Stars: Elijah Wood, Jason Gann, Dorian Brown, Kristen Schaal, Chris Klein
Writer: Jason Gann, series created by Jason Gann & Adam Zwar, adapted for American television by David Zuckerman
Director: Randall Einhorn
Network: FX, Thursdays @ 10 PM
Airdate: August 22, 2013
WILFRED can be gross and weird and a bunch of other stuff. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s just startling. However, “Stagnation,” an episode that combines rape jokes, eugenics and dog breeding is a bridge too far for this reviewer.
Ryan (Elijah Wood) is getting enough in rent from boarder Anne (Kristen Schaal) that he’s not inspired to get a job, and Ryan’s sister Kristen (Dorian Brown) isn’t inspired to look for a boyfriend because she’s hanging out with Ryan.
With Ryan’s permission – he doesn’t want to lose the rent money – Anne brings home Phyllis, an in-heat bulldog (played by an actual bulldog) belonging to her incarcerated boyfriend who wants to set up a backyard breeding business. Wilfred (Jason Gann) immediately falls in love with Phyllis’ scent and is angry that she’s being saved to be mated with another bulldog, who will likely be a near relative. To make a point about how icky this is, Wilf collects Ryan’s seed and pretends to inseminate Kristen with it. Ryan is horrified. When Wilf explains he didn’t really do it, Ryan decides he needs to get a job and asks Anne to leave. Kristen decides she needs to start looking for an actual boyfriend. Then Wilf makes a comment suggesting he inseminated Anne with neighbor Drew (Chris Klein) as the unwitting donor.
Let’s start with the perhaps less obvious issue. Backyard dog breeding is objectionable, not just because there’s a risk of inbreeding and the problems that come with it, but because of severe pet overpopulation and the fact that a lot of the breeders wind up creating horrendous living conditions for the animals.
Then there are the rape jokes. All that can be said is, really? And also, no.
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Related: TV Review of WILFRED – Season 3 – “Distance”
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Related: Exclusive interview with WILFRED director Randall Einhorn on Season 3
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Related: Exclusive Interview with WILFRED star Jason Gann
Related: Exclusive Interview with WILFRED star Dorian Brown
Related: Exclusive Interview with WILFRED co-creator and star Jason Gann
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Article: TV Review of WILFRED – Season 3 – “Stagnation”
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