Bree goes on a retreat for “a night of female discovery,” which is really just taking mushrooms and wandering the woods alone. When she gets lost in the woods, she calls Clay to come help her.
Bree is surprised to stumble upon an AA meeting. She’s not sure what to make of Clay, who is introducing himself and telling everyone he’s 30 days sober, but she’s curious. She decides to stay in the car while Clay takes care of something inside a house. When she comes back out, she suspects something is going on and decides to sneak inside again. This time, though, she’s more careful and finds an AA meeting waiting for her.
The two friends laugh about how their roles have switched over the years. Bree has always needed to loosen up, while Clay needed to get clean. ..
Hannah sets up a dinner for Reed and Gordon, but goes with Zack to his ex-girlfriend’s house to help him convince Marcy to let him share custody of their dog Butternut. ..
Hannah says everything right and even promises to let the dog stay in her office while Zack is filming. She starts to feel good about being a part of actors’ personal lives until Marcy brings out the ugliest, most feral dog she’s ever seen. ..
Reed and Gordon have a surprisingly good dinner. Gordon compliments Reed’s skills and comedic timing. He explains that it’s a shame Reed has to nitpick everything, that can’t let go and focus on giving an excellent performance.
Gordon is smart and sensitive and talented, but he’s not as good at telling real stories as Reed thinks he is. He thinks Reed should try harder to tell his own stories.
Gordon tells Hannah he had a productive dinner with Reed. Maybe next time, he and Hannah can go out together as a family.
The Episode Review
The writing of this episode was lackluster. There was very little buildup to Clay’s alcoholism and apparent journey to sobriety. Bree and Clay experience some trite connection, while Hannah’s and Zack’s arc seems meant entirely for cheap laughs. ..
In the end, Reed and Gordon seem to have some respect for each other, but it’s not clear what that means for them. ..
Reboot seems so focused on this debate between the importance of deeper meaning and comedy, that the show itself doesn’t allow time to establish either.
