Baby dogs within the first minute of the show? A Stevie Nicks musical number to close it out? You are crafty, Up All Night. You know what you’re doing.
What they’re really doing with the puppy, of course, is finding a reason to bring back Julian, Ava’s charismatic ex. “Is this a ‘ladies I’d like to do it with’ convention?” he asks upon entering a room with Reagan, Ava and Missy in it. Oh God, and his pronunciation of “A poop loop” made me laugh harder than anything this show has done.
Julian’s there to deliver the puppy Avian (named as a combination of Ava and Julian), for whom he and Ava will share joint custody. Ava takes about an hour with Avian to go into full-blown overprotective mama mode (“Is there an IBS for dogs?”), and her neuroses are holding back poor li’l Avian.
It’s a nice echo of the A-story, in which Reagan’s worried about Amy on the brink of taking her first solo steps. This story felt a tad underdeveloped to me, although putting Reagan on her own at home did let Terry (Gene? Who can tell the difference?) step into the role of Reagan’s sassy friend, which is awesome (and makes far more sense than having Ava constantly lurking around the Brinkley home).
And Chris is having troubles of his own letting go, refusing to accept his age because he wants to play hockey in a younger league. The acceptance-of-getting-older theme is Up All Night’s bread and butter, so this plot didn’t break any new ground, but it was worth it to hear Chris trying to talk like a young person (mostly by saying “chocka” a lot).
In case Julian and Avian the dog weren’t enough, the show also brings in Stevie Nicks, who can sense Amy and Avian’s baby troubles through her Steve Nicks spidey sense. Her disapproval is enough to convince them both to let go and let their babies (or baby dogs) run free. Free like the white-winged dove.
