Home Economics Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Live with Kelly and Ryan Hoodie, Complimentary

Tom’s appearance on live TV to promote his book doesn’t quite go as planned on Home Economics Season 3 Episode 5, “Live with Kelly and Ryan Hoodie, Complimentary.”

On a scale of 2019 Jerry O’Connell to 2016 Jerry O’Connell, Tom’s interview on national television is …not good. Unsurprisingly, Connor (Jimmy Tatro) and Tom (Topher Grace) get caught up in their endless sibling rivalry, but Marina (Karla Souza), usually cool as a cucumber, adds to the disaster by being starstruck by Kelly Ripa. 

All three of them could’ve used media training but, instead, Connor and Marina take it upon themselves to coach Tom in preparation for his interview.

The trial run is the best scene of the episode. Marina and Connor’s impressions of Kelly and Ryan are hilarious. Tom going back and forth between playing along with them and being annoyed by them is such subtle comedy, and Grace excels at it. 

The three of them together is a fun combo among the ensemble cast, and that practice interview scene is a perfect example. 

Personally, I am not a fan of Live with Kelly and Ryan or of Kelly and Ryan themselves, so the actual interview falls flat for me. It doesn’t work for the TV show hosts to play such serious straight-men against the comedy. Playing more amused than judgmental could’ve helped the situation.

The B-plot is pleasant. The collision of Sarah (Caitlin McGee) and Denise (Sasheer Zamata) with the finer things in the lifestyle of the ultra-wealthy will always be funny—whether they are seduced by it, like here, or are raging against it.

Their realization that they might be going too far to the dark side is a great way to resolve the conflict—Sarah gets her teachable moment—as well as getting them to move out of Connor’s place and back to their “regular lives.”

Denise: To our bed with zero leg elevation.
Sarah: No Bluetooth toilet.
Denise: A complete lack of sauna.

This arc of Sarah and Denise living at Connor’s is just the right amount. Home Economics knows how to keep its narrative moods in a good flow.

Which brings me to the reason this episode doesn’t get a higher rating. The last bit of the tag scene ends the episode ominously. I can’t tell if it’s just using Halloween hype to spooky-up the mood going into the holiday episode or if the storyline really will go in the direction of Tom having a stalker, which doesn’t seem like the show’s style at all.

What I do know is that my own mood immediately shifted, leaving me less than enthusiastic about next week’s episode.

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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