I'm Dying Up Here - My Rifle, My Pony and Me - Review

This week's episode of I'm Dying Up Here kept the show going on the same track, but with a slight twist. This time, several characters revealed their true nature in an episode devoted to honesty and vulnerability.

While Eddie is working hard at the deli and gets one of his jokes stolen by a radio host, Ron continues to go to A.A. meetings to practice his comedy. At Goldie's, the best blondes of the show are working together on Cassie's gig for the Girls Are Funny, Too special and, outside of the club, Eddie helps Cassies too. Meanwhile, Adam's new "friend" Royce is trying to tell Goldie how to use Adam, and Adam is not particularly thrilled about it. When a doorman gets very upset of another doorman because he gets to perform on stage, Ron inherits the doorman's job, which helps put him on Goldie's radar. But when she actually sees him performs, he bombs really bad. And while all of this is happening, Bill and Nick are somewhat bonding while Edgar and Ralph are getting in trouble on a road trip to Las Vegas. So all in all, everyone was rather busy in "My Rifle, My Pony and I"...

But what makes this episode actually interesting is how it explored different aspects of the I'm Dying Up Here set of characters. After he bombs, we get to see the real Ron, the one who is vulnerable and insecure. He and Maggie argue a lot in the episode because she does not understand why he is so upset, and the contrast between the two characters offers dynamic interactions between them. In the end, Ron goes to another A.A. meeting where he finally reveals the truth to his audience: he's not an alcoholic and has been using them to work on his stand up. At last, Ron reveals his sensitivity and shows a new side of himself we didn't get to see so far.

This idea of hiding one's identity behind jokes comes around within Cassie's storyline as well. While Goldie tells her to not make "dead parents" jokes for the comedy special, Cassie feels like it is betraying who she is as a comedian. She discusses it with Eddie who points out that comics' material comes from their experiences. "Jokes are not just jokes because you're in there somewhere," he tells her. However, if Cassie is struggling to figure out who she wants to be as a comedian, she is also not seeing Eddie for who he really is. The latter, whom Cassie only sees as a friend, has different intentions and actually has a crush on her. As people seem to keep misjudging Eddie, he finally explodes at the end of the episode in a scene where he deals with the guy who stole his joke with the help of his fists (and Nick and Bill). But that scene is not just about kicking somebody's ass, it's also about showing that Eddie is not just a nice guy, but that he can also stand up for himself and show to Cassie that they are not just friends.

Everyone in this episode either realizes what another character's real intentions are, or just become more honest. On their trip to Vegas, Edgar and Ralph are arrested because Edgar was carrying a ridiculous amount of THC. As one can expect, that upsets Ralph a lot and he fights with Edgar about how selfish the latter can be. Once again in this scene, a character's true nature is discussed and shifts the relationship between people.

If I'm Dying Up Here is still not a success, at least this new episode did a good job taking time exploring the conflicts within its characters. Some characters and storylines could be fleshed out more, but at this point in the season it seems unlikely any progress will be done.