The magic of services like Hulu is that you can always jump back in time to see what a show WAS and compare it to what it currently IS. In the case of LMS it's a very morose endeavor; this episode displays that perfectly. Too much of the time I'm thinking how really terrible it's all become. Litening to the dialog from the "Jen" character trying to fit in at Outdoor Man was really just awful; unfunny, uncomfortable to watch, conversations that really are just - well, stupid. Hearing the words coming from Kyle are just more of the same, making me yearn for the days long ago when the cartoon-like character was FUNNY. If not for Tim Allen's blog reference to Faulkner's "The Bear" (making me wonder how the writers who created this mess could even have heard of Faulkner) I'd have used 1 star.
But what really hurts is being able to go back and watch almost any episode from Season 1 and remember what promise this series held. The concept (a mostly-absent Dad suddenly once again part of an all-female family, hence the title) was so fresh, the writing so sharp, the laughs genuine. Allen making Tim the Toolman smarter, more aware, less a caricature but just as funny yet more relevant. The daughters were more "real", especially Alexandra Krosney as the teen actually battling to keep it all together as a single Mom. Sheltered by an affluent family but fighting to prove her independence she was the perfect comic foil for her 2 very different sisters. Replacing her with the more male, aggressive and overly plus-sized Amanda Fuller in season two and expanding the male cast (we really didn't NEED adding the annoying Ryan and older Boyd to trash the whole "Last Man" concept, much less more men to come in Chuck and Jay Leno's Joe). It showed the series writing was going to take some very wrong turns, as "Last Man" morphed into "Mostly Men" - to the Outdoor Man Boy's Club and beyond.
The ability of it to survive so long is really a testament to Allen's overwhelming talent (his VLogs were a terrific vehicle), his chemistry with the lovely Nancy Travis and the interplay with Allen's girls, especially his Alpha Male interactions with the very female Molly Ephraim version of Mandy. And Kaitlyn Dever's Eve was the perfect cement to keep the two opposites together. In contrast, her replacement Jen character was really a train wreck.
So really funny became really uncomfortable and watching "Butterfly Effect" puts the flaws on full display. The scenario has sunk so low and the writing so awful it will be a blessing to put the series out of it's misery. But if you can, go back to Season 1 and watch "Last Halloween Standing", "House Rules" or the Christmas episode. Try not to lose it during the sisters video about Mandy's "Pie Rack" in the "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" episode. They're excellent. "Butterfly Effect" certainly ISN'T.
It's very telling that the critics hated season 1 but loved what followed, yet audiences loved season 1 and NOT the rest. The average 9+ million viewers of season 1 would never be duplicated again, not it's 3.4 share of the 18-49 crowd. It's easy to see why.
But what really hurts is being able to go back and watch almost any episode from Season 1 and remember what promise this series held. The concept (a mostly-absent Dad suddenly once again part of an all-female family, hence the title) was so fresh, the writing so sharp, the laughs genuine. Allen making Tim the Toolman smarter, more aware, less a caricature but just as funny yet more relevant. The daughters were more "real", especially Alexandra Krosney as the teen actually battling to keep it all together as a single Mom. Sheltered by an affluent family but fighting to prove her independence she was the perfect comic foil for her 2 very different sisters. Replacing her with the more male, aggressive and overly plus-sized Amanda Fuller in season two and expanding the male cast (we really didn't NEED adding the annoying Ryan and older Boyd to trash the whole "Last Man" concept, much less more men to come in Chuck and Jay Leno's Joe). It showed the series writing was going to take some very wrong turns, as "Last Man" morphed into "Mostly Men" - to the Outdoor Man Boy's Club and beyond.
The ability of it to survive so long is really a testament to Allen's overwhelming talent (his VLogs were a terrific vehicle), his chemistry with the lovely Nancy Travis and the interplay with Allen's girls, especially his Alpha Male interactions with the very female Molly Ephraim version of Mandy. And Kaitlyn Dever's Eve was the perfect cement to keep the two opposites together. In contrast, her replacement Jen character was really a train wreck.
So really funny became really uncomfortable and watching "Butterfly Effect" puts the flaws on full display. The scenario has sunk so low and the writing so awful it will be a blessing to put the series out of it's misery. But if you can, go back to Season 1 and watch "Last Halloween Standing", "House Rules" or the Christmas episode. Try not to lose it during the sisters video about Mandy's "Pie Rack" in the "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" episode. They're excellent. "Butterfly Effect" certainly ISN'T.
It's very telling that the critics hated season 1 but loved what followed, yet audiences loved season 1 and NOT the rest. The average 9+ million viewers of season 1 would never be duplicated again, not it's 3.4 share of the 18-49 crowd. It's easy to see why.
