Trying Too Hard to Be Cool is Not Cool

Close Enough Season 1, Episode 4a/4B Review

You know what I’ve learned? That trying to force yourself to be cool or clinging too hard to your younger days can backfire on you. BIG TIME. Something that Josh and Emily both learn the hard way in this episode of Close Enough.

Prank War

Desperate to relive his glory days as a prankster, Josh decides to declare a prank war on the inhabitants of the apartment. Something that gets him called out on for being a desperate way to cling to his lost youth. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Josh included, his terrible pranks end up with a guy in a coma and Emily and Bridgette in jail.

This isn’t the first time that Quintel’s tackled the idea of a prank war. Fans of Regular Show will recall the exploits of Muscle Man, who, admittedly, was great at them. However, it’s apparent that Josh is no Muscle Man. In fact, the harder he tries to prank people, the further away from cool he gets. And given how the episode ends, I doubt Josh has learned his lesson.

Cool Moms

Fed up with having to spend time with the normal mom’s and boring conversations, Emily tries to get in with the cool moms. So, she sets up Candice to hang out with the coolest kid in her class, Nia so she can chug beers with her biker mom, Jojo. But is there a fine line between being a cool mom and being a good mom? After this episode, I’d say yes.

I’ve seen a lot of cool parents in shows before. While I can’t exactly say what makes a cool parent, I know what makes a great parent. A great parent knows how to balance the fun with their kids and when to be responsible and look after them. And after seeing how Jojo raises her daughter recklessly, I can tell that, while cool, she’s not a great parent. While Emily may not be a cool biker mom, she realizes that all Candice cares about is being her mom.

As for the guys, they go on a road trip with Randy when he thinks his Mom’s been kidnapped. I think that the B-plot wound up detracting from the main story though.

Good episode all around, though.

I Give “Prank War” a 4/5 and “Cool Moms” a 3/5

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