5.8

Whitney: “Up All Night” (Episode 1.09)

By Adam Vitcavage  |  December 2, 2011 | 10:24am
TV Reviews Whitney
Whitney: “Up All Night” (Episode 1.09)

The best thing about this week’s Whitney is that we’re one step closer to the winter hiatus and the show being shifted out of the Thursday night lineup. Even though the prestigious programming block has slipped in the past couple of years, this show falls far below the three shows that precede it. What’s more amazing is when you consider how much the freshman sitcom has grown since its horrific beginnings.

“Up All Night” kicks things of when Lily asks Whitney to be her maid of honor. Roxanne is relieved because, well, that’s what her character is supposed to do, isn’t it? She’s supposed to be the bitter bitch (and that’s not a bad thing) of the show, but she always gets outshined by Whitney. The friction of having two people play the same archetypical character is just one of the many faults the show has yet to work out. Another is how quickly the dialogue changes to force the plot down our throats.

All of a sudden Roxanne is going to start freezing her eggs so she can have children one day, and Lily wants to get married sooner to begin having a family. Whitney proclaims, “This conversation has got me feeling like I just got kicked right in the balls.”

That’s how I feel every week, Whit. Welcome to my world.

We learn that Whitney used to go to therapy for insomnia (nothing else? I’m shocked), but doesn’t want to go back because the therapist is too nosey. That’s when we get the one thing that can make this show even more like watching a train wreck: Chelsea Handler as Dr. Price.

Whoever decided to put these two on screen at the same time needs to be fired. The scenes with the two of them came off as two comedians trying to act, with one failing less miserably than the other. The key word is trying.

While there are some moments that I connect with, the same problem keeps showing up week after week. When Mark reveals he still has feelings for an ex there is no reason to feel anything. Even Roxanne’s sudden desire to have children should have been heartwarming, but after nine episodes we still don’t know her at all.

The closest thing to an honest moment was the final discussion between Whitney and Alex about marriage, children and their future. It’s a little too late and Whitney’s delivery is a little too childish. Every time I feel like I’m going to get sucked into a good scene, she ruins it.

I started watching the show nine episodes ago with some hope. After those hopes crashed and burned, I saw a little light trying to shine through. Unfortunately the writers decided to dash our hopes and we’re back to the lows the series has been struggling with.

 
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