Russ' refusal to have his semen tested results in an unexpected climax.
It's been a couple of weeks since I last checked in on Married. I figured I would do so considering I enjoyed last week's episode "The Playdate" a lot. Now, "Invisible Man" isn't as good as that episode was. It does fall along the same pattern of Lina being shrill to anything that Russ has to say - which I don't really enjoy. And yet, "Invisible Man" did find a way for Russ to be forceful and get his wife to simply do what he needed her to do. But more importantly, in the end, they just seemed like a couple who honestly loved one another.The actual plot of "Invisible Man" is quite simple. Russ starts to feel invisible following his vasectomy. Younger girls are comfortable just changing in front of him; his doctor's receptionist DiDi doesn't care about his problems; and no one in the doctor's lobby wants to be quiet so he can jerk off. Of course, none of these issues are big things. Why should the people waiting to see the doctor care about what this one man wants? And yet, it does pay off in a quite humorous way as Russ is the room talking to his wife and being as loud as he possibly can. He's no longer invisible. The people in the lobby can clearly hear him and what he's doing. Then, he proudly just walks out, passes off the specimen and walks out the door.
Lina, meanwhile, is trying to let go of all the baby stuff she no longer needs. She jokes that they've stolen her youth. But when it's time to give it up, she needs a moment. She wants to meet the person who will take her stuff - and see them off on the start of their journey. But the system doesn't care about that. They just want to collect and then hand it off. They don't have a personal connection. That makes it even more special when Lina does meet the woman who has taken her bassinet. It just turns out she's a terrible person which just makes it so much easier for Lina to part ways.
But as good as all that stuff is, "Invisible Man" isn't afraid to go melancholic and dark when it comes to Jess and Shep's relationship. They both know exactly the type of person they are married to. And yet, they are still surprised whenever the other says something outlandish. It's nice to see Shep so happy about working again. Jess is his biggest supporter but is utterly confused by his decision not to push for his client to get an abortion. They were so happy and then they just as easily were drifting apart. While Lina and Russ are happily together in bed, Jess is at a bar drinking alone - unsure of what to do when a stranger pulls up next to her. I have no clue what the long term plans are for this couple but I'm deeply interesting in seeing what happens next.
Some more thoughts:
- "Invisible Man" was written by Dan O'Keefe and directed by Jamie Babbit.
- As Lina says "Being broke makes you crafty." I just loved all the references to money throughout the episode - Lina's trick to getting Russ into the doctor, Russ wanting a refund on swimming lessons, etc.
- I really like Brett Gelman as an actor. And yet, he's such an opposing energy to the rest of the show that just doesn't make any sense. I cringed when he started talking about being a stalker and rapist.
