Greg Russo’s ex-wife hasn’t been shrouded in mystery, but the only facts about her come from his point of view. Considering her infidelity led to their split five years ago, he (understandably) paints her in a not-so-great light. To be clear: He told Dylan in the series premiere that he often felt lonely in his marriage to Elizabeth Stoddard, an accomplished Ludlow alum whose focus on her career contributed to their marriage collapsing. However, “Mr. Razzles” provides necessary insight into Elizabeth and the relationship she now shares with Greg and Katie. In the process, Rooster explores the Russo family dynamic and makes each of them feel more like multidimensional people. It’s a necessary step forward for the comedy halfway through season one.
As a bonus, Connie Britton—who worked with co-creator Bill Lawrence in Spin City—drops in as Beth and crushes it in her one-episode arc. I hope she finds her way back to Ludlow in the future because Walt thinks Beth’s gunning for his college-president job now that she’s donated a student center and kick-started the campus’ green initiative. But there’s a lot more to glean about Beth and her goals in “Mr. Razzles.” To prepare for her arrival, Greg and Katie decide to host a family fun night. It’s his attempt to befriend his ex for Katie’s sake as much as his own, especially since Beth apparently tried to be civil to him post-divorce before he fled to Florida. It helps that he’s got actual swag now that he’s partied with frat bros and hooked up with Cristle. (He even brings her a cup of his favorite hot chocolate in this episode. Talk about a romantic gesture.)
This newfound confidence fuels Greg’s personality, allowing Carell to continue fleshing out the guy in the same way Jason Segel did in Shrinking‘s initial run. Of the actors leading Lawrence’s various ongoing shows (including Ted Lasso, Bad Monkey, and the Scrubs revival), Carell and Segel share a similar performance style that’s equal parts kooky and heartfelt. Plus, there’s the thematic through-line of the whole father-daughter and found-family thing. And the ensemble around them keeps getting better and better, too. So in Rooster, it’s a delight to see Danielle Deadwyler sharpen her comedic skills. John C. McGinley also settles into this world (although I don’t need to see him in a sauna in every damn episode), and Charly Clive and Robby Hoffman emerge as breakouts. With Britton as a guest star, the HBO show only levels up further.
Britton and Carell believably sell Beth and Greg’s history. These are clearly two people who know how to push each other’s buttons. Greg is energetic at first, hoping his high spirits will keep any fights at bay, while Beth’s approach is not to discuss their problems at all. It works well initially, with the Russos reminiscing and joking around, before it doesn’t. When they’re hanging out with Dylan, he can’t help but bring up old wounds, like the fact that Beth slept with one of his closest friends. This reveal explains why he feels so unmoored and why he wants to desperately stay close to Katie. He’s got no one else. I feel really bad for the guy, especially upon learning that the painting he can’t let go of is from when he and Beth vacationed in Italy during the early days of their marriage. It’s a way of tightly clutching on to the past.
While Beth is in the wrong here, I also appreciate that Rooster doesn’t turn her into a snobby villain. Instead, episode writer Lawrence gives her a well-rounded arc. Yes, Beth is flawed, but she owns her ambition and independence. As seen in her interactions with Walt and Dylan, she relishes her wealth and influence, but she’s also friendly and down-to-earth. She got to where she is by sacrificing her relationship with Greg, but at least Beth knew exactly what to prioritize for her happiness. (“I had a big life and career, and I didn’t want to give that up.”) What I appreciated most about this is that Katie doesn’t blame her for the choices she made. She knows her mother well enough and accepts her for who she is. The two of them have a frank conversation later about how Beth is like Archie when it comes to, you know, the cheating of it all. Beth knows she’s not the right parent to give Katie marital advice on coping with Archie’s betrayal. They both understand Greg is better at this anyway, but it’s a refreshing change of pace to see everyone act like adults for once.
Well, Katie still gives in to some poor tendencies because she’s sleeping with Archie. At least, unlike him, she feels bad about it, especially when Sunny confronts her and apologizes for sleeping with her husband. Then again, I’m repeatedly wondering why Sunny is even with this British doofus. She’s back from her trip to the Big Apple, where she was interviewing for a prestigious internship. Archie, who went to pick her up from the airport, doesn’t even ask her how it went, not until her roommate Mo brings it up. At least it looks like Sunny will dump his ass soon because she can see what a selfish prick he is, but the man doesn’t get enough blame for the mess he’s caused. (And trust that I will be annoyed if Katie ends up pregnant.)
In other news, I’m glad Rooster found a way to take advantage of Carell’s hockey skills in the same way that The Office did. Greg decides to help Dylan out by talking to the new coach, Jake (Scott MacArthur), who is a recovering alcoholic. (Everyone on this campus gets off a bit too easily when they mess up their jobs.) The two bond in the ice rink at the end of “Mr. Razzles,” with Beth and Katie cheering him on. Perhaps this is the start of a new friendship and, I hope, another push for Greg to find a way to move on.
Stray observations
- • Bonus points to Walt and his wife, who are currently binging Pachinko because she just got back from a trip to Japan. Don’t sleep on this incredible TV show.
- • Beth’s green initiative means all the lights on campus turn off at 7 p.m. Who thought that was a good idea? It lands Archie in some more trouble when he invites a student into his office, assuming she’s the one doing the “Free Katie” graffiti. But no, she thinks it’s an invitation to sleep with him, and just as she’s stripping, the room plunges into darkness. Welp. At least they clear up the confusion, and interim dean Dylan halts the program.
- • Who else caught that Dylan was pretty bothered after learning that Greg, who rejected her advances twice, is now sleeping with someone else?
- • Cristle (after realizing Greg got her that hot chocolate): “Why not just get a neon sign that says Cristle put a finger up my butt?”
Greg: “That was your finger?”
- • The episode opens with one of Greg’s students reading her paper (written to emulate Sylvia Plath’s style) out loud, and it’s all about suicidal horses. Someone in the writers’ room must be a BoJack Horseman fan, huh?
Saloni Gajjar is The A.V. Club‘s TV critic.
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