Rooster Season 1, Episode 2, “Trousers,” addresses how plans change while asking if people can, too. This episode, written by Annie Mebane and directed by Jonathan Krisel, pushes the characters to find a way forward after relatively significant setbacks. Of course, that process is easier said than done, as big egos and new deals stretch the ensemble.
All the while, Ludlow College and its surrounding college town start to come into their own. Smaller characters – Archie’s students, Dylan’s student, Eva, and the barista, Beverley – and niche locations become bigger parts of the story. One of the best things to come out of “Trousers” is the solidification of Dylan and Walt’s dynamic. For example, their conversations about the Ludlow Review’s expansion do a lot to inform the liberal arts college’s environment.
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Dylan, Walt, and Coffee Walks
It’s particularly effective to use that practical thing to explore the sentimentality between Dylan and Walt. Oddly, the dialogue around their “coffee walks” is a bit stilted for something that is meant to be standard. They’re so famous that Cristle knows how to schedule them into Walt’s plans, yet “Trousers” never actually shows one. Seeing Dylan and Walt on a cathartic and productive “coffee walk” would make Dylan’s denial of one hit a lot stronger in the end. Maybe Dylan and Walt patch up their friendship on a “coffee walk.
The episode suggests that it may take time, thanks to the introduction of Alan Ruck’s Dean Riggs and all the conflict he brings with him. Despite his position, this character appears to stand in direct opposition to what helps liberal arts colleges stand out. He’s not even subtle, brazenly saying things like, “What an unladylike way to ask.” There’s not much to root for in Dean Riggs after “Trousers.” It’ll be interesting to see if Rooster uses him as its version of a mustache-twirling villain. Then again, that’s also a pretty interesting place to grow from if the show is interested.
Those moving parts come together in the really great scene between Dylan and Walt in the money-sucking student center that happens to be named in honor of Greg’s ex-wife. That modern set feels like an apt place for Walt to break the news that something as institutional to the school as the Ludlow Review has to permanently move online. John C. McGinley’s delivery of “I read it cover to cover every year. I’m really sorry,” captures how devastating it is to lose that publication in print, impacting their friendship.
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Archie, Sunny, and Being Perplexing
“Trousers” does much more to define Archie and Sunny’s relationship. However, again, the woman comes out as the better and more interesting person in the relationship. Sunny is a catch! Regardless, this episode sort of stages their relationship as something that started as casual and takes a hard turn into serious with the pregnancy. In both instances, Sunny comes across as more mature: “Every human is a mixed bag.” She’s also secure when Archie constantly seeks validation: “Well, then I move on.” This episode spotlights Archie’s hubris; he’s so painfully selfish that everything is an inconvenience to him.
That said, there’s an equal measure of absurdity and authenticity in the scene where Archie tells his student, Gina, whose name he does not know, that his plan has gone off its tracks. Phil Dunster’s performance is incredible; his line reads about Costco and geo-political nonfiction emphasize how wild this character is while finding something honest. The character goes from doing gymnastics to distance himself to being unable to think of anything else. The consequences catch up to Archie in that near-breathless dialogue, and Dunster highlights the humor while also making it all quite sad.
Rooster also establishes that there are real feelings between Sunny and Archie. For Sunny, that manifests in taking the time to help Archie cover up his eye. There’s also a brief point in Lauren Tsai’s performance when the hurt washes across Sunny’s face when she realizes that Archie didn’t tell her about Katie. For Archie, his feelings only feel more true at the very end of “Trousers” – after he reaches rock bottom on the other side of Greg and the key-holding ladle. Needless to say, there’s plenty for Rooster to explore.
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Katie and Greg’s Next Steps at Ludlow
The handheld camera and webcam’s perspective embed the audience in the chaos. It’s also so good because Steve Carell and Dunster commit to the bit – they break a bed! Also, with that, “Trousers” subverts the expectation that Greg won’t learn about the pregnancy until later in the season. Regardless, it’s telling that Katie believes Sunny’s pregnancy will reflect poorly on her, furthering her humiliation. That self-talk – backed up by those who think like Dean Riggs – makes it understandable that Katie wishes to move on. Rooster nails the reveal of her resignation in the largest font imaginable.
Greg’s mission to get Katie to stay is the perfect excuse for Rooster to explore the college town. It’s so charming that it has a year-round Christmas store with the best hot chocolate. That wintery backdrop is the ideal set-up for Katie to lash out at Greg. Charly Clive and Carell are fantastic at letting that scene play out as honestly as possible. Katie tries to claw it back, and Greg tries not to let it show how much it hurts him. Greg takes the writer-in-residence gig to save Katie’s job, but that scene also makes it a progressive choice for Greg.
As for the show’s title, maybe it’s naive to think there wouldn’t be so many roosters already. It’s easy to wonder if there will be a different rooster in every episode – the book in the first, the weathervane in the second. The latter becomes a great device to show how far Greg will go to help Katie. His quest for the rooster actualizes his identification as “a swooper.” That scene with Greg and Dylan features more great work from Carell and Danielle Deadwyler. Her advice is also a nice way for Rooster to incorporate some of her backstory without being too heavy-handed with exposition. It’s only that Greg’s attempts to find a way to show Katie that he cares often arise out of the fear that she’ll inherit what he believes to be his weaknesses. But Greg can’t tell Katie to be brave without doing so himself.
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