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| Left to right: Marc Maron and Sally Kellerman |
Welcome to a new recap series on the IFC series Maron in which comedian/podcaster Marc Maron lives life and tries to learn how to be a better person. To pay homage to the series, these recaps will be released on Fridays and chronicle the various life lessons that are presented in the 30 minute format on a weekly basis as well as a meter that determines just how angry our protagonist seems to be. Join us as we tackle the psyche of the popular angry man and pray that he doesn't lose it entirely.
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| Left to right: Kellerman and Richard Riehle |
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| Left to right: Dave Anthony and Maron |
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| Rob Riggle |
Guests Review: It is another Dave Anthony episode and he continues to be a welcome introduction to the Maron universe. He is just as melancholy (if not more) and by meeting his father, played by Richard Riehle, we get a stronger sense to why he is a miserable sod. Rob Riggle stops by momentarily and isn't all that interesting other than to help serve the theme of the episode rather clearly. In that sense, Riggle is a welcomed addition because he is already a masculine guy, so him complaining about parental figures throws more of a punch. Still, Anthony wins the show easily for being this weird friend that uses fake names when ordering coffee. As great as it is to see Sally Kellerman get a bigger role, it is really the Anthony-Maron dynamic that works notably because they capture the comedic awkwardness that comes with having to deal with two lonely parents.
Anger Meter: 4 (out of 10)
While he does get the chance to play parent figure to his actual mother, Maron is rather tame in this episode. He is more dealing with the strange absurdity. It is definitely funny to hear him have to talk sex with his mother, but he seems almost rational about it, and that may be the disturbing part. Otherwise, this is an episode of self-loathing that revels in what makes Maron so good. Yes, seeing him kvetch would've been more entertaining, but when the parents are the ones making a scene, it does make his rationality all the more endearing.
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| Josh Brener |
We Good?: I think so. While we have seen Maron's parents before in the series, we haven't really gotten to spend too much time with mother. This episode does seem jarring if you compare the parental relationship to that of real life Maron in WTF with Marc Maron's 500th episode, but it doesn't distract too much. At best, it makes Maron and Anthony more satisfying characters with weird social tics that somehow seem rational when compared to their parents. It does get raunchier, even more-so than an episode like "Nostalgia Sex Buddy," but it still all works. Also, the return of Kyle (Josh Brener) is nice, especially with the actor on loan from the enjoyable Silicon Valley (TV Retrospective coming next week on season one). The show understands itself a lot better than season one and in doing so, it allows the stranger elements to work more perfectly.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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