Review: Housebroken “Who Done It?”

Overview:

On the cusp of a significant storm, Jill’s mother is coming for a visit. Unfortunately, that means her snarky pet parrot, Nathan, is also staying the night. When the group meets Honey and Chief’s relative, they all learn quickly why he isn’t liked very much.

But when lightning strikes and the lights go out, Nathan goes missing. Assuming that the bird has been eaten, everyone is a suspect. After everyone reveals their secrets about what happened when the blackout hit, only one suspect is left. Honey must decide to tell the truth about what she was doing or confess to a murder she did not commit.

Our Take:

Housebroken has quickly established itself as one of the most entertaining new adult animated shows to hit Fox in years. The show’s success is a balanced recipe of comedy, ongoing plots, and a large ensemble cast of great comedians. However, there is one other thing that is helping to differentiate Housebroken from the other animated comedies, well-written original concepts.

This was the first episode to be solely written by show cocreator Clea DuVall. It is also the only episode thus far to bring all the characters together into one storyline. Making this the best piece since the pilot that genuinely showcases the vision of this franchise.

A lot can be said about this episode, but it manages to do a few things to help propel the entire series. Chiefly, an undisputed villain is introduced. Second, the episode itself has a unique theme and executes it flawlessly. Finally, it subtly continues and alters the ongoing arcs for each of the characters.

Housebroken has managed to introduce a slew of great pet characters. Amazing guest stars like Anna Farris, Ben Schwartz, and Ken Jeong have helped build this animal kingdom. However, the one thing that has been missing is a true villain. While Raccoon may fill that role at times, he is much too complex to be everyone’s enemy. Introducing a character that the entire group despises in Nathan opens the doors for some fun episodes down the line.

With nine episodes down, there have already been some memorable pieces from Housebroken. Most of them involve a specific theme that drives the episode and its multiple working parts. A wedding and a Fourth of July spent at the beach helped make a couple of the show’s best episodes. But a murder mystery really helped to showcase that this talking animal show can do anything.

The concern about bringing this large ensemble into one congruent plot is that many of the ongoing storylines would be lost. Though this episode utilized its complexity to make this episode even richer. Secrets are revealed, relationships start and end, and every player faces their own dilemmas amidst a heavy storm and unsolved mystery.

With the next two episodes being the show’s first two-parter, this piece felt like a climax of everything that has transpired thus far. The parts keep moving, but the group is bonded more than ever before. This was arguably the strongest outing from Housebroken thus far. Though that could be said about nearly every new episode that we have seen.