TV Review: Whitney - "Getting to Know You"

Season 1 - Episode 7

NBC (US)

The more Alex is used in Whitney, the better the show is. When Whitney is with Alex, her character also becomes better. "Getting to Know You" sees Whitney deciding she needs make an effort to get involved in Alex's hobbies in order to get closer to him. The results aren't hilarious, but are fairly amusing.

While on a double date with Roxanne, Whitney realises that Alex had a host of hobbies before they were together that he has since given up. Wanting to get more involved, she decides to play raquetball with him, and fails miserably at it. After an offhand comment from Alex suggests that she is not athletic, Whitney challenges him to a game of basketball, which is utter chaos, and really pretty funny. It's a good showing from Whitney and Alex this week, which is just as well, given the mess that is the B-plot.

And I'm not even going to talk about said B-plot. It involves Lily trying to embrace Neal's Indian heritage, only for him to tell her not to bother. It's not big, it's not clever, it's not funny.

And that's the real problem with Whitney so far in its run. Not enough of it is funny. While there are some good laughs in every episode, there's also large stretches that just aren't. There's a new timeslot coming for the show in midseason (one that really should have gone to Community, but let's not digress), and hopefully that leads to the writers tightening things up. There's a good show in here, waiting to come out, it just needs more consistency.

***