'Happy Endings' recap: 'The Kerkovich Way'

It feels odd to be disappointed in an episode of Happy Endings that referenced the likes of Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Inception, but after last week’s great “Cocktails & Dreams”, last night’s “The Kerkovich Way” felt a little bit lost.

For that I reluctantly blame Max and Penny’s surprisingly lackluster storyline, which despite having aces like Adam Pally and Casey Wilson at the helm and an awesome cameo by Ferris Bueller‘s high-flying parking lot attendant Richard Edson, the whole thing relied too heavily on silly sight gags and an ultimately ho-hum Penny rivalry. It’s always fun to watch Penny and Max together, but this material did neither of them justice. The year of Penny? Definitely. The episode of Penny? Not so much.

On the other hand, watching Jane play such manipulative mind games (better known as the legendary tactic that is “The Kerkovich Way”) with Brad so much that he has had multiple MRIs because of his “forget’ems,” made the episode worthwhile. But, Happy Endings fans hoping for a Dave and Alex reunion were likely disappointed (I’m still pulling for Dave and Penny, on the other hand) to find that while the exes did sleep together, there’s no sign of them getting back together anytime soon. Let’s crump away our sadness!

The best visuals from last night’s Happy Endings:

— Penny eating floor pie. (It’s almost as good as floor bacon!)

— Jane “inceptioning” Alex with an Inception-like spinning top.

— Alex crumping all the way through a commercial break.

— Max, amused by the beeping sound at the checkout counter.

— Jane doing her best Cee Lo Green impression and petting a white cat.

— Max not quite catching the egg during the scavenger hunt.

The best lines:

— “I did not push that guy out of the way because he was French. I pushed him out of the way because he was moving slow, like a damn French.” — Jane, on why she can’t compete in scavenger hunts anymore.

— “Yeah, he’s a little messed up, but he already had the outfit since he pulled off that elaborate Foot Locker heist.” — Max, on the scavenger hunt referee

— “I wish! I love that movie.” — Brad, on Mamma Mia!

— “The same Alex that thinks the computer and TV are friends?” — Dave, regarding Alex

— “Hold up, that’s a husk!” — Brad, discovering popcorn in his mouth

— “This is our John Hughes film and they are clearly the bad guys. One being little and fit and blonde and the other looking like Greg Kinnear and they’re so clearly not Jewish.” — Max’s unorthodox, but effective, pep talk to Penny.

What do you think, PopWatchers? Were you as underwhelmed as I was? Or am I being too harsh? What was your favorite line from the night? Which character reveal cracked you up the most, the fact that Jane owns a few guns or that Brad loves Meryl Streep so much? Do you wish/think the John Hughes Museum should be a real thing, too? Share in the comments section below.

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