Summary
Chad Powers continues to be both very funny and subtly heartfelt in Episode 4. It’s still predictable, but it’s checking the right boxes all the same.
Truth being told, I don’t know what people don’t like about Chad Powers. As far as comedies go, it does more or less everything right. Sure, it has tended to be a little too formulaic and predictable since the premiere, but something is reassuring about that, I think. Episode 4 is similar. It’s a classic odd-couple diversion with a ticking clock mechanic for good measure that plays out almost entirely how you’d expect it to, but the devil is in the details, as they say, and those details here in “4th Quarter” are pretty rich.
Unlike the third episode, which was confined entirely to one football match, this episode features no football at all and also features Russ sans mask for most of the runtime. Being divorced from his Chad Powers identity, even temporarily, allows some of his actual humanity to creep through, as he’s forced to evaluate Russ Holliday’s public persona, as well as his relationship with Danny, against the backdrop of a serious prosthetic emergency. The stakes, such as they are, lend a bit of frosty tension to the whole thing that improves both the comedy and the characterisation.
The Catfish are on the road for an away game in Knoxville, which means long coach journeys, early bed calls, and absolutely no shenanigans. This, aside from Coach Hudson being suspicious that Chad and Danny are in some kind of relationship, would be fine if it weren’t for the fact that Chad is out of glue and his face is liable to melt off before the game. In an unfamiliar town, late at night and against the clock, Russ and Danny have to sneak out of the hotel in order to procure some glue without anyone figuring out what they’re up to. Oh, and they have to be back before 11 pm.
This kick-starts an increasingly ridiculous string of events that includes, in no particular order, a man with his face painted like a dog, a stolen car, a stolen gun, a hand injury, missing AirPods, some home truths, and a bit of self-reflection. Russ’s crestfallen look when he spots a quarterback Halloween costume obviously modelled on him prompts a pretty downbeat mood that persists all night, especially when he and Danny get into a nasty argument in the emergency room that hits too close to home. Both are right, in their way. Danny’s reliance on Chad’s success is weird, and Russ’s public persona is damaged beyond all repair. Or is it? I suppose that’s going to be the crux of the season, since Chad Powers Episode 4 brings us closer than ever to Chad’s real identity being exposed. Will Russ have enough allies by then for the whole thing to turn out better than he expects?
It’s a possibility. On the way back from the hospital, after stealing some medical adhesive, Russ runs into Ricky in the hotel. She recognises him, which she would. He had one of the best dual-threat seasons ever. But the unexpected compliment doesn’t inflate his ego. Instead, he takes the opportunity to give Ricky some advice about apologising to her dad, since the two haven’t spoken since their fall-out in the previous episode. It’s a small but very nice moment that shows Russ’s genuine fondness for Ricky outside of his Chad Powers identity. The evening also forces him to reflect on his relationship with his own father, whom he almost calls for help with the mask, and indeed with Danny, whom he almost apologizes to. When Ricky is about to realise Chad isn’t in his room for the bed check, Danny impersonates him, getting him off the hook. The two share a celebratory hug and stay up all night moulding Chad’s face. On the bus after the game the next day, they fall asleep with their heads on each other’s shoulders.
Russ’s advice to Ricky works, too. She approaches her dad in the tunnel before the game, and he intuits what she’s trying to say immediately, giving her a sincere, wordless hug. Chad Powers is full of these nice, understated moments of human connection, even in a show that’s about a guy playing a latex caricature. It’s weird that it doesn’t seem to be getting credit for it.
“4th Quarter” ends, though, with the suggestion that Ricky might be becoming a little suspicious of Chad after her close encounter with Russ. His urge to give her meaningful advice — that he shouldn’t have known anything about, technically — might have tipped his hand. Can a relationship built on deception ever be truly authentic? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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