Rebel Wilson’s first crack at writing an episode that actually aired was a Halloween themed lackluster event filled with just as much bad awkwardness as the previous efforts.
For the most part I think Super Fun Night means to be as uncomfortable as it is. Like I’m watching some small-scale British comedy that is meant to push boundaries on conventional television. A lot of the jokes come off so dry that it can’t be an accident that they’re this not-funny. I even feel like I’m the only one missing the jokes because over eight million and then six million viewed the first two episodes.
“Chick or Treat” finds Kimmie invited to an office Halloween party and then is invited Richard to find a costume because the concept is so foreign to him. Kimmie has to explain that “trick or treat” revolves around pranks and that she tries to scare her roommates (to no avail) every year. This lays the groundwork for the rest of the episode.
When Richard says the two should go in a couples costume because he thinks it’s clever, Kimmie overanalyzes the decision and decides to make a move on him at the party. However, before we can get to that scene we have to sit through a lot of fat jokes. It feels like Rebel Wilson really wants to make overweight characters the norm (which they definitely aren’t right now), but something feels off.
Like I said, I want Wilson to succeed. She’s funny. But this show isn’t cutting it. When we finally get to Kimmie revealing her feelings, it’s clear Richard doesn’t reciprocate them and in fact actually just made out with Kendall right before her confession. Visibly crushed, Kimmie pulls it off like a prank, and everything goes back to the status quo at work.
The final sequences, while still rough around the edges, do offer some of the best moments of the show so far. Allowing Kimmie, who referred to herself as the Justin Timberlake of her group, to have a moment of self-doubt and gives some emotional range not yet offered in this comedy.
Hopefully the next few episodes explore more stories that allow these characters some development so it doesn’t feel like we’re just watching a college freshman’s idea of a sitcom.
With all this said, the episode’s tag was the best thing the show’s done so far. All of the main characters, dressed up as various Halloween monsters, sang and danced to “Monster Mash” in a graveyard in what can only be explained as a black and white music video. If you already quit Super Fun Night, go Google the show’s “Monster Mash” and I promise it’ll be worth a few minutes of your time.