Call Me Kat Review: Vacation (Season 1 Episode 3)

There’s nothing worse than a free trip to Puerto Rico, and no one to share it with.

That’s the conundrum Kat finds herself in on Call Me Kat Season 1 Episode 3, “Vacation.”

When Tara cancels at the last minute, Kat tells everyone she’s going alone but she really just stays at a hotel in town.

Naturally, she ends up pretending to be someone else to get free crab legs.

Come on, we’ve all done it.

As fun as everything turns out, we need to actually see Kat on vacation at some point because that’s got to be hilarious.

With Kat away from the cafe, it is great to see Randi and Phil play off each other. Leslie Jordan and Kyla Pratt turned a lost password into comedy gold without going over the top.

Their back and forth about the weird places sticky notes end up was like watching a really fun tennis match.

Mayim Bialik continues to shine as Kat. No matter what craziness is thrown at her, she manages to not only make it all hilarious, but it’s completely believable.

Drunk Kat describing bourbon is a masterclass in physical comedy. The way Bialik portrays Kat’s commitment to becoming Renee the bourbon blogger is the kind of spot-on performance you only get from a true TV veteran.

We could spend another 30 minutes just watching her tasting bourbon. In fact, if there are deleted scenes, please release them FOX.

This is the kind of role that can very easily drift into the way too much category, but Bialik never lets the comedy overpower her.

Now that we’re three episodes in, let’s talk about this Kat and Max situation.

Max is a nice, gorgeous guy who likes and accepts Kat exactly as she is. We understand why she’s so enamored with him. However, it’s clearly a one-sided infatuation and if she continues to pine over unrequited love, it doesn’t help her look smart.

It would be better to see them in other relationships, let their friendship grow even closer, then revisit the will they / won’t they of it all.

One of the highlights of this episode is that we finally got some insight into why Sheila is so overprotective of Kat.

Swoosie Kurtz beautifully expresses how scared Sheila has been raising a girl. Of course, she doesn’t let things get too emotional as the punchline isn’t far behind.

One of the things Call Me Kat has been very good at so far, is balancing the comedy with emotion. We get the lovely rooftop talk between Max and Kat, but then we instantly get them trapped on the roof, so things never get too heavy.

This episode really allows everyone a chance to shine. With a cast this strong, someone could easily be left out, but this show is a real team effort.

It even ends with a dance party.

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Call Me Kat airs Thursdays at 9/8c on FOX.

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