Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates a Liar

(S02E04)

Chris Rock: Who knew the secret for a guy getting girls was for a guy to get a girl?

I have a friend who came up with the somewhat gauche term "girlfriend stink" to describe that air of confidence a guy has when he's in a relationship that suddenly makes him attractive to women who normally would want nothing to do with him. Chris finds out what that's all about when rumors start to circulate around the neighborhood that he and Tasha, the new girl next door, are dating. Chris figures as long as he responds to every query with "hey, well, you know..." he's safe, since it's a noncommittal answer, but really he just doesn't want anyone to think he's a loser who can't get any girls. Apparently he doesn't realize he's the star of a sitcom about how much it sucks to be a teenager.

Most sitcoms tend to have a main plot and then a subplot or "B" story, but I've noticed this season that Everybody Hates Chris tends to have a couple of subplots in addition to the main one. In this episode Drew, Chris' younger brother, begins to feel neglected by his mother because she never seems to have time for him. While Chris' story had all the funny moments, I thought the dynamic between Drew and his mother felt the most real. I also realized I identify with Drew, though on a smaller scale than I do with Chris. Drew is the independent one in the family and he's more or less left on his own because of it. Growing up, it was often the same way for me. I had my own little world, and I was happy there for the most part, but it's always nice when loved ones stopped by to visit.

The other story involved purchasing goods with stamps by affixing them to pages in a catalog. I had never actually heard of that, but I guess it's no different than food stamps. Unfortunately, all the fridges have been taken so they buy a canoe. I'll repeat that: they live in Brooklyn and they buy a canoe. A rather dumb purchase, but since it's stolen off the top of the car before they even get out, that's kind of a moot point.