FX’s dark comedy Wilfred season 2 premiere airs June 28 at 10 p.m. ET, and we’ve put together a guide so you can brush up on your Wilfred history. Maybe you missed the first season or hadn’t yet heard of the show; we highly recommend checking it out.
As fans ourselves, we felt it was our duty to urge readers who weren’t fans already to check out this fresh and witty show. We’ve found that Wilfred can be polarizing to viewers, some finding it an asinine concept, while legions of others can’t wait to cackle for 30 minutes straight. We found ourselves anxiously waiting to find out what madness Wilfred had gotten Ryan into each week and we think you’ll feel the same.
Ryan
The show follows Ryan, played by a hilariously intelligent Elijah Wood. Ryan was previously a lawyer at his father’s law firm, but due to the apparently terrible acts he’d committed during his law practice, he decides in the first episode of season 1 to quit his cushy, guilt-ridden job and commit suicide. He downs a bottle of anti-depressants, writes a goodbye letter and awaits the inevitable.
Luckily, he survives the attempted suicide. Ryan, perplexed by the inability to take his own life, rings his doctor and sister Kristen, played by Dorian Brown. He sheepishly explains to her that he may have taken too many pills and she reveals to him that she had only prescribed him sugar pills, a placebo, in an attempt to get his life back on track.
Jenna
Soon after, Ryan’s beautiful, bubbly, and very needy neighbor Jenna, played by Fiona Gubelmann, arrives at his doorstep in need of a big favor: take care of her dog while she’s at work. Ryan is quick to take on the task, due to his obvious lust for Jenna.
This is when the show gets real…
or does it?
Ryan at first begins to question his sanity, as he attempts to listen to his neighbor explain her situation, all the while staring at a grown man in a ridiculous dog suit, standing in front of him. She quickly explains to Ryan that this is Wilfred, her dog. He waits for Jenna to tell the punchline, but it never comes and she leaves the man in a cheap dog suit with Ryan.
Wilfred
Wilfred is the dog…or man, who is played by Australian comedian and actor Jason Gann, who also writes for the show (including its previous Australian version).
The show continues each week with Ryan seeing and interacting with Wilfred as a grown man in a dog suit, albeit still acting like a dog, while the rest of the world sees him as just a normal dog.
This results in some insane scenarios, like when Ryan is at a restaurant and ends up witnessing Wilfred hump a waitress in public, only to see her react as if he’s a cute and adorable dog. Or when Wilfred is able to convince Ryan to take a dump in his annoying neighbor’s boot, because he keeps making such a racket at night while working on his motorcycle.
We quickly find out how any normal situation can turn completely abnormal as soon as a man in a dog suit is added to the equation.
Themes
Each week’s episode is titled after an intriguing theme of some sort, such as Happiness, Pride, and Doubt, presented in a famous quote. Every episode Wilfred attempts to teach Ryan said themes, in the most horrendous and ridiculous ways imaginable. Wilfred constantly causes Ryan problems while attempting to help him, and he’s almost always worse off at the end of each episode than he was at the start.
The writing is impeccable, which was essential for this absurd comedy to succeed. This isn’t your average TV comedy, where cliche jokes are used on command to achieve guaranteed laughs, you’ll be in stitches from one-liners and scenarios you couldn’t have ever imagined. It’s also surprisingly thought provoking; you’ll find yourself going back and re-watching episodes to see what clues you might have missed. Sometimes it feels like you’re attempting to decipher an episode of Lost that’s been directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which just so happens to include a man in a cheap dog suit smoking a three-foot bong.
“EVERYTHING HAS TO DO WITH EVERYTHING” – Wilfred
The season 1 finale left Wilfred’s audience debating for weeks as to whether Ryan had been hallucinating the entire first season or not, so we wouldn’t be suprised if the writers in season 2 completely melted what’s left of our brains.
The comedy is vulgar and at times, quite childish, yet remains a comedic breath of fresh air during a time of stale and safe TV comedies. Elijah Wood’s acting will surprise you every week as the somber and neurotic Ryan, while Jason Gann’s mischievous, pot smoking, stuffed animal-fornicating Wilfred has simply become gut-wrenching comedy gold.
Season 2 Promo
Season 2 officially begins June 28, but a special preview episode will air tomorrow, June 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET, featuring Robin Williams as Ryan’s psychiatrist. Ryan attempts to come to grips with not knowing whether his time with Wilfred has been real or not. This preview follows a repeat of the season 1 finale episode of Wilfred, which airs at 10 p.m. ET, so it would be a great time to get your first whiff of the hilarious hound.
You can already watch the entire special preview of Wilfred season 2 at FX.com, along with a few episodes from season 1. If you have a subscription to Netflix, you can catch the entire first season of Wilfred there as well.
Be sure to let us know what you think of the special preview and whether you’re interested in season 2. We’ll also be doing an analysis of the episodes each week after they air. If you’re already a Wilfred fan, drop us some of your favorite moments or quotes from season 1 in the comments.
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