Robots and Stunts and Games, Oh My!

Close Enough Episode 5A/5B Review

We are now past the halfway point for the first batch of episodes for Close Enough. So far, my love for this show has not diminished in the slightest. Especially since this next episode has to deal with two of my favorite subjects: technology and video games.

Robot Tutor

When Candice starts struggling in school, her teacher gives her a robot tutor to learn from. However, this robot means that the family has to cancel their planned beach trip, which no one’s happy about.

I will be totally honest with you guys: this segment didn’t click with as much as I wanted it to. I remember how much of a struggle it could be to succeed in school at times. Heck, I still shudder from the memory of math class. But I’ve never been in a position to help me relate to this problem. At least, not yet.

At the least, we get to see Josh being a good dad to Candice, in his own way. He hacks the tutor bot so Candice can get the right answers, but then an evil drone army kidnaps them all and Candice has to save everyone.

Golden Gamer

Like some other episodes, this segment has a main and sub-plot. Unlike others, I don’t know which one is which. There’s this story with Alex trying to get his student’s respect, but that wasn’t the real draw. The real draw was the plot involving Josh.

Josh runs into an old buddy who made it big as a game developer, and we learn that, for a time, Josh was close to making it big as well. Unfortunately, his first, Dude Man, while promising, was too glitchy, and no one would buy it. As a result, Josh tries to finish the game and get the success he came close to having. In typical Quintel fashion, the game character comes to life to help him recapture his 20’s attitude.

I think that this was one of my favorite episodes of the season. Not only do we reaffirm that Josh is a legitimately good game developer that just needs a chance, we also got so major backstory for him. In the episode’s climax, we learn that his failure led to him meeting Emily, their marriage, and the birth of Candice. If Dude Man had been successful the first time around, none of those good things would have happened. Thus, Josh chooses his family over Dude Man in a very touching scene.

An Important Life Lesson

I think the lesson from this episode (the second half, at least) is that just because the dreams you had when you were younger don’t work out doesn’t make you a failure. In fact, the end of one dream can lead to a newer, more meaningful one. In this case, Josh’s initial failure led to him meeting his wife and having his daughter. For their sakes, he won’t stop trying on his own dreams. Whether he succeeds, though, only time will tell.

Oh, and the first half was good, too, I guess.

I Give “Robot Tutor” a 2.5/5 and “Golden Gamer” a 4/5

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Click here to see my review of the entire season.