Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Stick season 1, episode 7.Owen Wilson’sStickhas had some rough episodes in the past few weeks, but episode 7 finally helped the show remember why it’s a great replacement forTed Lasso. Despite its 80% score onRotten Tomatoes,Stickhas had some problems in recent weeks.Reviews forStickepisode 5, for example, signaled that the show was in a real low point, and episode 6 wasn’t much better.
Part of the reason viewers may be disappointed withStickis because it was compared toTed Lasso. UnlikeTed Lasso,Stickhasn’t been a very uplifting show so far, and even its heartfelt emotions center more around Santi’s (Peter Dager) past trauma and thedeath of Pryce’s son, Jett. That, coupled with Santi’s antics and Zero’s (Lilli Kay) divisive character, hasn’t helpedStick.
Stick Was Losing Steam, But Episode 7’s Opening Scene Was Absolutely Beautiful
Stick Finally Pulled Out The Big Guns & Let Pryce Feel The Pain Of Jett’s Death In A Beautiful Sequence
Even though the last few episodes ofStickhave been underwhelming, episode 7 was a massive highlight for the series.The opening scene of Pryce dreaming about all the moments he missed out on when Jett’s life was cut short was utterly beautiful. It perfectly encapsulated the whirlwind of tragedies that accompany the loss of a loved one, and it was such a poignant moment of real emotion forStick.
Pryce’s dream of Jett was so well done - from the shifting time to illustrate how odd things were to the genuine emotions in Owen Wilson’s acting - that it actually makes up for some ofStick’s earlier mistakes. It’s retroactively worth it to see Pryce avoid Jett at all costs, even though it was annoying at the time, because it made that dream sequence possible.
I really can’t sing the praises of Pryce’s dream sequence enough: this feels like whatStickhas been building to this entire time. It built off so many hints from earlier in the season, like Grossweiner’s law and Pryce saying he missed the mundanity of parenthood.It single-handedly made watching the first six episodes ofStickworth it: Pryce’s dream is really that good.
Stickalso used its stellar opening scene to make the rest of the episode more likeTed Lasso. We’ve finally gotten to the wholesome moments where themain cast ofStickis together because they want to be.Stickcan finally lean into the real emotions and wholesome friendships it has, which is exactly what madeTed Lassosuch a hit in the first place.
Pryce’s Jett Dream Sequence Being One Of Stick’s Strongest Sequences Further Highlights The Show’s Problems
The Jett Dream Sequence Was So Good That It’s Frustrating Stick Took 6 Episodes To Get To It
Unfortunately forStick, Pryce’s dream of Jett’s life also exposes a lot of the flaws in the rest of the series.The Jett dream sequence was so good, hard-hitting, efficient, and emotionally raw that it’s a wonder whyStickdidn’t pull it out earlier. Why didStickspend six episodes dragging its feet when it had such a beautiful moment ready to use all this time?
I get thatStickhad to build up to this big reveal about Pryce, but it’s still a shame that it took so long.Stickspent so much time on annoying moments like Zero’s complaints about older generations when it could have been doingthisfrom the beginning.If the rest ofStickwas more like Pryce’s dream, it would certainly be a better and more popular show.
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Really, Pryce’s dream sequence exposesStick’s biggest fault: it doesn’t live up to its potential. The dream was experimental, risky, and maybe too artsy for a comedy series, but it worked perfectly.Pryce’s dream is the first timeSticktook its own advice and “took a big swing,” and I just wish it would have been doing that from the start.
