Wilfred
FX, Thursdays at 10PM
“Happiness”
Written by David Zuckerman
Directed by Victor Nelli, Jr.
Warning: this review contains some spoilers. If you’d rather not know what the episode is going to include, bookmark this page and read it after viewing.
Ryan (Elijah Wood, The Lord of the Rings) is neatly dressed, in a suit and tie, as he prints out the third draft of his suicide note. Then he mixes up a drink with milk, bread, an entire bottle of blue pills, and a serving of “Fit Life.” He drinks it down, waves goodbyes to the pretty girl who lives next door, and lies does peacefully on his bed. And in a very quick shot, there’s a copy of Dune on his night table.
Then the inconsiderate jerk who lives across the alley starts revving his motorcycle, loud and long, and Ryan’s perfect death is ruined. But Ryan doesn’t die. In fact, he can’t even get to sleep. Eventually, he gulps down an entire bottle of Nyquil, and then hears his doorbell ring.
At the door is Jenna (Fiona Gubelmann, Horror High), the girl from next door, who asks if Ryan needs orange juice, or medical attention. She’s having work done on the house, and hasn’t made arrangements for her dog, Wilfred, so could Ryan watch him for the day?
The Wilfred steps up to the door. Wilfred is an Australian man in a ratty dog suit, but apparently only Ryan and the audience see that. Everyone else sees a big friendly dog.
Wilfred (series co-creator Jason Gann) shoulders his way in, watches while Ryan answers his phone (it’s his sister calling: she’s pulled a lot of strings to get him this job at the hospital, and why the hell isn’t he there? She pissed at him, and he admits to abusing the pills she gave him, which she then tells him were placebos, sugar pills, so of course he isn’t dead), and then asks for water. Ryan heads to the sink, and stops, wondering whether to use a bowl or a glass.
And there you have the premise of the show. Is Wilfred real, or just a fragment of Ryan’s imagination? Does Wilfred actually think what he says, or is it all a reflection of Ryan’s mind? The show leaves things nicely vague—to the point of having Wilfred quote Dune (“Fear is the mind killer…”) to Ryan, leaving us all wondering.
Ryan is not a happy person. He’s a lawyer because that’s what his father wanted, but he never did. His sister, Kristen (Dorian Brown, Roommates), is trying to help her brother with a new job, but she’s not happy herself. In fact, she’s the unhappiest delivery room nurse we’ve ever seen, grumbling about the babies she has to deliver. Jenna may be happy, but we see her only briefly. The only one with satisfaction in his life is Wilfred, even though to Ryan he’s a world-weary stoner. But that’s his role, it seems: to show Ryan that there can be joy in life. He lures Ryan into jumping a fence, breaking into the motorcycle jerk’s house, stealing his marijuana (yes, Wilfred drinks and smokes), and even leaving a deposit in his boots.
And eventually, Ryan begins to understand. And his relationship with Wilfred looks to be an interesting one. I’ll tune in next week, to see if the premise can hold a complete story.
This is the premiere of the US series, which is an adaptation of the Australian series (which ran in 2007 and 2010). The same creators are involved, and co-creator Jason Gann is reprising his role as Wilfred the dog. The other human actors have been changed.