Chris and Spencer are dishing this season of Difficult People!
In “Code Change”, Julie uses AA to fight her addiction to her mother, Arthur fails valiantly to satisfy Julie in bed, and Billy comes to the separate rescue of his brother and sister-in-law.
SPENCER: Why had I never thought of a church as a place to charge my phone, first of all? Let alone a Synagogue!
CHRIS: And there’s free coffee. I feel like we spoke too soon last time about the show's guest actors only being asked to just play wacky because Rosie O'Donnell was maybe the show's most straight-faced character ever.
S: I know, right? It was almost jarring — but definitely in a good way. Her reference to Billy being gay… she’s totally in on the joke.
C: However, the Playstation Remote joke about Julie's sex triggers was a doozy, but I got distracted wondering Mortal Kombat fatality would come from her "up-left-down-right" combo.
S: I got immediately anxious thinking about combination locks!
C: Julie's addiction to her mother is an oft-repeated narrative on the show, but this had a different level to it for how it ended on some genuine sweetness.
S: I think it really is a testament to the chemistry between Klausner and Martin. It wasn’t overly sentimental, but their love for one another felt completely real.
C: Same for Billy and his family with the dybbuk storyline. I don't get how Jackie Hoffman is still kind of a niche player in comedy - you'd think a Noah Baumbach or a Mike White would know exactly how to use her. Perhaps Difficult People can grow a large enough following to spawn Jackie Hoffman her own spinoff: Rucchel The Dybbuk Hunter.
S: Or Rucchel Tests Jewish Dating Apps. For what it’s worth, though, she turned in some great work on Feud: Bette and Joan. Her Mamacita is the most dependable character on the show.
C: Jackie’s Rucchel is the life coach I need: "I have the answers to all of your questions: shut the fuck up!” This episode was like aspirational therapy I guess, because I also felt like we needed more of Lola’s sex advice. Shakina Nayfack always kills in her brief screentime.
S: Plus I looked up “Building Seven,” the song Lola sings… and it’s pretty catchy.
In “Rabbitversary”, Julie tries out a new app where submissives do your chores for you, Marilyn tries to score a book deal, and Billy becomes the subject of an anti-circumcision ad campaign after getting free headshots.
C: Ok, but I would love Billy and Julie’s new street improv New York stereotype job. Especially if it got me face time with Amy Sedaris.
S: I, for one, would like to meet Rita’s pet rats. What a great turn from Amy Sedaris.
C: This was a stellar episode, and partly because the throwaway jokes were relentless. How sinful is the notion of an all-male Thelma and Louise? I'd only allow it if Julie Klausner got to take Brad Pitt's role.
S: But there is something about it being Thelmo and Louis that really makes me giggle. How about a reboot where Julie just plays every role?
C: This season is all about making jokes of apps that I would actually use. First a Danny Aiello meditation app, now one that does your chores and errands. Of course Julie orders several “rabbits”.
S: Are we sure that this app doesn’t actually exist?
C: Better not to check. Can my rabbit do the really hard chores? Like watch Tulip Fever for me?
S: I’d make my rabbit consider watching Game of Thrones for me so I don’t have to.
C: This episode’s big story was the war between Billy and the ad exec that uses his headshot for cringeworthy campaigns. You know how I feel about Billy, but thank God something is finally luxuriating in the beauty of John Cho. And who knew he would be even sexier playing mean?
S: As being relatively new to the whole John Cho love-fest, I was completely won over by him here. Let’s get him his own anti-circumcision Mad Men spin-off.
C: Unmad Men. His ad agency is called Altman Gillette and I could only think about the ghost of Robert Altman starting his own line of razors.
S: You mean he didn’t?
C: Back to oddball roles for guest stars: Lucy Liu as the GOP Miranda Priestly of books.
S: This made me miss Lucy Liu more than anything, because I am surely not going to watch her Elementary show. Her “I have to think about plane crashes to achieve orgasm” had me in stitches.
C: Her comic skills are so precise, so hopefully Marilyn’s book deal works out. Her chemistry with Andrea Martin was so unexpected and delightful.
S: Side question: what are your thoughts on Arthur’s nicknames for Julie this season? Gone are the sweet, quick ones — now, we have “America runs on Dunkin” and “rental agreement.”
C: They sound like better catchphrases for Marilyn’s book title than she came up with honestly. But no one asked me.