Max The Bear To the Rescue!

Happy Endings, S02E15

 Hmm, I wasn't feeling Happy Endings this week.  The story was about how Jane and Brad have a yearly fight over something trivial that the others believe mark the start of spring.  They affectionately call this "Spring Smackdown."  If it wasn't for Max, who didn't even have any dialogue in this episode until the very end, I would say it completely put me to sleep.  However, Jane did have an unexpectedly good line when she called Brad "Tuppence-A-Bag" because of all the pigeons he attracted.  I would have declared her the winner of the fight just based on that super-clever insult.  Nothing will top that.  Love some Mary Poppins references.

I was instantly in love with Max the moment he came onto screen, arising from a pile of clothes and blankets as if he were a homeless man.  What made his transformation into a bear hibernating for the winter was the fact that he refused to speak.  I never thought that Max, with of his snarky remarks and sarcasm, would be just as funny without his big mouth.  He proved me wrong.  I especially liked how he was eating honey with his fist and riding a unicycle with a shirtless vest on.  He was adorable as a bear!  And as Brad said, he was the kind of bear that sounded like Tim Allen.  That really tickled me.  It's pretty sad that I liked his persona so much as a wild animal that I didn't want him to go back to regular Max.  Bear Max should get his own episode.

So disappointing to see Max clean up and step out into the world again.  I had missed his voice, but I have to say that I missed his beard more.  Some guys look good with some facial hair, and others need to shave it off as soon as the lightest stubble appears.  Max falls into the former category; I don't like that I can see his chin now...  Man, that better not be his new look.  Jane's new hairstyle works for her (it's much better shorter), but Max needs his bear beard.  I mean, this is a guy who acts like he lives in a cardboard box; he doesn't need to look so clean.

Hmm, where was Grant during all of this hibernation?  Wasn't he bothered at all that Max had been in hiding for a week or however long he had been cooped up in that apartment? Wish I could get an explanation for that.

Luckily, this less than brilliant episode was saved by Max losing his humanity for a brief period.  If this show is going to give us another story like this week, I won't mind it if Max is there to pick up the slack with his hobo antics.