Life Lessons from Maron: "Sponsor"

Left to right: Danny Trejo, Ariel Llinas, and Marc Maron

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 Tuesdays 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.

Left to right: Maron and Nik Tyler

Plot: Marc Maron sponsors a former alcoholic and convict named Manny (Danny Trejo) who plans to clean up his life through a series of visits to people that he has wronged.

A Line That Sums Up the Episode: "Would you give something bad to a bad person to make them worse?" - Marc

Ken Jeong

Guests Review: The interview guest this week is Ken Jeong, who seems amazingly restrained, recalling the days before he played madcap stereotypes. However, the episode really is elevated by a great performance by Danny Trejo as Manny. Forcing Maron to go into bizarre situations and use his comedy to get out of them helped to make one of the best episodes of the series to date. It also helps that Trejo manages to do the line between hardcore and somewhat vulnerable. He can hurt or protect you, depending on how you treat him. It added a lot of great comedy and is the first episode that doesn't feel like a sitcom rehash. 

Anger Meter: 4 (out of 10)

It is beginning to seem like Maron is only mad around his dad. However, after a little pop at a barista (Nik Tyler), he has been pretty mellow. Of course, not mellow enough to stay out of Manny's endeavors. As he states in the episode, he has been in the middle of a Mexican stand-off, almost hijacked by kids, and had to deal with Manny's family. It was a rough week for Maron, even though he managed to win things over with humor and absurdity. It also helps that Maron and Manny have a bizarrely connected chemistry that almost makes both seem sane during the more absurd moments of this episode.

We Good?: For the first time in the series' short run, it has managed to distinguish itself with an episode about addictions and learning how to get your life in order. As Maron suggests, he is an expert on these issues, and it does help to ground the story in some sincerity. Danny Trejo is off the wall funny and the motif involving a coffee shop dovetails this episode nicely. It may be a little ridiculous, but I am hoping that Manny is going to recur a few times, if just because he is the first character that feels authentic to the Maron universe.

Rating: 4 out of 5