Blunt Talk avoids intermittent brain fog with another great episode.
Spoilers for “Who Kisses So Early in the Morning” within.
After last week’s amazing and moving episode, “Who Kisses So Early in the Morning?” returns things to the lighter side of the spectrum as Walter suffers the wrath of the Internet after a speech-giving snafu. It’s a compelling thread that manages to give some more context to Celia’s recent behavior as well as her devotion to Walter.
This episode really takes on the outrage first, ask questions later nature of Internet journalism these days when an honest misunderstanding catches the wrath of some entitled, hyper-sensitive David Foster Wallace nerds. The scummy hive of the accusatory blogosphere takes it from there and a scandal about Walter’s plagiarizing ways is manufactured. It’s a fantastically relevant topic for Blunt Talk to tackle while being broad enough to not delve into Newsroom-esque territory. This storyline also manages to bring in a stellar guest star in John Hodgman, playing an LA Times writer hell bent on catching Walter in a lie, delivering all of his lines with the deadpan smarm that we’ve come to love. Despite all the laughs the story provides, it’s also topical while doing a service to the overarching story of the characters.
For Walter, it’s yet another challenge of his good nature and real attempts to be a better man. And while he does snap at Celia in this episode, he also shows a stunning knack for parenting (of course, only after showing Bertie some Kirowasa flicks, causing Harry to hilariously quip “I’m not sure it’s the best idea to show the lad Japanese post-war cinema.”). Walter’s moment with Bertie after learning he attacked another kid for making fun of his father is a sweet and successful moment for Walter as a dad, a win that we really needed to see on screen.
He’s maybe less successful navigating Celia’s increasingly destructive habits (“Compartmentalize – that’s what people that are talented and disturbed do!”), but learning that he was an influential force in her life at a very young and vulnerable point in her life only increases his notions of feeling like a father figure to his staff. I also appreciated the writers’ decision to withhold this information for this late in the game – episode eight – and trusted the viewers to put the emotional weight to Celia’s actions retroactively. For example, selling her dead father’s piano to pay back Walter seems like a really heavy decision at first, but when you learn what Walter did for her as a child, it becomes a rather touching moment.
Not only was this episode pivotal for shedding light on Celia’s recent actions, but it also helped further the Jim/Celia romance a bit. He acted very sweet and caring toward her – so much so that he wound up betraying her trust in a very un-Jim way – and I found myself rooting them even more than I had previously. I chuckled a good bit when she visited his newly cleaned apartment and asked when the movers were going to be coming to take away his hoarded goods.
The story between Rosalie and Teddy was also only given one scene (forgivable considering last episode basically revolved around them), but it was a good one. Teddy explaining that his “intermittent brain fog” hasn’t affected his erections was full of laughs thanks to Ed Begley Jr.’s hilarious delivery.
The only place this episode falters a bit is in its struggle to find Shelly something to do. Her lust after Celia isn’t entirely surprising given how erratic the character has been in terms of her motivation and behavior, but it just felt odd for oddity’s sake. It didn’t add anything for Shelly nor Celia (though Walter’s reactions were pretty funny, admittedly) and instead felt like a time filler.
Similarly, Martin’s relationship with Rosalie is given some lip service but doesn’t really have a purpose within the episode itself. I’m hoping there will be some payoff there and not just a strange quirk of a supporting character that doesn’t have much else to do.
“Who Kisses So Early in the Morning?” isn’t the masterpiece that preceded it last week, but it’s still a solid and hilarious episode of Blunt Talk despite a few shortcomings. Thanks to a hot topic, some great guest stars, and some hilarious one-off lines, this is another great half hour of television.
