A new episode of Seed airs tonight. City’s ensemble comedy, still in its first season, offers a plethora of characters in each episode. This week it’s the more the merrier as Seed makes room for a little new blood, and an infusion of a different kind of funny. Monday’s episode “Bromosomes†features Tom Green as an guest star, adding to the already busy line up. Green plays Dr. Stuart Meinertzhagen, an experimental psychologist, bordering on snake oil salesman.
The episode follows Harry and Rose as they navigate Harry’s bout of Couvade’s syndrome, or sympathetic pregnancy. He becomes moody, nauseated, and turns Rose’s request for a little sympathy in to an all out competition for who is in worse shape.
As he battles Couvade’s, Harry also must put up with Jonathon’s sudden desire to spend time with him behind Janet’s back. When she finds out that Jonathon has been seeing both Harry and Dr. Meinhertzhagen she implements her own plan to get back at her husband. On top of all this Harry is a bystander as Zoey and Michelle navigate a new minefield in their relationship: coming to terms with the effects of their hot lesbian babysitter whom Harry has labeled “divorce baitâ€.
Halfway through the episode Harry is at the end of his rope and manages to corral all of the above into the office of Meinhertzhagen (Green), where the good doctor uses various methods to deal with the problems in each relationship. Or not deal with them?
Green enters the episode just as you’re beginning to question the function of all of the story lines. He brings just the right kind of comedy to the show: a sort of SNL-esque silliness with the maturity of a comedian who doesn’t doubt his style or ability. He captures the screen and distracts the viewer from the busy first half of the episode. In fact, I wish there’d been more of him.
While still a young show, Seed takes on the herculean task of telling multiple stories in each episode. Though this is nothing new, the difference is that Seed inserts Harry into every story line in some capacity, making it difficult for the viewer to decipher which story is supposed to come out on top. This episode particularly emphasizes this crisis as Harry seems to be everywhere, all the time.
What compounds the hectic nature of the story lines is that Harry’s motivation for his involvement with the donor recipients isn’t always clear. In this particular episode Harry was labeled Rose’s partner on several occasions, without objecting to the term, but in the next scene professed himself fully available to another woman. Though I’ve been keeping up with the show and understand the nature of Harry’s relationship with pregnant Rose (sort of) it seems that half hours have a responsibility to re-apply this knowledge from time to time to hang on to viewers who may stop in mid-season to test out the show.
While leads Adam Korson and Carrie-Lynn Neales have no problem delivering what the show needs, their talent often gets lost in the din of the large cast. The potential to refine the series into a focused and sharp comedy is what draws me back each episode. The gags are there, the talent is there, the concept is there but something is misfiring.
Green’s presence on Seed helped to focus the storylines and provide the kind of humor that will draw comedy fans back for more. The concern now will be, who will be the bandaid for the next episode?
