#991: Making Nice

Grab your AIO albums, and find a table! What makes your favorite episode the best? Have an episode you really dislike? This is the place to review and discuss AIO episodes and albums.
Post Reply
User avatar
Bob
Caramel Crunch
Posts: 166
Joined: October 2016
Location: The Metroplex
Contact:

#991: Making Nice

Post

General episode observations:
• Jay's status as a noncombatant has been reinforced in this episode, given that his leading motivation here is avoiding being beaten up.
• The loss could not have been the worst in Odyssey history: Odyssey lost 63-2, against Connellsville in "Easy Money".
• It isn't often that Ryan and Jay interact, but the writing is solid here.
• Jay starkly alternates between sincerity and manipulation throughout most of this episode. He is more likable in the former mode, which should be a positive sign to fans that are afraid that becoming a 'good guy' would cause him to be a worse or less entertaining character.
• Coach Calhoun does a great job being a wise mentor in this episode. Cooper took the initial point about being 'kind' wrong, but nobody would have expected that Cooper would do all those things just to be 'nice'.
• A lot of trouble could have been avoided if Cooper kept into account the necessity of properly submitting to his authorities. When Jay is using the threat of Cooper's father's feelings against him, while simultaneously discouraging him from actually talking to his father about it and getting clarity on the matter, he is at his worst and most satanish (similar to his villain role in "Unbecoming Jay").
• I wonder if we'll hear from Myron in other episodes. He seems like an ideal one-shot character, but another cameo in a substantial role could be fun to see.
• The episode is focused on the difference between being 'kind' and 'nice' (points I feel are also alluded to in this month's Clubhouse magazine, by the way), but it also hits on the importance of honesty, and in a glancing sense, of taking advice (and evaluating who you take your advice from).

Specific help, advice and tips given by Jay to Myron:
1) Persuading Myron that he needs a 'life coach'.
While the exact job description Jay gave - having someone to consult for 'every decision' - is over the top, Jay isn't wrong in the basic principle that Myron (and people generally) benefit from counsellors and advisors. Whether Jay himself is a good counsellor worthy of Myron's ear seems questionable based on his past record, but we get the chance to evaluate that from his record in this episode. I'll credit it half a point.
0.5/1 points.

2) Changing Myron's weather settings from celsius to fahrenheit.
3) Telling Myron where his truck was parked.
These were helpful, though they're not really life advice per se. I'll give a quarter point bonus on the grounds that Myron may have received numerous small friendly tips like this.
0.75/1 points.

4) Not to sit with the team at lunch.
If Myron really liked sitting with the team or had firm friends there, this would be different, but by his own admission, it wasn't going well. Jay's advice seems sound to me, given those parameters. Full point.
1.75/2 points.

5) Not to ask out Valerie Swanson.
Clearly correct. Jay's reasoning is also solid as far as it goes, although it doesn't directly include the most relevant point, that Valerie's personality makes her a poor candidate for anyone. Still, full point.
2.75/3 points.

6) "Stay in your lane, even if the lane is empty."
As far as it went in the conversation about Valerie, this doesn't seem bad. As a universal dating or life principle, this is more circumstantial and could go wrong, but apparently Myron didn't take it that broadly and just applied it to the former context. Half a point.
3.25/4 points.

7) "Get mad", that is, to use his anger, in practice.
It isn't uncommon to encourage people to 'get mad' as a strength enhancer when they're playing an inherently violent sport. As it was, Myron's teammates noticed his extra 'hustle', so it apparently worked. But this could have gone wrong; people tend to take penalties or go overboard when they operate this way. Jay rolled the dice and happened to get a good result, but the advice is dubious coming from someone who doesn't know sports, sports psychology, or Myron's traits in either area. No points.
3.25/5 points.

9) Not to try to be an electrical engineer (like his brother).
Jay is honest here, even though it had the potential to hurt. His reasoning is sound. It's unlikely that Myron would be suited for this career, and Jay's proposal for an alternative life course isn't an unreasonable guess. The point that Myron shouldn't do something just because it's his brother's dream is brilliantly executed and deserves an extra point. Two points.
5.25/6 points.

10) Be angrier than the opposing player.
This follows from 6), and is rejected pretty much out of hand by Myron, as having 'already tried that'. It's questionable for the same reason the previous time was, but vindicated by the fact that it worked before; given that Myron didn't overreact last time, Jay is really indirectly encouraging Myron to 'keep going' or to 'try harder', although not in those words. Half a point.
5.75/7 points.

11) Be a wild animal, like a psychotic crazed ferret.
This clearly didn't pan out, and it got Jay canned (at least from offering football tips). I'm not sure that it is really that different from Jay's previous advice to be 'angry', but it does smack of suggesting Myron play without self-control, and that is how Myron took it. No points.
5.75/8 points.

Summary:
In terms of regular life, Jay's help surprisingly seems to be good for Myron, more often than not, a major step up from his recommendations in "The Friend Formula", which were plainly manipulative and self-serving. Even though Jay has the bad tendency to promote himself ("who do you think you are, Jay Smouse"), his reasoning and conclusions seem basically sound and helpful.

His football advice, on the other hand, is dubious, and Coach Calhoun wasn't wrong to warn him against doing that again.

All in all, Jay makes a better friend than a coach.

(For my part, on point 10/11, I would have told Myron that 1) he doesn't know how the other guy feels - maybe he's worn out and afraid too, and 2) he doesn't have to overpower him to do his job. It's a team sport, and if he's kept his man contained and from hurting his teammates, he's done what he needs to do.)

---

It's fair to say I approved of the episode.
A classic never goes out of style.
Post Reply