ABOUT A BOY Recap: Pilot

This isn’t the first time someone has done About a Boy. It was a book first and then the charming Hugh Grant/Nicholas Hoult/Toni Collette movie back in 2002. Now it’s a TV show and if anyone is going to do it I’m glad it was Jason Katims. David Walton takes on the role of Will, the charismatic wealthy bachelor, who ends up living next door to a free spirited albeit depressed single mother, Fiona. Minnie Driver is Fiona while her son is played by Benjamin Stockham.

Now that we are all up to speed – here we go.

Will is on the trolley with this friend Andy and Andy’s two kids. Will is less than amused by the child’s antics. He hops off to hit on a woman lugging a cello into a single parent support group meeting. His come on line is, “Cello.” she falls for this because it’s David Walton and he is hot and charming and did I say hot? He isn’t the most pure hearted guy though as he fakes being a single parent to follow Cello Chick into the meeting. He opens up in the meeting about his son Jonah who has leukemia. He actually looks a little bad about giving his fake son a serious illness but only for a second as the ruse seems to be working on Cello Chick. Moments later, he is about to reap the benefits of his storytelling, until Cello Chick gets a text and has to run. Oh the life of a single parent.

Speaking of single parents it is chasing Cello Chick outside in his underwear and cardigan sweater that he meets Fiona and Marcus for the first time. It is not a good first impression. Their next meeting doesn’t go much better. Turns out she is a vegan and Will is outside grilling, the smoke is wafting into her yard and she isn’t pleased. Her son Marcus comes outside and shares insightful things like his Mom meditates to help with her depression, she is going to have a drum circle at their place on Thursday and his Mom is single.

The next day poor Marcus, having worn a sweater best suited for mountain retreats to school, is being chased home by the school bullies. He runs up to Will’s door and Will takes pity on him. Inside Marcus starts asking Will all about himself, Marcus Googled him and has a bunch of questions. Side Note: Will wrote a Christmas song years ago that became very famous and he lives off that money. Will doesn’t have time for the 20 questions though as Cello Chick is on her way over. He shoes Marcus out the door just as she arrives. Except Marcus didn’t actually leave and Cello Chick thinks it is the son Will was talking about. Marcus plays along and then whispers, “I own you.”

Marcus takes full advantage of this, showing up at Will’s door the next day uninvited. Next thing you know Marcus and Will are watching Rudy and eating ribs on the couch. Fiona is not going to be happy with this. “I’m already drinking soda from the bottle. We’re through the looking glass.”

Marcus opens up to Will that he is getting made fun of at school, even by the nice kids. Will looks sad for Marcus and you can see there is a glimpse of a good person underneath the storytelling womanizer.

Day after day Marcus shows up at Will’s after school and they are bonding. At one point the bullies chase Marcus home and Will is waiting with the hose, two hoses actually, so he and Marcus can spray the kids. They seem to becoming quite good friends and not at all in a weird way.

After some guilt-tripping Marcus gets Will to come over for dinner. They are neighbors after all and Marcus wants them all to be neighborly. Marcus also entered the talent show at school. I mention this because while over for dinner Fiona and Marcus preform “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. Will pretends the performance is great when it wasn’t the best. During dinner Will makes fun of the vegan ribs Fiona serves and she loses it. She starts ranting and waving her arms about in a very frantic manner. One more side note: Minnie Driver’s arms are so small I am slightly worried about her health. Anyway, ranting and then tears. Will looks at Marcus and again his heart kicks in and he says he thinks he will stay and give this dinner another try. “We are neighbors, right?”

A few days later Cello Chick shows up with her two kids unexpectedly so Will is forced to run across the yard and get Marcus to play his son again. In exchange for ½ a rack of ribs, two side and bottomless soda Marcus agrees to play dress up with Cello Chicks girls. This whole charade is derailed as soon as Cello Chick goes outside to grill. The smoke brings Fiona out of her meditative state and into the back yard where she finds Marcus calling Will Dad. Everything falls apart and Fiona says Will isn’t his friend; he was just using Marcus to get the girl into bed. Will doesn’t deny it.

Later Will is with Andy and his family at the beach venting about how this is all for the better. Andy calls Will out; he is that guy that is gone as soon as anything becomes too serious. This is no different. As Andy plays with his kids Will pulls Marcus’s talent show flyer out of his pocket. He sees Marcus is to sing a cappella and has Andy rush him to the school. There Fiona tells him to leave them alone. Will wants her to get Marcus to bow out of the show, this is social suicide. Will runs backstage to stop Marcus himself. Marcus doesn’t care, he is going out there, his singing makes his Mom happy. Oh and wouldn’t you know Cello Chick is in the audience with her girls.

Before he starts singing, Marcus (in the terrible sweater) dedicates the song to his best friend, his Mother. The kids are mocking him quite openly but he starts singing anyway. Backstage Will whispers something to Andy and Andy takes over the control panel from the AV kid. The lights go out and when they come back up Will is on an electric keyboard playing and singing backup.

Fiona, who looked genuinely surprised when the audience was throwing things at Marcus, now looks relieved and claps along with everyone else. That includes Cello Chick.

The song ends, everyone cheers, Marcus and Will high five and run off stage.

About a Boy moves to its regular day and time Tuesday 9/8c on NBC