April 13, 2011 – The Television Comedy Happy Endings Premieres on ABC
“Dave, I’m sorry, I can’t do this.”
On April 13, 2011, the television comedy Happy Endings premiered on ABC. As a mid-season replacement. The show is about six friends trying to navigate their lives after the disastrous breakup of couple Dave and Alex. Although receiving negative reviews from its conception, the reviews quickly started to warm, with the third and final season receiving critical acclaim. However, due to low rating s thanks to irregular scheduling, the show was canceled after 57 episodes. The series was created by David Caspe, and starred Eliza Coupe as Jane, Elisha Cuthbert as Alex, Zachary Knighton as Dave, Adam Pally as Max, Damon Wayans, Jr. as Brad, and Casey Wilson as Penny.
The episode begins at the wedding of Dave and Alex, with the wedding interrupted by a strange man yelling out that he loves Alex before coming in on rollerblades to whisk her away. Alex quickly whispers to Dave that she’s sorry before fleeing the church with the stranger, leaving Dave standing there in confusion. The bridesmaids and groomsmen gather at the local bar afterwards and discuss how terrible this event was, with Dave’s friend Brad and his wife Jane (also Alex’s sister) discussing their pregnancy plans. Dave texts bridesmaid and friend Penny that he’s “good in the hood,” causing the entire group to cringe, and groomsman Max proposes a toast as this will be the last time they will all be together. Jane predicts that a week later, they’ll all be back at the church and laughing about the whole ordeal while Dave and Alex get married. One week later, however, Dave is curled up on the couch, crying. Jane, Penny, Brad, and Max stop by to check on him, and they’re concerned about how he is. Max wants to take him out to meet a new girl, but Dave refuses to go, reassuring them that he’ll be fine. Brad breaks the news that Alex went on the honeymoon with the roller-blade guy, so Alex agrees to go out with his friends.
The group watches in horror as Dave tries to get over Alex by dancing with a girl at the club
The group watches as Dave dances with a girl in the club, and they are concerned with his behavior. The next morning, Alex shows up at his apartment to talk, but he refuses to talk to her. She tries to apologize, but he won’t hear it. She claims that Beau – the man on the rollerblades – was just someone she flirted with a bit at the office, and she didn’t know why he’s think she’d run away with him, but Dave replies it was because she did run away with Beau. She says she didn’t run away with Beau, she just ran away. When Dave claims that Alex is the only girl he ever even liked, the girl he danced with at the club walks out, naked, asking if he’d seen her tongue ring. Later, Alex goes to the gym with Penny and Jane, asking them why they let Dave go home with a girl from the club. Penny warns Alex that the dating scene has changed massively in the last ten years, and she better be ready. Jane asks Penny to talk to Dave at Penny’s party, but Alex asks if she can skip the party instead.
Max has offered to move in as Dave’s new roommate, and he and Brad ask if Dave will attend Penny’s party. Dave replies that of course he will, and will handle himself like an adult. He shows up at the party with the girl from the club, named Jackie, and uses her to make Alex jealous. Penny shows up to her celebration with her new boyfriend, who Max instantly pegs as gay. Penny scoffs, saying she would know if her boyfriend was gay, to which Max retorts that Penny had no idea he was gay when they dated in college. Brad shows up with balloons celebrating Penny’s 30th (although she claims she’s 26), and Jackie lets slip that she’s still in high school. The dinner is a silent affair, but when the conversation starts, it’s rather strained, until Dave gives a speech about how dating is a lot of work, and everyone’s secrets come out in the open. Jane blames Alex for ruining her life and destroying their friendships, and the party ends in a shambles, which leaves only Dave and Alex at the table. The next morning Max, Penny, Jane, and Brad sit around a table at a diner eating breakfast, and muse on the events of the party. They realize they need to choose between Dave or Alex, until they are surprised with the two of them walking into the diner together. They’ve agreed to be friends, with Alex wanting to keep the group together more than anything. They sit and enjoy Penny’s birthday cake, with Dave and Alex sharing a smile across the table.
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