Patterns are means by which we can find some sense of normalcy in a crazy world, and even if the pattern happens to be self-destructive or at the detriment of others or just plain dumb, we tend to want to return to what we know, to what we’ve seen before. For, any semblance of uncertainty can throw us for a loop, sending us on a spiral downward before a pattern pulls us back up again. Temporarily.

Essentially, that’s what’s been happening to Ryan over the course of the series. He’s returned to the same pattern countless times, and what was once a question about Wilfred has specifically now become a question of his own sanity. It feels like the questions are piling up and piling up, and as the situation becomes increasingly complex, the root of the problem seems to be as simple as ever: Ryan’s psyche. Take his relationship with Jenna, for example, which boils down to him helping her out with Wilfred, her feeling grateful, and him getting a few moments of affection before the cycle begins anew. The relationship is, so far, unhealthy for both, and Ryan realizes in “Patterns” that he simply can’t let it continue to happen; he doesn’t pursue an actual relationship, turning down Jenna’s offer of wine and dinner.

Of course, the Jenna we see in this episode seems to be a bit more longing and genuine, but that simply widens the emotional divide between her and Ryan. They’re each trying to hold onto whatever they have left, and fittingly enough, they do so through Wilfred; by having a dog act as a proxy of sorts, the emotional states are so fragile that any reaching paw will be taken as a reaching hand. Ryan, at the end of the episode, recognizes the danger of starting something or even hoping for something.

That doesn’t mean he’s in the clear, though, as it seems like for every step Ryan takes forward, he takes anywhere between two and three hundred steps back. Who knows? Maybe a relationship with Jenna would work out and maybe it’s just what he needs, but the problem is that Ryan won’t let himself settle down until he finds the answers he’s looking for. Everything is for a reason, according to him, and Jenna’s presence disrupts the flow of his flock/Krungle/Genevieve/god/binoculars/Wilfred/dog/bear/stuff/more stuff obsession. Sadly, his sanity is slipping, and that manifests itself this week in his scenes with Bruce.

Played by Billy Baldwin now, my main problem with Bruce here is that he doesn’t seem like the Bruce we knew way back when. The writing seems to sacrifice some of what made the character unique in order to further Ryan’s mental breakdown, but granted, his presence does accomplish what it means to accomplish here. Ryan, by how I read it, fabricates Bruce in his mind at the end after seeing the drop and losing the guy; however you read it, though, the sad truth is that Ryan’s losing it.

Interestingly enough, if there’s anything “shedding”–played out several times in the episode with the idea of Bruce as a snake–should apply to, it would be Ryan; he’s attempting to shed the delusions he’s built up, but as he does so, he digs himself deeper. At the end, instead of unburdening himself, he’ll be grabbing at someone else’s face, searching for a mask that, in reality, is probably still snug around his own head.

GRADE: B

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-My first thought when watching this episode was “Wow, Dwight Yoakam looks a lot like a Baldwin these days.”

-I’m sure there’s more to the old guy and Bruce. We’ll see.

-Another repeated pattern: Wilfred and Ryan hanging out in the basement, smoking.

-Hey, look, it’s a guy standing in the middle of the park with binoculars…watching people! *Parents immediately usher their kids away*

-Any theories on the Krungle (I still don’t know which is the right spelling) business? Maybe the show will throw us for a loop and bring back Jelly Beans as Krungle, then have him attack everyone before he engages in a threesome with Bear and Wilfred. I’m getting ahead of myself, though.

-Three more weeks left. Who/what do you want to see again before the end? For me, Drew is a must, and I’d like Allison Mack to return again.

Photo credit: FXX, Wilfred