Mare starts at The Cincinnati Chronicle. She admits to the camera crew that she never planned on volunteering to write for TTT’s sister paper, but Ned never stopped her. Meanwhile Ned believes that Mare necessitated distance from him.
Esmeralda uses Mare’s absence to dress and act as Mare as she is adamant that Ned respects short-haired women. Frustrated by working in the communal office space, nestling to Ned’s graces would boost her chances of obtaining an office again. Ned, disturbed by her insistence on replacing Mare, calls her a narcissist and declares Detrick to be Mare’s replacement. This prompts a wave of altruism in the canonically unserious former boss. At worst, she pays her psychic amidst the throws of the storm, begging for someone to tell her she is not a narcissist.
While at TTT, Ned evades chances to text Mare at moments he knows she would enjoy. Mare’s silence, largely deriving from her new work environment, gives Ned anxiety. He distracts himself by writing brief public notifications via Windy, a friendly cloud who shares updates about the impending tornado in Toledo.
While in Cincinnati, Mare shares a fun fact to her new colleagues in a meeting: “I am more Neanderthal than the rest of the population.” Her new colleagues, including Todd (portrayed by Jon Lovitz), haze her based on her Neanderthal comment. Eventually, she leans into it to show her staff that she is in on the joke.
Travis and Adelola storm chase by capturing photos of destruction in the tornado’s path. Adelola mentions that she and her mom do not believe in a “funnel that throws cows and picks up houses.” Travis releases the camera crew as he already has camera gear to track the storm, not to mention a doll as a prop to stage photos for added backstory and gravitas, and kettle bells.
Travis tests Adeolola’s fear by driving toward the tornado. As they enter the tornado, they escape the car. Travis thinks quickly, by instructing her to lie down in the dirt, grabbing two kettle bells from his trunk, placing them on both ends of her head. She holds on to the kettle bells as the wind pushes past them, making it appear as though he is humping her.
By the end, Marv compliments Detrick’s adroit, creative sensibilities on the next day’s paper. Finally, Mare calls Ned. The once anxious editor-in-chief need not wait to exhale any longer.
While Ned and Mare’s relationship takes center stage, this episode placed great emphasis on strengthening Travis and Adelola’s bond as well as their screen time. Marv’s satisfaction of Detrick taking on Mare’s role would have been more savory had the episode given Detrick more air time. With the A-B-C storylines for a sitcom, the ratio of main storyline and supporting scenes do not equate, but supporting characters always seem to play second fiddle to Ned and Mare’s lukewarm pairing.
Rating: 6/10