I’ve been saying the romance is suffering because A To Z isn’t very funny. The problem, according to past Nowalk, is A To Z worked backward. Instead of getting us to laugh with the characters in order to invest us in their stories, the show leans more on their stories than the comedy. It’s a romance, well, relationship drama first, comedy second. Surely that’s a perfectly viable form. Some of my best friends are relationship dramas first. But the symptoms remain: A To Z isn’t a very funny show, and the romance isn’t all that compelling. Mea culpa. The problem isn’t that A To Z isn’t funny enough. The problem is that A To Z isn’t anything enough.
Not to dance on any graves—A To Z has been canceled, although its remaining seven episodes will reportedly air—but A To Z just doesn’t make much of an impact. It’s not an avalanche of David Caspe banter. It’s not a delicately stylized Emily Kapnek joint. It has gimmicks galore, from the deadline hook to the admittedly diminishing use of apps, but there’s only so much time you can spend wondering why this relationship has an expiration date. The real issue is blandness. It’s a pleasant show, but you don’t walk away feeling much of anything. As delightful as Andrew and Zelda are, they haven’t had a single romantic moment like Eliza and Henry on Selfie listening to rain or practicing casual touching or standing next to the least majestic horse in the stable. And Selfie’s no further along than A To Z.
That’s not to say it’s not funny. The silliest, most universe-violating gag in the episode (which includes both Andrew operating a VCR and Lydia slapping two crowns out of the mouth of her human resources director in the middle of the office) is Stu deciding to Cato Andrew. By that he means trying to surprise Andrew into defending himself, named for the character in The Pink Panther series. Basically he’s trying to get Andrew to exhibit some manly aggression, because a guy on the street insulted Zelda and she stood up for herself in his place. Anyway, it’s a boneheaded gag, but it actually lands twice. The first time is when Stu informs Andrew that he won’t not Cato him. Right when Andrew realizes what he means, an old Pink Panther sound effect plays as he skedaddles out of there. The sound effect probably violates the universe, but at this point, whatever works. Throughout the episode Stu tries to Cato Andrew against his wishes, but the best is at the end. Andrew’s at Zelda’s, and they make up all sweet. The end credits are playing. Everything is telling you to let your guard down; the show’s over. And then Andrew sits in a chair that’s really Stu in disguise, and I couldn’t believe how effective it was. We need a chortle-type word to describe the simultaneous jolt and chuckle it gives you.
Lydia and Howard feel even more like filler than usual, however. She’s typically concerned with blind obedience in her drones, but doesn’t she have that already? Nevertheless she tries a few more approaches to leadership: mixing with them, frightening them, gaining their sympathy. While I did laugh when Lydia induces vomit in an employee by showing them her disjointed arm, mostly I wonder what you call comic relief that isn’t comic.