zwolanerd

Ted starts out the episode by stating he wants to keep his private life and his work life separate. Good luck with that, Ted. I mean, it’s not a bad idea, really, but it’s clearly not going to work. As if to underscore that, Linda immediately comes up to him and asks him about “that girl last night,” and mocks him for not being able to “close the deal.” On any other episode that would’ve seemed like normal Ted and Linda talk, but given Ted’s statement two seconds prior, it really does take on a weird vibe. The thought ran through my head, “You know, that is a weird thing for her to ask about.” Funny how injecting a bit of normalcy into a sitcom can make the whole construct come tumbling down.

It certainly seems like Ted’s going to stick to his convictions on this, though. I mean, we know he can’t because half the show would disappear, but for the sake of this episode, we believe him. Sure enough, though, Veronica’s falling asleep at work (and purring!), so something needs to be done.  Again, in Normal World, maybe someone should have talked to Veronica instead of Ted interfering with Mordor, but here we are. Granted, Ted is aware that the whole situation is weird so us knowing it’s weird is addressed and okay. Enjoy the weirdness! The whole thing is very meta.

Mordor is a very passionate (another word for “lacking self control,” I think) man, so he does what he feels is logical, which leads to him getting shot by a spear gun, which leads to Ted being sequestered in the ridiculously tiny office, which leads to Ted discovering Mordor is a through-and-through cad, which leads to a fight, which leads to everything getting patched back up again. Standard stuff, really.

Phil and Lem, meanwhile, are unknowingly subjected to a Veridian experiment based on the finding that any change brings about harder work. The simple addition of a red lab coat throws them both seriously off, though it seems Phil takes it much harder than Lem. It’s a fun little throwaway B plot, and I’m always happy to see more Lonny.

 

Bits and pieces:

• Who is “that girl” Linda is asking Ted about? We don’t even hear her name.
• “I am not angry, I just need to know what’s happening.” – Phil
• Lem used to have a Fu Manchu, Phil misses it. ANybody with Photoshop skills want to show us what that might have looked like?
• Veronica purrs while taking cat naps. Ha!
• “Oh, man, are you gonna start growling now when you’re mad? Because that’s gonna be hard to adjust to.” -Linda
• “Maybe you two are boring. Have you ever thought of that?” – Veronica
• Veronica has an iPhone, which she spreads cream cheese on
• “Last week I helped my daughter build a house of Legos.” – Ted, using the wrong form of plural. Lego says the correct form is “Lego bricks” or “pieces.” The more you know!
• “I am fantastic to go out with.” – Ted
• “Man, capitalism blows.” – Linda
• “Can you imagine how great it would be to take Veronica out in the middle of the day and have lunch with her?” – Phil
• “Ya-ha” and “yangdoodle” and “boodle-doodle” – Linda’s mom’s words for naughty bits
• “You people are paranoid. No wonder the company has to secretly manipulate you.” – one of my favorite Veronica lines in the whole series
• The doctor jokes about not being able to save the spear, which leads Veronica to tell him not to make that joke anymore. WOuldn’t you like to see more of Veronica interacting with non-Veridian folks?  I think that’d be awesome to watch.
• Ted’s bit of physical comedy and Phil and Lem trapped in the ridiculously tiny office when Linda comes in are some great bits
• I’ve never heard of Polly Pockets before
• “I like promiscuous sex far more than I dislike pain.” – Mordor
• “I think a loon would do exactly that.” – Ted, commenting on Mordor’s fighting style
• ‘Quad dela ron sha,” is an ancient Peruvian martial art involving painful and repeated slapping, its name means “leave, or we’ll start with the slapping”
• Veronica tending to Ted’s wounds, but doesn’t say “hey, move back up to your office.”

Commercial:

Again with the no commercial! It’s starting to become a habit.

Ideas/Inventions mentioned in this episode:

• Cheese that never spoils
• Super-fast spy pigeon (also wireless)
• Dieoxolater defibulation splung manifold (Lem broke it)

Coworkers named/seen:

• Patricia, who doesn’t say a word about her crush on Ted – is this the first time that’s happened?
• Lonny
• Ashley from Accounting – Mordor Conquest #1
• Tiffany – Mordor Conquest #2
• Chet gets mentioned, but unfortunately is not seen

Next week: S02E05 – The Great Repression

 

Tags: Better Off Ted, LWST

Written by: Mark