Go On – Season 1 Episode 16 – Recap and Review – Go Deep via Rickey.org
Recap and review of Go On – Season 1 Episode 16 – Go Deep:
Now that Go On has found its footing as a comedy, it can grow a bit more comfortable exploring who these characters are, at heart. The show has only recently solidified who these characters are to the audience. We’ve had rough sketches since the show began, but we’ve only just come to a place where we can say, “That’s in character for Ryan” or “That’s out of character for Fausta” or “Lauren would never do that.” We know who these people are now, perhaps better than they know themselves. And that informs our attachment to the characters. While the aptly-titled “Go Deep” is funnier than it is meaningful, anchored by two wonderful comedy setpieces, it’s still an insightful half-hour in how it forces our characters to confront who they’ve been, and who they are now.
Credit: Vivian Zink/NBC
Ryan (Matthew Perry) stages a walk-out after Steven (John Cho) insists that he shill a male enhancement product on-air, leading to his being replaced by Terrell Owens, whom Ryan only hired as a temporary assistant. His anxiety over the move is compounded by his desire to make his blossoming relationship with Simone (Piper Perabo) work. To this end, he agrees to accompany her to a meditation center with her. Ryan recognizes that going along with this is a fundamental violation of who he is, but he continues with it anyway because he’s singularly dedicated to Simone. The happenings at the meditation center produces some of the best comedy of the episode, as Mr. K (Brett Gelman) accompanies and proceeds to be exceedingly weird, as he usually is, going as far as to suggest to Simone that they engage in some therapeutic sex (a suggestion that Simone quickly, and succinctly, slaps down). There’s also a continuing series of gags involving the way-too-Zen meditation instructor, who talks…way…too…slowly…and…pauses…after…every…word. However, the best moment of this storyline is in Ryan’s breakthrough, as his meditation results in a vision in which he encounters his old coach, who berates him for lowering himself to doing meditation. It’s not simply that the sequence is funny, but also that it brings Ryan face-to-face with the compromises he’s made in his life to preserve his own sense of identity. Yet he isn’t really willing to make that same compromise for work.
Credit: NBC
Ryan confronts Simone and tells her that this whole meditation thing isn’t who he is, prompting Simone to reveal that she doesn’t really like it either. In fact, she’s been making a ton of compromises in her own life, primarily masking her true accent, which is a Northeastern, NY/NJ brogue. It’s a fun little moment that Piper Perabo really plays with, as Matthew Perry seems on the verge of breaking into spontaneous laughter as her accent infects his own speech, and vice-versa. Ultimately, Ryan and Simone decide that they don’t necessarily need to hide who they are anymore, that they can be happy together without having to compromise their identities. Between this, and a heart-to-heart with Anne (Julie White), Ryan comes to his senses and gets back to work, reading the embarrassing male enhancement product ad on the air with a big grin plastered on his face. It’s a very good storyline in terms of further grounding Ryan as a character and fleshing out his relationship with Simone, which is still in the early stages. Go On is very much a series about Ryan finding himself via his interactions with the group, and it’s routinely the best storyline the show does, as it often elevates any episode that has that story as its center. “Go Deep” is no different, in that regard.
Credit: NBC
There’s also a pretty funny subplot in which Lauren (Laura Benanti) embarks on a quest to discover which member of the group gave her a low score in the group evaluation. She enlists help from George (Bill Cobbs), a former detective, in helping her ascertain the low-scorer’s identity. There are several great little moments in this plot, such as the evaluation essays being filled out in Spanglish in order to disguise the one written by Fausta (Tonita Castro), or the series of revelations Lauren has missed out on due to being a lousy listener. There’s also a funny bit in which Yolanda (Suzy Nakamura) gets WAY too excited about a coffee date with Lauren. However, it’s also secondary to the setpiece at the end, a “parlor scene” in which George reveals how he solved the mystery.
Credit: NBC
Turns out it was Sonia (Sarah Baker), whose identifying mark was the traces of cat dander on her essay, as George is allergic to cats. It comes off much better in execution than it does on paper, owing to Bill Cobbs’ solid work. I really don’t get why they don’t use him more often, as he’s one of the show’s best characters. At the very least, he’s always good for a bit of emotional resonance, as he details how his work as a police detective resulted in his seeing several things he wished he hadn’t seen, before adding that once you go blind, you realize what a privilege it is to see anything at all. It’s a fitting way to wrap up an episode that has insightful character work embedded within solid comedy.
