The Most Humiliating Moments From Review
What I really want to know about Review is what A.J. Gibbs (Megan Stevenson) has been up to this whole time. While her boss Forrest MacNeil (Andy Daly) continues to sink ever further into the depths of ruination, has she been taking up new hobbies, dating, writing a novel, perhaps? I have always imagined her leaving work each day, laughing with just a hint of concern about the humiliation that Forrest has put himself through, and then promptly forgetting that he even exists until she clocks in the next morning.
But let’s not forget Forrest’s travails. With the cliffhanger ending of the season two finale behind us, it’s time to look back at his moments of greatest abjection, in case he never returns to the show. Forrest is living proof that life is pain and that consequences cannot be escaped. His rare moments of exhilarating joy—having orgy, eating the best ice cream in town—are always weighed down by despair. Here are the five most humiliating reviews of Forrest’s career which, at this point, seems certain to end in his death if he’s not dead already:
5. Review: “Getting Kicked in the Balls”
Stars: 6
There are more elaborate, life-altering reviews than this one but there’s something to be said for the brief brutality of “Getting Kicked in the Balls.” Tasked with doling out a six-star review, Forrest must create a new show called Evaluate in which the only possible rating is a six-star rating. And, of course, his first and only evaluation for Evaluate is to suffer a swift kick to the testicles. A.J.’s eagerness to deliver the blow is the best (because worst) part of this review. And because this is Review we’re talking about, Forrest can’t get off that easy. He has to get kicked again because A.J. somehow only managed to hit one ball. His final humiliation: He has to give his gonad pain the most stars he has ever awarded in the history of the show.
4. Review: “Happiness”
Stars: 3
The schadenfreude of Review stems from knowing that Forrest feels compelled to complete his assignments, no matter how difficult. “Happiness” takes that a step further by requiring him not just to do something he doesn’t want to do, but to like it as well. His ex-wife Suzanne’s (Jessica St. Clair) decision to approach Forrest about giving up his visitation rights just so happens to coincide with his review of being unrelentingly happy. Forrest is a pro. There are hints that he isn’t pleased by her request—his wan laughs and forced smiles—but he never stops sounding chipper, even as he loses what may be his last tie to the love of his life and, ultimately, gets arrested for homicide.