The Last Man On Earth, “Crickets” (2.5) - TV Review

October 25th, 9:30pm, FOX

The Last Man On Earth continues exploring the lows people will sink to in order to enjoy savory food – transitioning from cheese last week to bacon this week. On the way, some friendships are strengthened as Phil and Carol finally begin to interact more with the rest of the group, allowing the supporting cast to get some depth which has been lacking so far this season.

“Crickets” opens with Phil acknowledging that he is still on thin ice with the group. Some poor efforts at humor do not help alleviate the tension and are largely met with silence – and crickets. The discovery of the crickets delights the group at first, but that later turns to revulsion when the insects turn into a new food source. As Carol points out, most of the canned foods they’ve been surviving off of are expiring and new sources of food will be needed soon. Graduating from raisin balls to cricket casserole, Carol’s culinary skills once again get a dismal reaction.

Meanwhile, Todd declines the cricket casserole and, instead, sneaks off on his own – as was teased last week. Phil later observes Todd walking out of a mysterious house and it is there that he discovers a freezer filled with bacon – 42 packages to be exact – that Todd had been hiding from the rest of the group.

Phil confronts Todd about the secret bacon but, rather than turn him in, he seeks to use the discovery as an opportunity to bond. Unfortunately for Phil, Todd still hasn’t forgiven Phil for the almost ditching him and leaving him for dead in Tucson. Todd contends that the time they spend together is only about the bacon.

Carol is also aiming to mend fences with Erica, who blames Carol for her break-up with the other Phil. At first, Carol attempts to simply discourage his advances by wearing more boring clothing instead of her usual wardrobe which would typically feature pineapples or giraffes. But when that doesn’t work, she tries to get Erica to see that she is not responsible for actions by the other Phil. Instead, Carol suggests that the new world the group has created in Malibu should be one without cat fights over men. Though Erica still continues to roll her eyes in Carol’s general direction, she eventually does confront the other Phil about how hurtful it is when he flirts with Carol.

Gail and Melissa also share a moment after Melissa cuts her finger and Gail offers, a little too gleefully, to stitch it back up while at least slightly intoxicated.

In the end, after finishing off nearly 40 packages of bacon with Todd, Phil takes the final three packages and delivers them as a gift to the rest of the group while giving Todd all the credit. He does this as a gesture to Todd, who is suffering with guilt about all the lies he has told while eating the bacon in secret. However, despite his best intentions, Phil fails to properly dispose of the old bacon wrappers and they are soon discovered by the rest of the group.

Phil attempts to take the blame for the bacon, claiming it was he who ate it in secret the whole time. Todd eventually comes clean, even as Phil continues to try to confess to the wrongdoing. In the end, Phil is back in the stocks – but this time he’s joined by Todd, who sees Phil as a friend now. Though it may not look like he’s made much progress from two episodes ago, Phil has finally won over someone in the group besides Carol.

While not as strong as some of the earlier episodes this season, “Crickets” does a good job of planting the seeds for new friendships as Phil and Carol interact more with the supporting cast. This provided an opportunity for great moments like Phil’s and Todd’s simultaneous admissions of guilt, which was delivered pitch perfectly and was equal parts sad and absurd.

The Roundup

• “You certainly have a way with crickets!”
• “They’re all eating bugs, man. Bugs!”
• “I pulled a gun on him. You guys know I do that from time to time.”