Wednesday, February 22, 2023

TV Review: The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

There are few things in life more painful than dealing with a moron who thinks he’s smart. Over the years, any number of sitcoms and dramas have demonstrated this. It takes talent to pull off this kind of theme week in and week out. One show that does this due to the strength of its cast is “The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,” an Independent Film Channel original production.

Each episode opens with the same shot of a roughed-up and defeated Margaret (David Cross) sitting in a British courtroom, flanked by security guards, blankly listening to a series of charges made against him while a group of lawyers and guys in suits work themselves into a near riot expressing their disgust for him.

The viewer is then flashed back to the past, to see just how Todd Margaret got where he is. This much we know (and by "we", I mean those of us who are only halfway through the current season) – Margaret is working as a temp at some generic corporation whose boss (Will Arnett), upon overhearing the meek employee in his cubicle using his “Stop Being Such a Pussy!” motivational tape to practice yelling at people, recruits him to relocate overseas and sell a toxic energy drink called Thunder Muscle to the British market.

Margaret, with no natural talent for selling, experience running a business venture, or knowledge of UK culture, soon finds himself in a continuing series of outrageous and desperate scenarios that highlight both his incompetence and tendency to say anything but the truth to get himself out of trouble.

Maybe it’s because of the international setting, but after watching several episodes, I couldn’t help but think how well this show works as a metaphor for the USA’s position in the world for the last 10+ years. Todd Margaret is America in all its headstrong foolishness masquerading as go-get-‘em Capitalism, only too happy to dig a deeper hole than admit he’s in over his head. His globe-trotting, dickish boss, the one who sends toadies on missions to make him more money while he idles away his time doing nothing (when he’s not busy losing large amounts of money at online poker), is the stateless Upper Class, the ones with all the money.

Margaret’s love interest, cafe owner Alice (Sharon Horgan), is the UK, France, Germany, and any other US ally who, by hesitantly but ultimately tolerating Margaret’s buffoonery, instead of telling him to just fuck off already, is arguably just as complicit in the trail of waste and destruction that ensues. Margaret’s sole employee, immediately seeing what a complete tool his “boss” is and taking every opportunity to use it to his advantage and amusement, could represent anyone from an international financier short-selling another batch of Collateralized Debt Obligations to a smiling mullah accepting the latest planeload of cash from the CIA.


Political metaphors aside, this is a funny show that provides a good showcase for Cross’ and Arnett’s talents for cringe humor. It remains to be seen how much the show can keep up the plot before needing to get to that fateful opening scene. No doubt, there getting there will involve a lot more painful moments for the American.

My Rating: 7/10 (“Really Like It”)

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