The Last Man On Earth

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FOX

Will Forte stars as Phil Miller, the last man on Earth. He spends his days roaming from town to town but finally decides to stay awhile in Tucson, Arizona. On the off chance there is anyone left on Earth, he paints on a few billboards along the way "Alive in Tucson."

When Phil arrives in Tucson he finds a very nice home on a very wealthy cul-de-sac, and sets up residence filling it with items he as collected around the country. The carpet from the Oval Office bearing the Seal of The President of the United States, several Monets and Picassos, the Ruby Slippers, and on and on. He then goes about his daily life of being totally bored. He has a child-like mind to begin with, so he spends days building the worlds tallest Jenga tower, or donning a suit of armor and letting a tennis ball serving machine pelt him with tennis balls. He gives up on continually filling the toilet tank with water, so he cuts a round hole on the end of the swimming pools diving board and voila! A large toilet.

He creates electricity with generators and is able to watch the Tom Hanks movie "Cast Away" and during it he scoffs at Hanks talking to the volley ball Wilson. Not long afterward he's seen playing pool while all around there are balls of every ilk: volleyball, a basketball, a baseball, a ping-pong ball, and even a badminton birdie, all with faces drawn on, and all with names. He not only talks to them but they in turn somehow give him advice. Oh, and by the way Phil, they make generators that power your house, so you could have running water and the toilet would have worked....just a reminder writers....

Finally after two years of being totally lonely and bored, Phil comes to the conclusion that he can't take it anymore and decides to kill himself. He paints a big target on a boulder and while drinking a lot (which he did a lot of anyway), he puts the pedal to the metal and is speeding towards the boulder. I'm okay with that because these couple episodes were getting tedious and I was about to check out anyway. But while speeding toward his death, Phil glances to his left and hits the brakes, barely stopping before hitting the rock. Off in the distance he sees the smoke from a campfire!

After checking out the fire, Phil discovers a woman! Her name is Carol and she somehow, too, has survived. (There are vague references to "the virus"). So naturally they decide to hang together. Now, Carol is not the least bit attractive, even leaning to the homely side, and she has a nasally squeaky voice. But that's not the worst of it. She's the anal retentive annoying type that still thinks they should stop at stop signs and not park in the handicapped parking spots. All while there is no one else on Earth.

One day she comes to the conclusion that it is their responsibility to re-populate the Earth. Phil is appalled at the notion of sleeping with this woman, and even says "I wouldn't sleep with you if you were, and we know you are, the last woman on Earth" but eventually, finally, reluctantly agrees. But then of course in Carol's world this means they have to get married first. Phil is flabbergasted because really, what's the point? But finally, what the hey, what real difference does it make? They are the last two people on Earth after all. So they get married in their own little ceremony in a Church, her in full Wedding gown, he in a tee shirt and shorts. She then used crayons to draw their wedding pictures because apparently we don't know how to fire up a generator and use a computer to download pictures. Any now they are "married" and Carol loves the sex but Phil is appalled. It ain't good.

One day they are driving along and out of nowhere BAM!! They get hit by another car!! And when the dust clears, out of this car steps an exquisitely beautiful blonde bombshell. Her name is Melissa (played by January Jones, Mrs. Draper to "Mad Men" fans), and this is where it got interesting. I decided to hang with this show.

Phil is so in love with Melissa it hurts, but now he's married and this provides lots of comic opportunities. And Phil is truly a bumbling idiot, not even worthy of Carol, but he tries to woo Melissa, who is put off because he's married to Carol after all. And she would have been put off anyway, because he's a jerk. (This is a guy that likes to paint the walls in his house by feeding full paint cans into a wood chipper). And the plot thickens and thickens and thickens. In very, very funny ways.

I have seen all the episodes available, and encouraged my bride to take a look too. She liked it and binged watched them all. I don't know if this was just a one-season wonder, but it is definitely worth a look. Phil Miller is a one of a kind. Will Forte is an old alum of Saturday Night Live, and has written for lots of shows, and he is very good here. I don't want to say much more about the show, because I don't want to give too much away, but there are lots of funny things going on here.

If you get a chance, check this out. I think you'll enjoy it.


Grade: B