TV Review: ‘Allen Gregory,’ Episode 2

michael dworkis follows on the animated series to see if there was any improvement over the pilot …

This week, Allen Gregory DeLongpre faces a new challenge at school. Watching the principal get out of the car, Gregory envisions a seductive scene that successfully nauseates the viewer.

Hill’s fast-talking Gregory faces the problem of maintaining a high profile when others in the school reveal their relationships, and nemesis Joel Zadak takes the lead at belittling Gregory. Sulking at this temporary setback of social status, Gregory and his friend Patrick attempt to prove that he and Principal Gottlieb have a bona-fide relationship.

The humor, if not taken a dive already, plummets with a repetitive and an incomprehensible dialogue between Allen Gregory and his family. His father suggests he spread a rumor about a sex-tape between the two, while Julie and his life-partner talk about the stupidity of the entire concept, only to be ignored.

Gregory takes over the PA system at school and begins to publicize the rumor, only for Principal Gottlieb to stop him and send him to the school counselor, who turns out to be married to the principal. Gregory ignores the entire conversation to maintain his rumor.

Back at home, Mr. Delongpre is surprised to learn his adopted daughter Julie has friends, one with a medical condition, the other, of Hispanic decent. Mr. Delongpre acts the standard stereotypical racially insensitive idiot and alienates Julie’s friends in a matter of minutes. Allen again meets with the school counselor and threatens to reveal his sex-tape with Principal Gottlieb.

Julie walks into her room to find two child models/actors to serve her best friends. They convince her old friends they are bad influences and abandon her. However, that predictably falls apart. In an effort to make amends, Mr. Delongpre invites her old friends over for dinner, although they are ugly.

Allen Gregory threatens to play his sex-tape, however he instead destroys it as to not break up the marriage between the school counselor and Principal Gottlieb. The students in class actually state “Wow, by destroying the DVD, he leaves this whole thing shrouded in mystery. We won’t even know the truth.”

I have been trying to figure out what about this show makes it difficult to watch. For starters, this show is not funny. Jonah Hill’s Gregory sets an uncomfortable pace for the show. Every character is a fast-talking mumble of nonsense. The episode was three jokes, repeated over and over again like the bat which beats a dead horse. Perhaps next week, the characters will jump a shark.