The SmarK TV Rant for Joey – Episode Three
“Joey and the Party”
– Originally aired September 23, 2004
“Maybe I’ll just play basketball with people who DON’T think my sister is trashy!”
“Well, good luck finding any.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
OK, now we’re getting into the groove with this show, and it appears that they even have a naming convention going, with “Joey and”¦” being the winner.
Keeping with the “keep it simple” ideal, it’s another straightforward story, and another winner. Joey had a man-crush on hunky basketball player Jake, who lives next door, but he doesn’t really know how to meet male friends. If only he knew his address!
Anyway, Gina suggests throwing a party to get him into the apartment, but this leads to a problem for Michael — ultra-competitive college foe Seth is also invited, and he has”¦gasp”¦A GIRLFRIEND! Gina’s rather inelegant solution is to play his date, but EVERYONE draws the line at that one, and Alex steps up to the fake girlfriend plate instead.
Joey, meanwhile, finds it tough to hit things off with Jake, but Gina doesn’t, leaving Joey stranded with dorky new neighbor Howard while she puts the moves on Joey’s “rainbow”. Sadly, Gina proves to be too classy for Jake’s needs that night, and Joey finds himself without his desired friend. But there’s always Howard”¦
The Good
– A great episode, overall. They kept it centered in the apartment and let the weirdness flow, and that’s how the characters work best. The Friends staple of the platonic friendship subbing for a romantic one is always a winner.
– Howard rules, and hopefully will stay added to the cast to play pathetic loser to Joey’s slightly-more-cool persona.
– Alex is getting funnier, and playing off her law career by badgering Seth’s fake girlfriend worked perfectly. There may be hope for her yet.
– The dorkier they make Michael, the more he works as a foil for Joey.
The Not-So-Good
– I got nuthin’ here. I laughed hard, start-to-finish.
