‘Animal Practice’ episode 3 review: Are we going bananas?
After the second episode of “Animal Practice,” we were starting to feel a little bit more optimistic about the show. Then, the ratings came in and it was starting to feel as though the show was dead on arrival in its regular timeslot.
We still went into Wednesday night’s new episode with a bit of an open mind, and also with plenty of hope that this could be a series that may actually live up to its fairly creative and ambitious setting. However, we are not feeling quite as good about the show now as we once were, both in terms of its quality and its chances of actually sticking around for a while longer.
When it comes to what the show did right, we have a pretty funny storyline involving Dr. Yamamoto (Bobby Lee) and his fear of puppets. The final moment of this episode involving Crystal the Monkey was a roll-on-the-floor moment, even if you knew it was coming the moment that you saw the puppet lying on the floor. The main story itself also had a few tender moments as George (Justin Kirk) had to try and handle a young client whose dog only had a 30% chance of survival. Isn’t there just something about sick animals that can warm your heart a little bit?
Unfortunately, some of the original problems from the first episode came up again, as the show is trying way too hard to both redeem George and hook him up with Joanna Garcia Swisher’s character, even though the chemistry and the writing between these two just isn’t there yet. It feels almost like the early episodes of “Community” where Dan Harmon tried to set up Jeff and Britta as some sort of destined couple, but then later realized that it was so much better (and funnier) if they just embrace their inner weirdness. When it comes to these two and some of the supporting characters, “Animal Practice” really could use more of that and stop trying to be the show that everyone expects it to be. Be the show instead that nobody realized they needed until now. Oh, and give Tyler Labine more to do, as he’s quickly becoming the best actor on every single one of the short-lived shows he appears on. (Oh, we miss “Reaper” so much.)
Do you think “Animal Practice” is still a show with potential, or do you have more of a mind to think that the end is already near?