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Wilfred – Isolation

Wilfred went two-for-two with its double feature, putting up a second episode that was nearly as entertaining as its predecessor. “Isolation” saw Wilfred at his most sadistic, but also produced one of the titular character's funniest performances. Some convincing physical humor and uproarious lines of dialogue helped turn Wilfred's demented acts into hilarious moments; they were still pretty demented though.

After three days spent holed up in his house smoking copious amounts of ganja, Ryan seemed ready to go for another three, but that probably wouldn't make for a very interesting episode. So it wasn't long before Wilfy came calling to check in on his protege. Well, technically it was Jenna who first arrived to invite Ryan to a neighborhood meeting, but as always she was only there to provide a storyline and something nice to look at. It was the crazed canine who scored laughs early on with the best running joke in the series. Wilfred's peculiar relationship with Bear has not only stayed fresh, but actually become more charming in its absurdity. The idea of Ryan's imaginary friend having his own imaginary friend just makes sense, as long as you don't think about it too hard. Wilfred absolutely killed it when he reamed out Bear for screwing up his attempt to break into Ryan's house, particularly for not buying Bear's story about a twisted ankle. Even when a scene between them is particularly graphic -like Wilfred faking an orgasm a few episodes back- they still manage to be lighthearted, with Wilfred often resembling the frustrated husband in an old married couple. Or in this case; the less inept partner in a pair of bumbling criminals.

Wilfred's efforts to break Ryan of his antisocial behavior was the episode's driving theme. As he always does, Wilfred went about the task with the style only a psychopath could muster. Setting up Ryan to take the blame for all of the neighbor's cars being broken into was one thing, but Wilfred trying to form a mob brought it to another level. His failed attempts to stir the crowd up were hilarious; actually expecting them to rush upon Ryan like the pack of wolves he sees them as. Wilfred finally realizing his rhetoric was having no effect capped the scene wonderfully; “Hey, why am I the only one with a torch?” In addition to torturing Ryan to teach him, Wilfred of course had a wholly selfish ulterior motive when it came to Ryan's “lesson.” In this case; ousting an evil sorcerer from the neighborhood, who's black magic has Wilfred perplexed. The sorcerer isn't so much a warlock, as he is a little boy named Andy, but Wilfred is convinced his trick with a tennis ball springs from demonic powers. So after having fun watching Ryan squirm, Wilfred's true intentions become clear as he gets Andy hauled off to juvie. It all ends well though; Ryan learns to be more social, Andy returns home, and a dead homeless man takes the rap – everybody wins.

Unlike “Compassion” this episode didn't feature a main guest star to steal scenes. However, there were a couple of memorable, albeit brief, performances from two recognizable faces. Eric Stoltz(Caprica) was excellent in his short role as one of Ryan's neighbors, Doug. His intense demeanor -and stare- added to the humor of Ryan's social anxiety-induced nightmare. Ryan's confidence rising for a brief moment after he impresses Stoltz's character with an obscure(and black) joke about Fatty Arbuckle, made his inevitable tongue-tying even worse. It was Stoltz responding nonchalantly to Ryan spitting out his own tongue that really sold the scene though. Hopefully we will be seeing Doug around the neighborhood more often, that is if he doesn't just exist in Ryan's subconscious. Seeing him appear in more of Ryan's dreams could be even funnier actually.

Peter Stormare(Prison Break) was also unforgettable as the homeless gentleman prostituting himself out of the neighborhood's alleys. Known simply as Trashface, the character was right in Stormare's wheelhouse, and it showed in his one real scene. After explaining to Ryan what his future may hold if he chooses to live the life of a recluse, Trashface unintentionally drove his point home -and put a funny spin on a crude joke- by offering Ryan sexual favors in exchange for drug money. It's a shame we won't be seeing him pimping himself around the neighborhood anymore. But while his death was disturbingly dark, it did provide the shocking and hilarious image of Ryan and Wilfred urinating on his grave – to pay their respects of course. And as Wilfred pointed out; we can take solace in knowing Trashface is up in heaven, shooting up with one of the veins in his new angel wings. RIP Trashface, we hardly know ye.

To close out the episode we got another humorous moment between Wilfred and Bear, and what looks to be some development to Ryan's character, as he informs Wilfred he is giving up getting high. “Isolation” had a few dry spots, but there was definitely more to praise than complain about.
Rating
8.0

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