Sometimes, comedy leaves the audience with a more lasting effect than any thriller or horror show, which usually leaves us with ominous aftertaste for the day. But a good comedy stays with us forever. We mimic the funny dialogues, and sometimes even recalling them is fun. Comedy is therapeutic, and it helps us to view situations from new perspectives, especially when it depicts a workplace you’d traditionally expect to be quite serious. “The Office” U.S. would always come in first on my list, but let’s just give other comedy series that have the ability to stick around a shot. There are some long-running shows like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Silicon Valley,” “Corporate,” and others on that list. However, “Unstable,” a Netflix original, makes a valiant effort to make it onto the list, but it falls short of providing the delight that viewers would expect from a comedy show. Like when you’re watching “The Office U.S.,” seeing Michael Scott, a very dysfunctional boss at work, would make you laugh and get mad at the same time. Each conversation ends with a perplexing feeling that lets you comprehend how bizarre and hilarious such scenarios are. Unfortunately, “Unstable” makes an attempt at doing that as well, but it lacks the vigor of a true intellectual wit. But there are some positive qualities as well. For instance, “Unstable” portrays a heartwarming father-son relationship, featuring Rob Lowe and John Owen Lowe, an actual father-son duo.
“Unstable” centers around Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe), the CEO of a biotech company, who’s just lost his wife and turned to campy humor as a coping mechanism. He starts to develop a variety of interests as a form of diversion from his suffering, leaving behind all the unfinished tasks and deadlines in the office. His not-so-prodigal son Jackson (John Owen Lowe) returns to save his father from the chaos but instead becomes trapped in his father’s office. Now that he’s part of the company, is he likely to be able to bring his father back on track? Let’s look into it.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happened In ‘Unstable’ Season 1?
Ellis Dragon’s biotech firm started to sink into a state of dysfunction as a result of his erratic, odd conduct. Since he lost his wife, Ellis’ head’s not been in the right place. The CFO, Anna Bennet (Sian Clifford), an introverted fanfiction writer, summoned her most extroverted self to persuade her boss that his mental health should be checked; otherwise, the company’s future was at stake. Even a therapist was employed to help him escape the gloom, but things didn’t work out since Ellis not only ditched his sessions but also kidnapped him. But, the kidnapping backfired since the therapist, Leslie (Fred Armisen), didn’t mind Ellis’s company after his wife left him. Ellis’s anarchic attitude was becoming unbearable, so Anna requested that their project manager, Malcolm, bring Jackson back to town. Jackson and his father had kind of a slight falling out after Jackson didn’t choose the ideal professional path his father had advised. But, after coming back to town and seeing his father’s mental state going down, he decided to continue working for his father. However, he also realized that being a flutist wouldn’t help him earn a decent living. Coming back home also improved his dating life. He dated Ruby, a scientist colleague of his, but his heart belonged to Luna, a geeky scientist who was Ruby’s best friend.
Jackson tried to divert his father’s attention and engage him in his work, but his father continued to act completely irrationally. There was also pressure for him to implement one of his pending inventions, which involved creating concrete from Carbon Dioxide in order to trap greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. But Ellis’ procrastination and recovery time started to cause a delay in the finished product. Did he finally recover, though? It turned out that spending some time with Jackson allowed Ellis to finally repair the breach between him and his son. The idea of the “friendly father” may be a myth, but this father-son pair’s endearing chemistry has been captured through amazing performances.
Why Did Jean Turn Against Ellis?
Well, there will always be that one best friend we blindly trust who betrays us. Ellis experienced something like that. Ever since he kidnapped Leslie, he couldn’t get him out of his house. Leslie started to become enamored with Ellis’s company instead of trying to help him change his behavior. Leslie was drawn to him because of his oddity and also his mansion where, in the basement, he could sleep comfortably. Even when Ellis and Jackson tried to get rid of him, Leslie threatened to show up at the board meeting and complain that he had been previously kidnapped by Ellis.
Later, Leslie, harboring an absurd rage, revealed everything to one of the collaborators of Ellis, Jean, who wasn’t only a crucial partner of Ellis but also his close friend. Jean was plotting to get Ellis out of the company and grab his position, but Jackson didn’t let that happen. After learning of Jean’s cunningness, the only way Jackson could stop his father’s company from disintegrating was to change Leslie’s mind. He felt compelled to bring Leslie back home so that he could compliment Ellis in front of the board. Ultimately, the plan went successful, and even better, Ellis arrived with his invention of concrete from the carbon molecules which would absorb the greenhouse gasses to prevent global warming. The board applauded, as it was a win-win situation for Ellis and his company.
“Unstable” Season 1 ends on a cliffhanger, where we see Ellis burning down Jean’s car, perhaps in a mood of retaliation. But was Jean deserving of the punishment? Or is there something sinister going inside Ellis’s mind? Maybe his unstable mental health was all a pretense, and he might have been scheming to ruin Jean’s career, or there is something more to the story that we will explore in the second season of “Unstable.”
