It’s time to see things from the dog’s perspective. In “Forward”, we operate under the assumption that Wilfred truly is is own entity, that he has his own way of looking at things, that his way of looking at things isn’t just a twist on Ryan’s views. As a result, it’s a nice and refreshing take on things, but it also signifies a desire to bide time on the part of the writers.
Biding time isn’t necessarily bad because the show can still milk a number of entertaining storylines out of its premise, but for a show seemingly reliant on answers and forward movement, it seems like we’re running out of time. And well, ten episodes go by super quickly. Aside from that, though, “Forward” in general just doesn’t come out to be as intriguing as it may sound on the surface; Wilfred’s perspective is interesting because we’re privy to how he sees Bear, but when the episode moves over to his explanations of the gerbil, lube, liquor, and ski mask, the writing seems a bit lazy.
Ultimately, what it all comes down to is not introducing new facts or clues, but rather propelling us forward thematically. Last week, I mentioned how Wilfred’s apparent purpose is to help Ryan move on in life and grow as a person, and here, his perspective affirms it. He wants to protect Ryan from getting stuck in the mud with Amanda, trying to recapture a relationship and therefore losing himself in the past. Interestingly enough, it’s Ryan’s and Amanda’s conversation together that nudges the former toward moving forward, toward the same path of recovery Amanda’s on.
In that short scene, we can see the history between the two, the pain of the mental hospital experience and the pain of fear. For, fear’s been Ryan’s main issue throughout his life, and here, he confronts reality after an episode-long dive into the Wilfred-as-Krungel theory. He’s been slowly losing himself over the years and he’s afraid of doing so, but maybe Wilfred can help.
And later, if he does in fact move past Wilfred, we’ll at least always have their moments together, moments in which they laugh uncontrollably over a picture of Goldsmith and Yoda.
GRADE: B
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Allison Mack is awesome, and so is Amanda.
-Wilfred could use some tips from Jack Bauer. Wilfred’s torture attempts in this episode are akin to Bauer throwing a chair to be intimidating, but accidentally hitting himself in the head with it.
– “No one would ever believe Drew’s that smart.” Please, please, please bring Drew back before the end of the series.
-The grey to Wilfred’s perspective is a nice touch.
-So, the finale will be one hour long, thankfully. It will be titled “Resistance” (first part) and “Happiness” (second part). Hopefully, the show will utilize the three episodes before the finale wisely, because I really don’t want them to wait till the last episode to cram things in.
Photo credit: Wilfred, FXX
Polar Bears Watch TV 
I dont like the show, but I like your review. Very well written.
Thanks!