Close Enough’s Guide to Relationships

Close Enough Episode 7A/7B Review

So, remember a few posts ago about how I said I’m taking notes on how to be a good parent? Well, after this episode, I’ve added two new notes to my book. Firstly, when I get married, I need to make an effort to keep the romantic spark alive with my spouse. Secondly, I need to make time to spend it with my future kids. This is the Quintel guide to important relationships.

First Date

After a fortuneteller comments on her marriage’s lack of spice, Emily realizes that she and Josh have lost that romantic spark they once had. As a result, the two are determined to rekindle their love by re-enacting their first date at a haunted house. However, the haunted house in question goes way beyond what I can assume is legal to scare them. I mean, I know they signed waivers, but they made them think they were dead at one point! That’s not cool.

As scary as it was, the episode brought up a good point. Love isn’t something that will last on its own forever: it’s something that takes time and effort to maintain. If both parties aren’t careful, they risk losing it forever. While I don’t think I’d go for something this extreme, I can understand where Josh and Emily are coming from. If love could last on its own forever, we wouldn’t have divorces, would we?

Speaking of which, Bridgette winds up on a double date with this guy named Ron (voiced by Chris Parnell) who she thinks she may have a good chance with. However, things don’t go as planned for three reasons: first, Ron won’t stop talking about his trip to Machu Picchu. Second, he’s sewn to his ex-girlfriend. Third, when she calls Alex for backup, he ends up hitting it off with Ron’s ex and makes Bridgette jealous. It’s a very hilarious take on sitcom romances. While the sewn together part does weird me out, though, it did lead to Alex and Bridgette making a connection with each other in the end.

Snailin’ Time

The second half of the episode focuses on Emily’s strained relationship with her daughter. All Candice wants to do is play with her mom, but she’s overwhelmed by the duties her boss gives her. Things come to a head when her boss makes her plant an entire garden at Candice’s school by herself, keeping the two from bonding at all. Frustrated, she takes this magic hat from a giant talking snail that slows down time for her so she can spend more time with her daughter. But then she ends up using it too much, and Quintel shenanigans ensue.

Working full-time can be stressful enough as it is, but doing that while raising a kid can make things even harder. And unfortunately for Emily, she doesn’t know how to stand up to her boss and just say no, and that’s hurting her relationship with her daughter. In my experience, though, family comes before work, and if the boss can’t respect that, then that’s a good sign that you need to work elsewhere. Thankfully, Emily learns to put her foot down once things end, and her boss seems to back off. At least a little.

Relationships Require Work

When you’re an adult and caught up in the hurricane of life, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s important. But you can’t let that happen to you. You need to learn to prioritize what relationships are most important to you and how you maintain them. Otherwise, things may fall apart without even realizing it. At least, that’s the lesson I got from this episode of Close Enough.

I Give “First Date” a 4.5/5, and “Snailin’ Time” A 4/5.

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