Bye, George – As the opening episode of Mid-Century Modern begins, Arthur Broussard (Nathan Lee Graham) tells Bunny Schneiderman (Nathan Lane) it’s a strange feeling that it’s just them and Jerry Frank (Matt Bomer). Arthur tells Bunny to stop trying to cry. Bunny says he wants George’s family to know he’s sad. Arthur claims he just looks like a reluctant bottom. They look at George’s body in his coffin. Jerry arrives late and explains they had an emergency landing in Tucson because a service dog killed an emotional support chicken. Jerry looks at George. They wonder whether they’ll ever smile again. When a man walks by, they quickly forget their grief. Bunny tells Jerry that was the UPS guy who found George. They go to Bunny’s residence. Arthur is surprised he got all of that by selling bras.
Bunny says they’ll have a Bunny Hutch store in 31 states as of next month. Arthur points out the photo of their first year at the Fire Island house in the Summer of ’94. Later, they all talk about old times. One picture is from the time George and Jerry were dating. Bunny sees a picture of them performing on the dock. He suspects they were the first all-male girl group. Jerry turns on music and tries to get the others to sing along. He stops the music when George’s part comes on. They begin talking about George’s death and how sad it is. Bunny complains that George had no one to erase his search history. He questions who will delete their search histories since they all live alone. Jerry reminds him he lives with his mother. Bunny doesn’t think Sybil (Linda Lavin) will be able to help because she’ll be gone soon enough. Bunny is convinced they’re all miserable.
He invites Arthur and Frank to move in with him. Bunny says they should be together while they still can. He says they can still date. He even has a date tonight after meeting a man on a dating app for discerning older gentlemen and the younger men who love them, Gay December Romance. Bunny shows them pictures of Antonio (Renan Pacheco). Later, Antonio arrives at Bunny’s door. In bed, Antonio tries to convince Bunny to take his clothes off. Bunny isn’t ready for that. He wants to know everything about Antonio who says his last name is Sandoval. Antonio is a trainer at Equinox although he’d prefer to do something different. He says he doesn’t have what Bunny has. Bunny believes anything is possible. Antonio suspects he must have a partner. Bunny always thought he’d have a husband by now, but it just never happened. Antonio tells him it’s never too late. Jerry tells Arthur they should move in with Bunny.
Arthur considers leaving New York. He says the only negative is the fact that Sybil lives there, but she’ll be in assisted living soon enough. Sybil overhears him. Arthur claims she’s racist. Sybil says she’s never had a problem with him because he’s black. She had a problem with him because he’s a b**ch. Arthur accepts that before they talk about him being fired from Vogue. Sybil speaks to Jerry. She’s thrilled Jerry is going to move in. Sybil tells Arthur he’s not going to stick her in an assisted living facility. She has a lot to do including getting her daughter, Mindy, married. Jerry thought she was married. Sybil says she was. Once Sybil leaves, Arthur says there’s no way that woman could’ve produced a straight son. Bunny joins them and tells them about his night. Jerry reveals they’re going to move to Palm Springs. Bunny appears to be having second thoughts. Arthur tells Jerry to get their bags because they’re leaving. He believes Bunny thinks he’s in love and they have a future.
Bunny admits Antonio was asked to move in because he likes his stretch marks. Arthur and Bunny argue. Arthur claims Bunny spent the night with a hustler and mistook it for love. It’ll make him happy when Antonio is done with him so he can tell him he told him so. Arthur admits he’s baffled. Despite success in every aspect of Bunny’s life, he still believes he’s unworthy of real love. Arthur and Jerry go to the Chauvette Inn. Jerry thought it was French. He now believes it is “Shove It Inn”. Bunny speaks to Sybil about putting himself first for once. Sybil tells Bunny to stop feeling sorry for himself. Meanwhile, Jerry and Arthur discuss whether they should be happy for Bunny. Bunny tries to convince himself he’s right. Arthur asks Jerry why he can’t bring himself to be angry. Jerry says he really didn’t like that his wife outed him in front of the entire congregation and poisoned his relationship with his daughter. Bunny tries to get advice from his mother.
Sybil tells him to choose love when he’s in doubt. Arthur notices Antonio speaking to another man at the motel. He tells Jerry and they watch Antonio walk into a room with another man. Arthur and Jerry decide to speak to Bunny. Arthur gives Jerry instructions before they go inside. Bunny invites them in so he can explain himself. He tells them that he’s always been the unluckiest with love. When he met Antonio, he wondered whether he had finally found the love of his life. Bunny says he found the love of his life and it’s them. He apologizes and says he still wants them to move in. Arthur doesn’t tell him about Antonio. Sybil joins them when they dance and sing later.
Mid-Century Modern Review
The opening episode of Mid-Century Modern quickly set up the story and established the main characters. Jerry Frank, Arthur Broussard, and Bunny Schneiderman attend the funeral of their old friend George. After the funeral, they go to Bunny’s mansion since he runs a successful business selling bras.
Bunny has signed up for a dating website and found Antonio. He invites Arthur and Jerry to move in with him until he gets a taste of Antonio who is also invited to move in. Bunny’s decision upsets Arthur, but he begins to question his decision. His mother, Sybil, eventually helps him decide that his friends matter more than a fling.
Overall, the episode was fairly enjoyable although most of the jokes didn’t really lead to “laugh-out-loud” laughter. The jokes and dialogue are clever enough to appreciate though although some viewers may feel that they’re heavy-handed. The cast is decent and does a good job with the material.
It feels like there is real chemistry between Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham, and Nathan Lane. Linda Lavin is a good addition to balance things out. Truthfully, this just felt like brainless, cheerful entertainment for viewers in the right mood. If viewers overthink things or look deeper into the dialogue, they may not enjoy it so much.
Ultimately, this was pleasantly enjoyable for what it was. The opening episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of Mid-Century Modern can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. Join the discussion here.