The premise of TAL episode #360 is at first glance a very tantalizing subject but in actuality was kind of stale. I’m not sure if this is more to do with the show’s idea or if it is related to the production; an hour radio program was a bit much. Perhaps 30 minutes would have sufficed? Or have the story as a subset segment of the overall episode?

What I thought was more interesting than the story itself was the subtext that is glanced at but never engaged: the idea of biological essentialism, American patriarchy, and the nature of the modern family (Phil Dunphy?). I think it would have been more enlightening and much more interesting if these sort of topics were the focus with the story as the backdrop and not vice versa. Since it did not do this and rather was solely interested in the narrative of the switch the episode fails to do what Ira Glass had said good storytelling should do, comment on the big picture. Without that commentary from a wider perspective the episode is mired in the particular and is incapable of seeking anything greater. The final result: boredom for Derek. =(((((