Stick Season 1, Episode 5, “The Birdie Machine,” may not open up the mysteries of the universe, but it is where this sports comedy finds its footing to do so. Written by Bill Callahan and directed by Jaffar Mahmood, this episode is the show’s strongest, most even outing yet. A particularly poignant sequence (More on that later!) all but elicits the sound of Stick clicking into place.
“The Birdie Machine,” which features some of the best character work this season, is an overwhelmingly good sign for Stick. The biggest drawback is that it takes half the season to get here. After all, external factors mean shows aren’t often guaranteed the time to build an audience over multiple seasons. Nevertheless, the characters and their world develop in a way that helps the Apple TV+ sports comedy continue down a primarily positive road.
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Marc Maron and Mariana Treviño in “Stick,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. 
Peter Dager, Marc Maron and Owen Wilson in “Stick,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. 
Peter Dager, Lilli Kay and Owen Wilson in “Stick,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
It’s Not Really About the Golf
One of the best things “The Birdie Machine” does early is reintroduce the sport at its core. A mid-season check-in works because Zero is relatively new to the formalities of the game. However, it’s challenging to believe they learned all of those gestures presumably overnight. Nevertheless, after how little the previous episode reveals about Zero, that scene makes it seem as though Stick will now utilize them to teach the audience more about golf. Thankfully, “The Birdie Machine” shakes that off by getting to know Zero – a little.
The episode also assuages any concerns that knowledge of golf’s specifics matters for one to enjoy Stick. If it doesn’t before, “The Birdie Machine” ensures that golf is more of an albeit fragile communication tool; it brings the characters together and threatens to pull them apart. Golf starts to matter, not because of the wins and losses, but because of what it means to the characters.
Until “The Birdie Machine,” that sentiment doesn’t come across as smoothly. This episode pulls it off because the character work is predominantly strong. Consequently, that first scene that showcases budding relationships between he characters through the dialogue’s rhythm finds symmetry with the montage.
MORE: Did you miss our review of Stick‘s first three episodes?
A Golfer and Their Caddy
The main reason that’s possible is the depth “The Birdie Machine” starts to uncover with Zero. Stick avoids any frustration looming from the character’s mystery by having Mitts keep his guard up and Elena reach out. That in-show acknowledgement naturally evolves into the episode, revealing just enough about Zero. It’s a succinct character description, but knowing that Zero feels safe and runs away when they don’t says plenty. That information alone infuses personal stakes into Zero agreeing to go on this trip; their motivation starts to extend beyond Pryce’s compensation for Zero being Santi’s caddie.
Nevertheless, the romantic turn between Santi and Zero feels a bit out of place. Then again, it adds to the delicacy of the characters’ current situations. “The Birdie Machine” does such a great job of compounding the interconnecting mind games that run alongside golf. The stakes – the most paramount being that this found family can break up – start to take solid shape.
They find their backbone in Pryce and Mitts’ big confrontation, in which Owen Wilson and Marc Maron deliver fantastic, vulnerable performances. There is as much said between Pryce and Mitts as there is unsaid. The scene is laden with broader context and deeper history. That sequence, hinging on the integral dynamic between a golfer and their caddie, is when Stick’s voice is most clear. Its meditations on golf, grief, and everything in between are confident. That scene is when this sports comedy locks into where it needs to be – winning form.
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What did you think of the first three episodes of Stick Season 1, Episode 5, “The Birdie Machine”? Let us know in the comments below!
New episodes of Stick stream every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
