Butterknife: Bongo Board

While I'm talking about things in a timely and topical manner, I've decided to go back and start catching up on the Butterknife episodes I haven't written about. At this point, Butterknife has announced itself as a very physical series. Plastic Hassle revolved around people sitting and talking to each other, but Sicilian Style and Key Witness use the physical awkwardness of Ronnie and Mary for great comic effect. This week's episode, in particular the second half with Ronnie and Mary, seems a combination of elements from all three previous episodes. Ronnie and Mary try to balance on the titular board and then talk about Mary's day at the hospital. Though the physical aspects of the episode aren't as funny as Ronnie having to use a 3 point turn to get away from the guy who has confronted him or Mary getting stuck under the bed, they continue to tell more about how close Mary and Ronnie are.

The first half of the episode is unlike anything we've seen before in Butterknife. In fact, the emotional directness of the conversation reminded me of the voiceovers from Eric Rohmer's first two moral tales. If Sean Williams had extended his discussion of how he treats his girlfriend, it could have served as the same sort of obsessive narration as in The Girl at the Monceau Bakery. This sort of discussion is fascinating to watch, especially juxtaposed with the physical nature of the second half of the episode. Though it isn't my favorite episode so far (I don't know if the series will ever quite beat Mary and the bed), this certainly indicates good things for the future of Butterknife.