tvspace

The League 03x03 - ‘The Au Pair’

The League is a show that works best when it operates within a certain field of believability. Last week’s episode was maybe one of the show’s weakest, with swastikas, period jokes, and revenge porn all gaining maybe a few cheap laughs, but ultimately redirecting the episode into ‘wacky’ territory, out of step with the themes and subtleties that are usually at the forefront of the series. Those themes are generally focused on the power dynamics within a group of (mostly) male friends, and the way those dynamics manifest themselves, within a broad context of fantasy football. ‘The Au Pair’ was a welcome return to that approach, and the comedy was generally kept within the realm of believability.

The episode runs with its central theme of ‘vulturing’ - initially illustrated when Pete’s fantasy player is brought off the bench to score three touchdowns for a total of 3 yards, when Andre’s player is the one that did the majority of the legwork. This concept extends to Pete ‘vulturing’ Andre’s date that he scored from an internet dating site after posting a hilarious video, shot by Taco, which included ‘subliminal’ images of animals getting it on (The League has a good record when it opens with an Andre video. ‘The Marathon’ in season 2 was a series high point), to Ruxin’s new (16 year old?) au pair, and also to the fantasy expert setting up Andre’s second date with a Chicago Bears player.

There is also a little B-story involving Kevin’s needing to learn how to lie, so that he can meet up with a fantasy football expert that he bumped into, without Jenny finding out. He enlists Ruxin’s help (‘I’m the guy who you come to when you’re ready to perjure yourself to protect an Australian mining consortium’), and this leads to an excellent montage showcasing Ruxin’s lying skills. (I’ve always thought that Nick Kroll is the most naturally funny of the case, and this episode only furthers that belief. His ‘Ruxin’s home alone, ready to rock’ song was amazing).

To the point, this episode is an excellent example of the things that The League can do so well, when it scales back the ‘wacky’. Guys tend to give their friends a hard time in any way possible, but they’re also willing to be of some help when necessary (Ruxin helping Kevin learn how to lie; Taco helping Andre with his dating). ‘The Au Pair’ is a nice, well-contained illustration of both sides of this coin.

Also:

• It’s nice to see that the show is steering away from Taco’s musical interludes. They were getting a bit old last season, and had a tendency to mess up an episode’s momentum.
• Ruxin’s vulture noises and ‘oooh pair’ moaning
• Nice little throwback to Andre’s inability to play tennis.