Written by Erin Cardillo, Richard Keith, Alexandra Safford, and Amanda Pomeroy
Directed by Tripp Reed
In tonight’s episode, Lydia gets tickets to take Jimmy with to a ballet. But it occurs on one of the biggest nights of the year for Nate’s (Josh Zuckerman) restaurant and so he needs Jimmy there as the bartender (I honestly don’t recall if it had been established previously on the show that Jimmy worked for Nate). Lydia plays “the Mom card” and convinces Nate to give Jimmy that night off. So Nate hires a temporary bartender for the night, a man named Timmy, played by Justin Deeley.
Timmy does a fantastic job, even better than Jimmy ever did. He also gets along great with everyone, which includes singing a duet with Sam. This makes Jimmy very insecure and jealous, feelings which are egged on by Harrison (Jonathan Silverman), who takes every opportunity he can to rub it in Jimmy’s face how perfect Timmy. Jimmy quickly feels like he is being replaced, both at the job and in his personal life, as Nate starts invites Jimmy to work with Timmy for the next week, and also stars hanging out after work with Nate. Things come to a head when Jimmy challenges Timmy to a “duel”. One night he and Timmy will co-bartender to see who sells more drinks, with the winner getting to the main bartender and Nate’s main friend. Hilarity ensues (NO SPOILERS).
Nathanial Buzolic really shines in this episode as his character gets the spotlight. Justine Deely was a great foil for him, playing Timmy as a simple sincere fellow, making you wonder if Jimmy is just being paranoid. Every time Jimmy and Timmy interact with each other it is comedic gold, especially when the two keep repeating each other. But this episode is also a showcase for the friendship of Nate and Jimmy, as it shows why these two are close enough that Nate is willing to overlook Jimmy’s relationship with Lydia. Krista Allen does her usual great job, although her role is slightly reduced in this episode.
Two more episodes to go, and still no word if CW will be renewing it for a full 2nd season, but I certainly hope so as it’s been improving with each subsequent episode. So fingers crossed…
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