Home Economics Review: Men’s Water-Resistant Watch, $289 (Season 2 Episode 10)
A plot twist in the Sofía Salazar storyline presents Tom and Marina with a difficult decision while Denise and Sarah play matchmaker for Connor who is in a secret relationship with Denise’s sister, JoJo.
And from these two storylines come two really cool realizations. The first would be Marina realizing she misses practicing law.
Something tells me she’s a brilliant lawyer, so this can make for a fruitful avenue for her character as well as give the show the opportunity to get creative with so many different scenarios for the whole family.
Home Economics has played the “Marina is a true crime fan” card to great success. It’s become a fitting addition to her other unique qualities, and they’ve avoided having the joke overstay its welcome.
Sometimes sitcom humor can become too reliant on details like this that play well for the comedy—Urkel’s “Did I do that?” for instance—or miss the chance to play the joke to its full effectiveness.
Going back to practice law builds upon this delightful characteristic of hers that was there from the beginning.
Speaking of delightful, the second realization is Connor and JoJo mutually agreeing that their relationship has progressed past the point of being casual.
It’s downright adorable, in fact.
The secret relationship within a group is a common trope for situational comedy from Friends‘ Monica and Chandler to Leslie and Ben of Parks and Recreation. Home Economics is off to a good start with Connor and JoJo.
However, it might not be a secret for long as the episode ends with Tom seeing the couple kissing. We’ve just spent the whole episode with Tom’s anxiety spiral at the concept of keeping a secret. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he handles this one.
The scenario that brings Connor and JoJo to this realization is a fun and clever way to bring Denise and Sarah into the storyline. And it’s even better that Denise is the catalyst for the two to more clearly define what they’re doing together.
Just as it will be entertaining watching Tom juggle another secret, Denise finding out her sister is dating her brother-in-law is sure to be interesting, and could possibly cause a shift in some inter-family dynamics.
Home Economics continues to prove that it knows how to pace a plotline. Things rarely seem rushed nor are they drawn-out. It’s something that enhances the storytelling without even calling attention to it.
What did you think of this episode of Home Economics? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Home Economics airs Wednesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.