‘Work It’ Recap (Season 1, Pilot): “Is This The Worst Show Ever?”

The premise behind this show is that it’s easier to get a job if you’re a woman? Because of the economy? Um…I’m pretty sure that makes no sense whatsoever, but ABC needed an excuse for their modern day Bosom Buddies wannabe so whatever. If it was at all funny, the flimsy (to put it mildly) premise would be forgivable. But it’s not funny. At all.

The show opens with Lee coming home to his wife, claiming the company he was interviewing for folded while he was in the interview. His daughter comes home and he informs her he canceled her cell phone service.

At the bar he commiserates with his friends about their unemployment. His fat friend says it’s not a recession, it’s a “man-cession,” that women are taking over. The laugh track on this show is really offensive. No self-respecting human being would laugh at these “jokes.”

Lee learns his insurance has lapsed and he has to pay $900 for his physical, which I’m pretty sure is more expensive than any physical ever. He gets the idea to interview for a job for Coreco Pharmaceuticals he overhears being discussed, dressed in drag (since they’re looking for female sales representatives.)

At this point, the credits reveal that the show was created by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. I now hate Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen.

And, unfortunately, we’re back from commercial break. At the interview, Lee has to explain away that he played football in college (which is on his resume for some reason) — he says it was lingerie football. Lindsay Lohan joke. Fighting to not vomit. Lee comes home and tells his wife he got the job.

At the bar with Angel and Brian, who are apparently what his friends are named, Brian (the one who coined “mac-cession”) reveals he’s living with his ex-wife — the punchline is that he’s not a big fan of her new husband. Cue laugh track.

Lee shows up for his first day of work and everyone in the office is a woman. What kind of alternate universe does this show take place in where companies employ either all men or all women? Also, this show’s depiction of women is really insulting. To say that they were one-dimensional would be giving Work It too much credit. I really hate this show already and it hasn’t even been fifteen minutes.

At lunch, Lee has a giant sandwich, which he throws out except for the lettuce when he realizes that women never eat large lunches. Wow. Again, this show is just so stupid. When Lee goes to get a burrito, it turns out Angel is working at the Mexican restaurant. He decides to tell Angel about his ploy, which means the rest of the episode will be about Angel’s cross dressing for purposes of employment.

Oh no, Angel asks how Lee transformed himself and we’re subject to a montage while “Lady Lumps” plays in the background. Angel isn’t sure he wants to do the whole drag thing, but when his boss asks him to clean the bathroom again he changes his mind.

Angel doesn’t seem to do so well at the interview, telling the boss her ass looks tight in her pants. Wow, just when you thought this show couldn’t get any more offensive… At least it’s almost over.

When the boss’s car won’t start, Angel fixes it for her. This makes her decide to hire him, because that’s how this show works. It doesn’t really make sense to pick at all the verisimilitude problems in the plot, since the show’s basic premise doesn’t hold up.

When the boys go out with their co-workers, they awkwardly have to dance. Please kill me.

Lee tells his wife he’s sorry he’s been neglecting her and that he’s going to take her out — and not to the bar. I want her to tell him, “I’m leaving you, and I’m taking our daughter with me. I don’t care that you have a job now, you’re a horrible husband and a horrible human being. I hate you. You are a piece of shit. Also, I’ve been cheating on you.” But instead she forgives him.

The best part of this show is that Celebrity Wife Swap is on after it (at least this week, hopefully Work It will be canceled before they air another episode), which should at least be entertaining.

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