Critic’s Rating: 3.6 / 5.0
3.6
The wait is finally over! After a year without Billie, Issa, Samir, Anton, and Paul Baker, the beloved Adults characters have returned.
Titled “Marathon Day,” this twenty-minute special prequel episode packs a lot of exposition while still giving plenty of time for the other characters to shine.
We see Paul Baker’s entry into the friend group and how his interactions with Issa and Anton foreshadow potential storylines for the three of them in Adults Season 2.
The short runtime means that the FX show missed an opportunity to dive deeper into the backstories of characters like Samir and Billie, only scratching the surface of their pre-series lives.
But from the look into the friend group’s lives pre-Paul Baker, it seems like most of the characters are largely the same people they are in the show.
The Adults prequel may not be a necessary watch to understand the show, but it’s a delightful treat for fans waiting for Season 2.
A White Lie Never Hurt Anyone
While the episode might have been billed as a Paul Baker origin story, it mainly covers Anton’s predicament of lying to his coworkers about running the New York Marathon.
Since Adults is a character-driven comedy, the miscommunication plays well, especially because all the characters help cover up Anton’s story.
We get to see a surprisingly savvy side of Billie as she coordinates the printing of a fake race bib for Anton and exaggerates her importance as a PA to get on people’s good side.
Anton is truly the star player of the episode. He has his charm dialed up to the max, so even when we should disapprove of him for lying, we’re still rooting for him to get away with it.
Also, the scenes in which Anton soaks up his co-workers’ attention and sneaks around the house allow Owen Thiele to showcase his physical comedy.
Issa’s struggles with her love life are also another highlight of the episode.
The honest lecture that Samir gives her about not taking in “lost, broken men,” followed by Issa immediately fawning over Paul Baker fainting and taking him in, is comedic irony at its best.
Speaking of Paul, he and Issa have the most rom-com-esque meet-cute ever. I don’t blame Issa for immediately running over to an attractive man who had just finished a marathon and happened to stumble into the same restaurant.
On the other hand, Paul and Anton have a meet-ugly, as Paul wakes up to Anton trying to steal his space blanket.
While their conflict is immediate, the characters’ chemistry is convincing enough to justify Paul’s decision to help Anton and join the friend group at the end.
Paul has some great moments, such as apologizing to Anton for swearing and acting appalled at the idea of lying.
But honestly, he doesn’t get as much screen time as anticipated, only appearing halfway through the episode.
Samir’s brief moral crisis about letting his friends crash at his parents’ place feels more out of place than the other characters’ stories.
I understand that the point of that plotline is to establish how the characters end up renting the house together, but it feels like an unnecessary addition that took up precious time in an already fast-paced episode.
All in all, “Marathon Day” plays like a normal episode of Adults, prioritizing Gen Z humor and filling the narrative gap for those curious about how the friend group came to be.
How the Prequel Episode Hints At Season 2
While the prequel functions as a standalone, there are also hints of what to expect in Season 2.
While Samir and Billie had a lot of screen time in “Marathon Day,” the main characters were Paul Baker, Issa, and Anton.
The prequel establishes a precedent for Issa and Paul’s status as a couple in Season 1.
However, it also gives us some shared moments between Paul and Anton, who legally got married and shared a passionate kiss, leading many to theorize that they may actually have feelings for each other.
By showing Paul interacting with both Anton and Issa, the show sets up the potential for a love triangle conflict in Season 2, where Paul has to decide who he wants to be with.
There’s a possibility this is a red herring, or that Anton’s affection for Paul will be one-sided, but from the kiss Anton and Paul shared, I have a feeling Paul’s heart might not be 100% with Issa.
Aside from this relationship drama, the prequel episode still leaves plenty of room for us to theorize about what Season 2 might cover.
But for fans of the series, “Marathon Day” scratches the itch for a succinct, relatable comedy episode, proving that Adults is still as funny as ever.
What did you think of the Adults prequel episode? Are you looking forward to the upcoming season?
Leave your thoughts in the comments, and come back on August 27 for our Season 2 review!
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