Mean-spirited fun
It’s not all light and airy, but that’s the appeal
Krysten Ritter’s charm makes Apt. 23 worth checking in to. Preview,
Don’t Trust the B - - - - in Apt. 23 ABC, tonight, 9:30 ET/PT out of four
First impressions can be deceiving. Odds are, some people will be put off by the title alone of ABC’S latest Modern Family companion. Even if you make it past the credits, you may be a bit put off by the “B” in question, a morality-challenged Manhattan hipster named Chloe who sees it as her life’s mission to rid the city of the gullible and naïve — after, of course, conning them out of their money.
Wait. As played with an undertone of glowing goodwill by an enchanting Krysten Ritter, Chloe is one of the most appealing characters the new season has brought. She doesn’t exactly have a heart of gold under all that brass, and her moral compass is stuck on “what’s best for me,” but she’s often a better friend than you’d expect.
That’s good news for her best friend: James Van Der Beek, playing a very funny version of himself in a well-executed spoof of celebrity self-absorption. It even turns out to be good news for one of her marks, an equally excellent Dreama Walker as Chloe’s new roommate, June (who isn’t quite the mark Chloe takes her for).
We’ve seen characters like Chloe before, of course. As series creator Nahnatchka Khan has said, Chloe’s obsessions with clothes, money, parties and sex make her the latest variant on Holly Golightly of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. But this time Holly has a sweet, small-town — and smarter than she appears — roommate both influencing her and being influenced by her.
That’s the dance the show has set for itself (dance being a running theme, as one of the more amusing subplots involves Van Der Beek joining Dancing With the Stars). Chloe does something terrible — insulting June’s friends, setting up a soft-core website, choosing yet another inappropriate sexual partner — and June’s weekly task is to change her, top her, or discover that her bad behavior stems from good intentions.
It’s a tricky dance, to keep up the metaphor, and while the show generally maneuvers well, it occasionally stumbles. Apt. 23 can be a bit too casually mean, and it has to be careful to keep Chloe away from sympathetic targets. And while puzzles are fun, episodes that feel like they’re elevating puzzles over plot can quickly suck the fun out of a series. Not yet, mind you; Apt. 23 seems set for a stellar spring run. But it is something the writers need to watch.
As entertaining as it may be, Apt. 23 does seem like an odd tonal match for the sweeter, more realistic Modern Family. Still, it’s nice to see ABC giving a great time slot to a very good show — not just because the show deserves a chance, but because it’s a good sign that the network is invested in the series.
For those who tend to avoid shows that look dead on arrival, that sign of network support is one first impression you should take at face value.