Happy Endings ‘No-Ho-Ho’ review: ‘Tis the season…for another holiday episode

Remember how I was saying a few weeks back that Happy Endings is at its best when it’s a holiday episode? Well, “No-Ho-Ho” has somehow managed to improve upon perfection. Impossible, you say? No, it’s possible, and it all started out with a little lie.

Like I was saying earlier, whenever people ask me what Happy Endings is about, I always ask them to watch an episode instead of listening to me clumsily fumble for the words to describe it. This week’s episode? Well, on paper, it’s about the fact that Jane lied about her birthday and is, in fact, a Christmas baby. How do you manage to get a whole episode out of that? You’d have to ask Prentice Penny, who wrote this week’s episode. Honestly, “No-Ho-Ho” is probably the tightest script Happy Endings has ever had, and it’s a good thing too. I have this theory (okay, “theory” might make it sound smarter than it actually is…) that most shows have, at best, three good seasons in them. Veronica Mars? Three seasons. Twin Peaks? Canceled after two. Honestly, with the start of this season, I was a little nervous that this would be the last we’d see of Happy Endings. Thankfully, “No-Ho-Ho” put that fear to rest.

While most of the episode deals with Jane’s birthday drama, such as the dreaded Christmas/birthday gift combo, there are some other highlights to be found in the B-plots. Dave and Penny find themselves alone together again. Look, I know it wasn’t long ago that I was bashing the uneasy pairing, but there was something about it this week. Maybe it’s my borderline sociopathic tendency to only want the things that I can’t have, but there was a spark there. Sure, Dave is with Alex (which, luckily, the episode doesn’t try to shove down our throats) and Penny is with Pete (third episode, new record) but when the two are kicked out of Jane-mas for their holiday paraphernalia, the two really come together. Granted, their bond is over presents for Pete, but the way Casey Wilson and Zach Knighton play off of each other in this episode is some of the most believable chemistry on the show. What started out as a seemingly obvious studio note has blossomed into something more. Although Casey Wilson and Adam Pally will always be my favorite pairing, I’m beginning to warm up to the idea of Wilson and Knighton together.

But the episode isn’t all about romantic subtext (or lack thereof, I mean, I could’ve totally misread the situation) it’s about the holidays. I mean, Jane’s birthday. No, I mean the holidays. In their effort to banish Christmas to celebrate Jane’s birthday on her birthday, the gang must face some ugly truths about their holiday addictions. For Brad, it’s hip-hop Santa. For Max, it’s his love of the nog. Still, Alex’s insatiable lust for unwrapping presents is probably the best. Alex goes wildly over-the-top in her maddening quest to open presents. It’s probably some of the best comedic acting we’ve seen from Elisha Cuthbert. Although Max’s being waterboarded and his confession that he didn’t vote for Obama because of his March Madness bracket is another highlight of the episode…

Honestly, there’s not a whole lot to complain about with this episode. The writing is stellar. The acting, in particular the delivery, is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Still, it’s the little things that Happy Endings does that keep me coming back for more. Jane’s penchant for pepper spray when surprised, a gag in an earlier season, makes a re-appearance in this episode. I think that’s part of the charm of “No-Ho-Ho” to be honest. It feels like an earlier episode, not bogged down with the whole “Dave and Alex are dating again” thing. It’s one of the lighter episodes this season, but it’s a welcome change. Or maybe I’m just so sick of the usual holiday crap that a holiday episode about hating the holidays is just what I needed. Who knows?

Still, what I know for sure is that “No-Ho-Ho” is a return to Happy Endings at its finest, even in its most absurd moments. In particular, the episode’s tag at the end, if I watch it on repeat, may be able to tide me over til it comes back from hiatus.

What did you think of this week’s episode?