to get on Stewart’s last nerve? Do they even think Dean can be an asset?
• Fred Savage is my forever favorite.

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 9:30/8:30c 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