While it is hardly high concept in this day and age to have a guy in the middle of an everyman's existential crisis to befriend a guy in an animal suit, there is something subversive about Wilfred. This feeling goes beyond the all the sight gags the series got out of the way tonight with Jason Gann in his dog get up humping women and kissing Elijah Wood on the mouth toward the show's hinting that Wilfred might be less of a force of good and more of just pure chaos.
The show opens on the fairly boring note of Wood's character, Ryan trying to kill himself with a pill overdose. Of course, it fails, (We find out later his OBGYN sister only prescribed him sugar pills.) but he is immediately asked by the hot neighbor, Jenna (Fiona Gubelmann), to watch her dog. This first scene of confusion between Wilfred and Ryan is thankfully short-lived, leaving the rest of the episode time to deal with Ryan's first steps toward taking control of his life. Mostly this means breaking into a loud neighbor's house to steal his weed plants, pooping in that neighbor's boots, and eventually turning down the job his sister got him in an office at her hospital. In all Ryan ends the episode celebrating his new found freedom without knowing much of where to go.
It will be interesting to see where exactly the show is willing to go. At this point the writing is sharp enough to keep everyone who saw it watching, but outside of a concept and awesome leads the show doesn't seem very sure of itself. Mostly, I feel like the writing is pretty boring. Wood can squeeze any amount of pathos out of an awkward laugh, but he needs actually interesting things to say the rest of the time. I am sure after next week we will be able to get a better sense of the series's overall writing.
