So, the Hoagie brothers are back, and this time, they’re trading in their usual brand of loafing-around-the-house shenanigans for something a little more… primal. In “Deer Stakes,” Mark and Hank decide to embrace their inner hunter-gatherers (or at least the hunter part) with a trip to the woods. What could go wrong, right? Well, if you’re familiar with Universal Basic Guys, you know the answer is “pretty much everything.”
This week’s outing finds our UBI-funded protagonists crossing paths with Doug, an old “friend” with a secret darker than a poorly lit forest at midnight. Turns out, Doug isn’t just a connoisseur of camouflage; he’s also a murderer. Now, before you start picturing a tense woodland standoff, let’s just say that Mark, wielding a high-tech crossbow that probably cost more than their monthly stipend, accidentally takes Doug out of the equation. Oops.
Naturally, this creates a bit of a predicament for the Hoagies. Do they report the incident? Try to cover it up? Stage a very elaborate hunting accident? The possibilities are as endless as they are probably terrible.
Meanwhile, back in suburbia, Mark’s vegetarian neighbor, David, is waging his own war against nature. Think less Grizzly Man and more Mildly Irritated Gardener, as David attempts to protect his precious herbs and vegetables from a relentless onslaught of deer. Irony, thy name is “Deer Stakes.”
This episode looks to be a significant departure from the show’s usual antics. It’ll be interesting to see if the writers can successfully balance the dark comedy of accidental manslaughter with the established tone of the series. One thing’s for sure: things in the Universal Basic Guys universe are about to get a whole lot more complicated.
Universal Basic Guys “Deer Stakes” airs Sunday, December 15 at 8:00 PM on FOX.
