Bunheads: Better Luck Next Year Recap

After 2 weeks, the highly anticipated episode of Bunheads “Better Luck Next Year” aired on July 9th. It was highly anticipated because viewers undoubtedly felt that we would finally get somewhere with this show. Not so.

The episode opens with an unwanted delivery: everything Michelle owned in Vegas, plus just about everything the landlady owned but didn’t want. She complains non-stop as the moving man says repeatedly “It’s on the manifest.” Michelle says it, Fanny comes along and sees what’s going on. She says “Was it on the manifest?” Then she orders Michelle to get rid of everything. Michelle launches into a lengthy diatribe complete with a reference to Michael Corleone in “The Godfather.” Fanny wants her to make like David Copperfield. “That’s a Vegas reference,” Fanny says brightly. Has no one ever heard of temporary storage in Paradise?

As wack as that was, there was much more to come between Michelle and Fanny. But first we cut to Boo and her mom out shopping. With the Joffrey audition coming up, Mom wants to avoid any disappointment by getting Boo to stuff her face with candy and kettle corn. But Boo is more confident this year and resists Mom’s bad influence.

Back to Michelle, she finds out her fridge doesn’t work. When she tries the stove, her place fills up with gas. She gets Fanny’s guy with the beard to help her, then leaves all her windows open and goes to sleep.

Fanny arrives in the middle of the night and says it looks like a storage facility (duh!) and Michelle learns Fanny doesn’t have a guy with a beard or without. “Who was he,” Michelle asks. “I don’t know,” Fanny replies, “Maybe a stalker or Charlie Manson’s kid brother.” Fanny takes it upon herself to unpack and hang up Michelle’s clothes because she loves to get things done in the middle of the night. “You’re very Peppy Miller,” Michelle says. And the quips keep coming.

So do the weird situations. The next morning, the Bunheads pass by Michelle’s curtain-less crib and just stand outside waving hello while she eats chips in her underwear. Fanny continues her frantic audition preparations with Truly and Rico, her hungover would-be caterer. Isn’t he the one who owned the bar where Michelle ended up after Hubbell died?

Bad news comes via fax. Joffrey has decided to “Ned Stark” Fanny. Michelle interrupts to find out whether her toilet is on a timer. The ever bizarre Truly gets enlisted to help with Michelle’s curtains. Cut to Boo’s kitchen, where the would-be Joffrey auditioner (and least likely to make it) finds out her mother has already bought a “consolation” cake that says “Better Luck Next Year” on it. Oh, mama. How could you?

Michelle goes on a mission to get the auditions back which entails fixing the dance studio floor. They don’t have any money for it because apparently, Fanny has spent it all in the preparations. Michelle attempts to float a floor on lay-away fail and her womanly charms are wasted on local floor experts Bob (Robert) and Don (Donnick). She and Fanny go off to Oxnard and come back with Floyd, incredibly cheap floor fixer-upper whose sole reward will be a night on the cot. Fanny tells an incredulous Michelle that when you get to be her age, you learn how to lead a man on, get him to do what you want, and send him back crying to his wife, with nothing to show for it. We doubt Floyd has a wife, but his contributions did bring the Joffrey auditions back.

Subplot: Sasha and Boo interaction – Sasha tries throughout the show to make amends to Boo for her snottiness, but this time Boo is blowing her off. When a toe shoe disaster strikes Boo, Sasha robs her mother to buy Boo some new toe shoes. Whatta gal.

More weirdness: Remember when we thought Hubbell would come back as a ghost? So far he hasn’t. Michelle is having nightmares — but not about Hubbell. Michelle is dreaming about being rejected by Gary Janetti (Family Guy and Will & Grace producer). Transparent inclusion to show off Sutton Foster dance moves? Uh … somehow in her second dream, the “Better Luck Next Year” cake we saw in Boo’s fridge is her reply from Janetti.

Cute moment: Boo gets rejected at the Joffrey audition, not once but 3 times. Michelle can’t believe her eyes when Fanny keeps changing Boo’s appearance with wigs, leg-warmers and new names and sending her back in. Fanny explains that Boo will eventually get in a group with someone who has bigger bones than she does and that girl will get cut. It doesn’t happen but Boo is not crushed because they did say she is dynamic and they praised her form. “You done good,” Fanny says. Watch and learn, Michelle.

Bottom Line: They really need to tone down Michelle’s loudness and the snappy dialogue with Fanny and give viewers a reason to care about some of the characters. it all feels so thrown at you.

Preview: Another new character coming next week. A handsome guy Michelle calls “Moondoggie,” a reference to the 1959 Gidget movie with Sandra Dee and James Darren.

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