Animal Control Season 4 Episode 5 Review: French Bulldogs and White Broncos

Animal Control Season 4 Episode 5, “French Bulldogs and White Broncos,” builds character and breaks hearts at a horseback ride and a fundraiser.

This episode, written by Brad Stevens & Boyd Vico and directed by Brennan Shroff, feels like this season is confidently making great strides.

This season doesn’t start on its back foot, but it kicks off a little slower than, say, the zoo break on Animal Control Season 3 Episode 1, “Giraffes, Gorillas, and Penguins.” With “French Bulldogs and White Broncos,” Animal Control Season 4 makes the case for a more of a slow burn.

Ironically, the workplace comedy almost takes too long with Patel (and Shred’s) house flip project. So it’s a relief that Animal Control Season 4 Episode 4, “Lost Dogs and Bar Flies,” wraps that up and opens the character up for more.

For some reason, the show never really gives Patel any other substantial storyline beyond that house until “French Bulldogs and White Broncos.”

Any stories about his family are short-lived or conveyed through exposition after having entirely happened off-screen. Animal Control makes that distinction all the odder, considering that Shred is Patel’s partner in that house-flip project, yet Shred still has interesting, on-screen storylines that aren’t about the house.

Animal Control Season 4 Episode 3, “Dragons and Dognappers,” really puts that into perspective.

Thankfully, “French Bulldogs and White Broncos” strikes a much better balance.

The episode flips the script, making Shred and Emily’s relationship a supporting element of Patel’s storyline. The investment in their romance and the consistent dialogue around its HR implications make the low yet bizarrely high (Patel trying to commit medical fraud to cover up an accident) work for them. 

For Emily, it’s really great to see her outside of the office with Bettany.

Not only does that change in scenery peel back some more layers to Bettany, but it also gives Emily some much-needed perspective about how her control issues aren’t sustainable for her or her relationships. 

The physical bit of Emily and Bettany sitting on different benches after Emily got them kicked out of Tai Chi is hilarious. It’s also a physical representation of the rift that Emily’s inability to let go can create between her and others. 

It’s a believable conflict with a reasonable resolution that, ideally, sends Emily into a new direction with more delegation and self-care.

For Patel, the pressure of this storyline really works, since this fundraiser is the first event that he runs as Community Outreach Officer.

Therefore, it’s perfect that Daisy is one of the only people he can lean on during it. Animal Control can lean into the nostalgia of Kyla Pratt’s run as Maya Doolittle while tugging on Daisy and Patel’s shared history with an emu.

At this rate, it’s almost better if the show never reveals what truly happened there. Let it be a vague and almost ominous bit forever.

Meanwhile, Animal Control does anything but play coy about Frank, Victoria, and Parker. Their blocking even makes a triangle at the end of the episode.

“French Bulldogs and White Broncos” does an excellent job of showing how in sync Frank and Victoria are with one another. Their quips are so quick and complementary that, of course, it puts Parker on the outs.

However, after the efforts on Animal Control Season 4 Episode 2, “Bagged Birds and Alley Dogs,” it’s best that the show doesn’t entirely count Victoria and Parker’s relationship out. It’s more angsty and interesting to lean into Frank’s obvious feelings for Victoria and jealousy of Parker’s relationship with her.

That shot when Victoria looks over her shoulder at Frank, with the sunset setting the mood, is gorgeous. It’s also incredibly romantic. 

It’s almost as though Frank and Victoria are in their own romantic comedy, fit with making fun of Paul and Sapphire. Joel McHale and Grace Palmer certainly have enough chemistry for it, which is ideal if Animal Control keeps Frank and Victoria on the slow-burn track.

The direction and editing are fantastic when Parker literally runs into the scene. They pick up on Frank’s look of disappointment and Victoria’s recognition of Frank’s gesture in giving his horse to Parker.

Those beats of recognition, as well as the broader character development on “French Bulldogs and White Broncos,” give Animal Control so much to work with moving forward this season.

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Animal Control airs Thursdays at 9/8c  on FOX.

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