Summary
Bob and Abishola look to solidify their love in “On A Dead Guy’s Bench”, but is marriage really the best thing for them?
Love is in the air in the Bob Hearts Abishola Season 2 premiere, “On A Dead Guy’s Bench”, but the question of whether the old ways are the best ways is right at the forefront of this reliably funny culture-clash comedy. Bob, for instance, thinks getting married is the be-all and end-all of romance, whereas Abishola likes the idea but recognizes the headaches of getting married in Nigerian culture might not be worth the effort.
What I appreciated about this episode is that Bob and Abishola’s love for each other is never in question; it’s just a matter of convenience, really, and whether they really need the ceremony of marriage to show how much they care for each other. Ultimately they both decide that marriage is what they want, but more as a gesture than either putting any sanctity in the institution of marriage.
The funniest episode-long gag is about Nigerians – in this case, Tunde specifically – being able to get a discount on anything. Bob buys an engagement ring, is forced to return it when Abi initially says no, and then returns to buy the same ring again – at a second-hand price, on Tunde’s insistence. Of course, Tunde knowing about Bob’s plan to propose means Olu finding out, which means everyone finding out, so Bob’s plan doesn’t remain secret for long in Bob Hearts Abishola season 2, episode 1.
A lot of “On A Dead Guy’s Bench”, then, is about Abishola knowing Bob’s intentions and trying to work out the best way of dealing with them. If she accepts his proposal, that would mean taking him to Nigeria and parading him around her family; their lack of approval could mean potential banishment. She’d also have to request a divorce from her estranged husband. As she explains to Kemi and Gloria, it seems more trouble than it’s worth.
Of course, she has a change of heart, just as Bob is about to make a more insistent case. I liked the gender inversion of a typical proposal, even though Bob was getting to that point anyway, and I like how both parties were totally on-board with the other all the way through the episode. These two might not be a typical couple, but their relationship is one of the healthiest on television.
But, as the two admit themselves, nothing is ever easy for them, so there will inevitably be obstacles thrown up along the way which complicate their impending marriage – including, as rumored, the arrival of Abishola’s husband. Fun! But what matters is that this is the rare show about love and relationships that seems to see the value and comedy in being happy together above all else – so, I’m rooting for them either way.
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