Review: Universal Basic Guys “Poconos”

Overview

Mark, Tammy, Hank and Darren discover a magical board game; David seeks a solution to his writer’s block.

Our Take

Have you kids ever been to the Poconos? As a kid from NJ, I used to do the Poconos all the time. You name it, Big Bass Creek, Pocono Raceway, Camelback Mountain, the whole nine. There’s a lot to do in a weekend at the Poconos…

Though you wouldn’t know it from watching this week’s episode of Universal Basic Guys. I actually liked the premise of a board game coming to life during the course of a snow storm, the Griffins have done a few storm-related plots similar to this, but I’m not sure we needed to build up the excitement of the boys in the Poconos only to have it all be about a board game. I get that with spooky season perhaps this was the show’s take on a Halloween story, but I would’ve been just as happy if the Jersey Devil episode were that and maybe make this episode a little more apropo of what a weekend in the Poconos is like.

I did enjoy our first real experience of seeing David at work as a working author. Fred Armisen’s whiny voice makes for a perfect match for the character and that really comes through, but again, probably not an episode that needed to be set in the Poconos. Why Andrea didn’t even bother to come into the equation and maybe further establish as to why David’s going to the Poconos felt like a missed opportunity. The whole trip to the Poconos felt missed given that it would’ve been a great setting to see Mark and Darren attempt to try and bond and even when everyone gets locked down not a lot goes down. Hank, possibly my favorite character of the show, even though present doesn’t get a ton of dialogue which is a downer because every time Hank’s voice Craig says something it’s usually solid gold.

Ironically, this week’s episode of Universal Basic Guys sees David battling writer’s block and I don’t know if writer Lucas Gardner had run out of ideas during the process which, anyone watching the Sixers this season will know…never to trust.