Greg Russo’s ex-wife hasn’t been shrouded in mystery, but the only facts about her come from his point of view. Considering her infidelity led to their split five years ago, he (understandably) paints her in a not-so-great light. To be clear: He told Dylan in the series premiere that he often felt lonely in his marriage to Elizabeth Stoddard, an accomplished Ludlow alum whose focus on her career contributed to their marriage collapsing. However, “Mr. Razzles” provides necessary insight into Elizabeth and the relationship she now shares with Greg and Katie. In the process, Rooster explores the Russo family dynamic and makes each of them feel more like multidimensional people. It’s a necessary step forward for the comedy halfway through season one.
As a bonus, Connie Britton—who worked with co-creator Bill Lawrence in Spin City—drops in as Beth and crushes it in her one-episode arc. I hope she finds her way back to Ludlow in the future because Walt thinks Beth’s gunning for his college-president job now that she’s donated a student center and kick-started the campus’ green initiative. But there’s a lot more to glean about Beth and her goals in “Mr. Razzles.” To prepare for her arrival, Greg and Katie decide to host a family fun night. It’s his attempt to befriend his ex for Katie’s sake as much as his own, especially since Beth apparently tried to be civil to him post-divorce before he fled to Florida. It helps that he’s got actual swag now that he’s partied with frat bros and hooked up with Cristle. (He even brings her a cup of his favorite hot chocolate in this episode. Talk about a romantic gesture.)
This newfound confidence fuels Greg’s personality, allowing Carell to continue fleshing out the guy in the same way Jason Segel did in Shrinking‘s initial run. Of the actors leading Lawrence’s various ongoing shows (including Ted Lasso, Bad Monkey, and the Scrubs revival), Carell and Segel share a similar performance style that’s equal parts kooky and heartfelt. Plus, there’s the thematic through-line of the whole father-daughter and found-family thing. And the ensemble around them keeps getting better and better, too. So in Rooster, it’s a delight to see Danielle Deadwyler sharpen her comedic skills. John C. McGinley also settles into this world (although I don’t need to see him in a sauna in every damn episode), and Charly Clive and Robby Hoffman emerge as breakouts. With Britton as a guest star, the HBO show only levels up further.
