Finally. Go On provided a pleasantly warm episode with a well-assembled plot and well-timed jokes. It had been a hot minute since the freshman comedy with a pretty depressing premise was actually enjoyable, but this week never hit a down note and felt right every step of the way.
“Double Down” begins with Ryan a little bummed out because he just got Janie’s life insurance check and it stirred up a lot of memories. However, thanks to a rousing song by Mr. K, the show picks right up and sets the bar for a pretty funny episode. The group decides that he shouldn’t be alone this week so his mind can stay busy.
He’s invited to a bingo night at Fausta’s church, which reignites his gambling addiction. Thanks to March Madness and a little luck from Owen’s inability to pick a winning team, the group have a fun night at Ryan’s, and you can see just how well all of these actors click with one another when the script isn’t filled with uncomfortable jokes and a poorly written plot.
Eventually things go horribly wrong for Ryan, and he begins losing big. Finally Steven freezes his accounts, and Ryan is forced to go to an out-of-town casino to gamble with Janie’s life insurance check. The only thing is Lauren, who is adamantly against gambling, shows up to try to ruin Ryan’s fun.
The other half of the episode deals with a superhot girl asking out Anne out. The only thing is that she isn’t the smartest girl around. I think Anne is probably the strongest character and really deserves plots like this that highlight exactly how funny she can be.
Both Ryan and Anne go through subtle changes throughout the episode that result in both sending their wedding rings into the sky tied to balloons. I get moving on, but that was a little messed up, although the writers hit the emotional impact they were aiming for. Nearly all of the episodes end with Ryan inching towards acceptance, and this was another great inch.
It had been a few weeks since the show had a solid episode, but luckily the writers snapped out of their funk. Hopefully this episode is the trend and not the exception. Welcome back, Go On, welcome back.