REVIEW: ‘Rooster’ Episode 2 — “Trousers”

Rooster Episode 2, “Trousers,” continues after the fiery events of the series’ first episode, with Archie’s sole surviving pair of trousers not escaping entirely unscathed. While this latest episode dials back some of the awkward cringe humor from the series’ inaugural episode, it’s not without its laughs. Yet even as comedy remains central to the tone, the larger father-daughter story between Greg Russo (Steve Carell) and his daughter Katie (Charly Clive) gains traction and heart.

With her father by her side, Katie goes to the police station to address her crimes. This battle of wills between Katie and her husband, Archie (Phil Dunster), in the station is incredibly relatable and frustrating, with Katie seeming more like the villain of the two, at least publicly. This villain label never quite leaves Katie throughout Rooster Episode 2, as she tries to resign and leave everything behind to save the last scraps of what dignity she has left. 

Her father, however, has other plans, knowing that Katie will regret leaving her position at Ludlow College. He doesn’t want her to make the same mistakes he made years earlier. Greg’s actions throughout Rooster Episode 2 show how much he genuinely cares for her. Whether he’s trying to grab the school’s cock (not a euphemism, I swear) from the top of a roof or taking on the writer’s residency position in exchange for Katie keeping her job, every action he takes shows the love he has for her.

There’s no denying how much Greg loves his daughter, and Steve Carell’s earnestness shines through.

In papa bear mode, Steve Carell takes on Greg’s love with earnestness and sincerity. Nothing is played entirely for straight laughs, unless the scene calls for Greg to cheer up Katie. This sincerity is a grounding influence, not just for Katie in arguably the most embarrassing moments of her life, but also for the audience. This isn’t just a straight comedy where stuff is picked at for cheap laughs; you can more easily see the father-daughter tale emerging. 

You know who likely won’t get Father of the Year? Arthur, who is played at 100% pure pompousness by Phil Dunster. Dunster fully leans into Arthur’s narcissism with a level of self-awareness that makes the character at least somewhat human. He’s still highly punchable, though, which means Dunster is nailing it. Yet, with the emergence of Sunny’s (Lauren Tsai) pregnancy and her insistence on keeping the child, we may be seeing some of Arthur’s flaws emerging in Rooster Episode 2. 

Making those cracks easier to see is Arthur getting thrust into his own embarrassing moments. Whether it’s his one remaining pair of trousers getting soiled or getting his butt beat on a live BBC recording by his father-in-law, which, honestly, he wholeheartedly deserved, Rooster Episode 2 makes sure Arthur gets some level of payback. With the more public scale of humiliation and entering a new phase of his life, ala fatherhood, how will this impact his personality moving forward? It remains to be seen.

Archie is the literal worst, but Rooster Episode 2 makes sure he gets some comeuppance.

Unlike the previous episode, Rooster Episode 2 does give us a little bit more exposure to Sunny and her personality. As the “other woman” archetype in the series, there’s a preconceived notion of what her personality might be like. However, Lauren Tsai plays her rather straightforwardly, reminding the audience watching that Sunny is pretty ordinary. She even points out Archie’s narcissism at one point and acknowledges that she’d be fine without him. This level of confidence is honestly pretty cool despite the circumstances and makes her arguably the most interesting character.

While Rooster Episode 2 spends a fair amount of time on Greg and Katie’s relationship in relation to Archie, it also takes time to reveal a more serious side of the dean, Walter Mann (John C. McGinley). When he’s not busy trying to freeze off his brown fat or trading rather non-PC-like comments with other faculty, he has to deal with the not-so-fun administrative stuff, like cutting his staff’s budget. A heart-to-heart between the Dean and Dylan Shepherd (Danielle Deadwyler) shows how much this pains him, particularly when having to slash the funding for the literary magazine. For the ultra-macho man we met in Episode 1, this shows a new, refreshing side of him.

With only 30 minutes per episode, the plot moves a little bit each time. It may not seem like much is happening yet, but as demonstrated by Rooster Episode 2, there’s more beneath the surface of the characters we met in Episode 1. And as Greg helps Katie navigate this phase of their lives together, this comedy is morphing into something more, something that embraces not just the silly awkwardness that life delivers alongside its more painful moments, but also something with heart and maybe a slightly more serious edge to it.

Rooster Episode 2 is now streaming on HBO Max with new episodes weekly on Sundays.

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