I told you to wear the Blankman costume for tonight's sexual roleplaying! It's time I got the #J5Climaxspecial.

I’M BACK! This is a good thing because I would be SO PISSED if someone else got to recap last night’s episode, “The Butterfly Effect Effect.” It was perfect and had everything you could ask for. Jane and Brad hijinks, Pooh Bear Max, Alex being Alex in the best ways, and a TATERS MENTION WHILE IN TATERS! Naturally, said mention of Taters received the honor of being the title of the post. You know there was no other option if you follow my recaps religiously (which you better). I honestly don’t think there are enough words to describe how much I loved this episode. I mean, I seriously considered making this entire recap a Love Letter from Stephanie to the writers of the episode, Sierra Ornelas and Johnathan Groff, plus the whole Happy Endings writing team for gifting us with such a flawless episode which has easily become my absolute #1 favorite to date. I only axed the idea because this episode deserves the complete recap special. Shall we get to it then?

Like last week, the whole gang was involved in a single storyline centering around their own version of Punxsutawney Phil, i.e., Brad and Jane’s Annual Spring Smackdown. With an event like that you knew the episode was destined to be a classic and it took to the ground running with its opening scene that included a Major League reenactment (or maybe it was more A League of their Own) and introduction to Pooh Bear Max. Why did Max turn into Pooh? Besides the fact that Pooh is way gayer than those pesky Berenstain Bears, Max goes into total hibernation mode during the winter and only reemerges back into the world after Brad and Jane have their annual smackdown which signifies the start of spring. The only downside is that Brad and Jane are the epitome of every Bryan Adams ’90s love ballad mixed with Kevin Costner. Basically, they’re perfect together, so it seems like the smackdown will never happen this year.

This leaves Dave, Penny, and Alex no choice but to manipulate them into having their yearly smackdown so to bring on April’s golden showers and to save Max from a lifetime of being Christopher Robins’s butt boy, consequences be damned. Also, they really just want the accompanying “Douche Week” so to mooch off their friends and feel better about their lives in addition to providing the chance to wear the “so kewt” #TeamBrad & #TeamJane shirts. Put me down for Team “I need both those shirts” and of course a 6th Annual Spring Smackdown one too. They’re so fetch. While in the past Brad and Jane have blown up at each other over super important things, like the proper way to grate cheese, the trio of menace decided the best route to go to ensure a smackdown is to appeal to their jealous sides. Method? Strip clubs. However, it seems Brad AND Jane love to see them thangs jiggle wiggle. She even calls TATERS to reserve table by the omelet bar. Yes, as mentioned before Taters was referenced while in Taters BY JANE. I DIED, you guys! Granted Taters is now known as a strip club, so I guess I’m going to have to find a new name for the bar…. Yeah right, it’ll ALWAYS be Taters.

(Side note—Okay y’all, as most of you know I’m working on a delay because of my stupid local affiliate so I had no idea that Taters was mentioned until this morning when I was watching. I almost missed the reference even. Then I got on Twitter and saw the freak out by everyone else at the mention and it made me LOL for real. I’m glad it tickled all of you like it did me because without y’all Taters would never have happened.)

ANYWAY, as Jane is about to call the strip club to reserve the table, she sees Brad is “secretly” Facebook messaging his ex-girlfriend, Megan. Jane then gets all upset after she calls him out on it and he tells her it’s none of her biznass and the says he doesn’t ask what she talks about with all her ex-chocolate lovers. I guess the saying IS true. Once you go black, you don’t go back. It would seem that the smackdown was on as the duo took the fight outside but as it turns out it was just for show for their friends. It seems Jane and Brad were well-aware of their friends needing spring to arrive ASAP. I don’t know about y’all, but I was could not stop laughing at Brad and Jane’s fake fight. It definitely contained some of the best lines of the night.

To keep up the ruse Jane and Brad go to their separate chill down spots, Dave and Penny’s apartments respectively. While Jane attempts to gratify Penny and her need to be the wise one with relationship advice but gets sidetracked by Alex enticing her into a Clueless viewing party (Penny is SO the Tai of the group), Brad rebuffs Dave’s attempt to be seen in public with his leather duster (Spike wants his coat back, Dave) or to bring Max out of hibernation. Basically Douche Week fails miserably before it even begins and as Alex so wisely pointed out the next morning while Penny thawed out her undergarments, it’s because they tried to force the fight. Y’all, when the fuck did Alex become the crazy witch doctor baboon, Rafiki, from the Lion King?!

While Max is busy protecting his pillow pet Cubs and the Three 6 Mafia tries to figure out where their plan went wrong, Jane and Brad meet back up at their place to celebrate the one of over they pulled on their friends by getting their groove on. Sexy times were officially halted when they realized their apartment had turned into a giant walk-in freezer after one of them forgot to shut the doors to the balcony. Upon a few thrown accusations, one detrimental hair remark, and a pigeon, the Sixth Annual Spring Smackdown was officially on and Jane immediately ran to Alex and Penny for help with Brad where she had to come clean about their scheme. Despite at first acting as though they were offended at Brad and Jane thinking they needed the Smackdown, Penny, Tweedle-Dee, and Tweedle-Dum eventually head over to B&J’s ice house of love to help them overcome this lover’s spat, but not before being gifted to a pant’s off. Eventually, love really did lift them up where they belonged just like Joe Crocker and Jennifer Warnes (PS: you are welcome) promised AND it brought Pooh Bear Max out of hibernation. It also killed a pigeon, but I think the damn Windex was to blame for that.

Overall, this episode was made up of stellar writing and acting all around. Coupe and Wayans Jr are absolutely amazing together and you really get to see how comfortable they are with each other. I dare say that if any two other actors played Jane and Brad there is no way we’d love them as much as we do. In fact, I don’t even want to think about that scenario. Wilson, Cuthbert, Kingston, and Pally (because I call them all by their last names now) also brought their A-games this week. I have to admit that Penny has gotten on my nerves recently but the character seemed toned down and more like the Penny from last year this week, which is the Penny we all love. Alex once again had just the right amount of cluelessness (pun intended) and dumb blonde going on, while Dave was way less douchier than normal, thus more enjoyable than he has been for weeks. And Max… well he was the most cuddly looking, burly gay man ever and I would totally hibernate with him in the Hundred Acre Woods. Bravo Happy Endings team for creating the most perfect episode ever… at least for us here at OCTV. If you don’t win all the awards for this one, I’ll be shocked and will riot just like the Ryan Gosling lovers did after People named Bradley Cooper the Sexiest Man Alive.

Other Thoughts/Observations:

• Penny making Alex think that spring will never come was just cruel.
• I thought Baby Bjorn Max was the greatest thing ever but I was wrong. Pooh Bear Max IS the greatest thing ever.
• Alex, Dave, and Penny all showing up at Brad and Jane’s in flowy Angela Basset pants had me laughing so hard.
• The Clueless reference made my ’90s loving heart SING.
• There were WAY too many pigeons in Brad and Jane’s apartment for me. I hate birds but I especially hate pigeons with their beady eyes.
• Jane being cool with going to a titty bar is why I love her, but calling the titty bar to reserve a table is why I LOVE her.
• Alex’s Renee Zellweger face has pretty much secured her spot in my favorite’s list for life. I HATE Zellweger.
• Y’all Dave loving a good ‘capade is TOO EASY. I bet he has a Scott Hamilton poster on his wall.
• Another mention of Brad’s dreads has reinforced my resolve to get a flashback to the college years episode. COME ON WRITERS, IT HAS TO HAPPEN! THE PEOPLE WANT IT!
• Too little Sriracha sauce is a legit reason to have a smackdown in my household.
• Jane and Brad’s fake fight = SO GREAT.
• Penny DOES have those thaaaangs.
• I wonder if Jane ever got to be the vanilla in a chocolate vanilla swirl pudding cup with a couple of those exes.

There’s just SO MUCH I loved about this episode that I can’t possibly list them all without this recap going on for DAYS. This means it’s your turn to tell me what you loved down in the comments. How perfect was Jane and Brad? Did you get the Taters reference? Are you as in love with this episode as I am? Would you wear some flowy pants by Angela Basset? Do you want to cuddle with Pooh Bear Max? Talk to me in the comments!

Top Quotes of the Night:

• “We’ll play M.A.S.H.! I get to be Hawkeye!”- Oh Alex, please NEVER change. [Ed Note: HAHAHAHAHA.]
• “I get to live with a bear that sounds like Tim Allen.”
• “You don’t poke the bear. That’s illegal.”
• “Yeah the next thing you’re going to tell is that there is no such thing as a scrotee.”
• “No this is all about ‘Douche Week’.”
• “Hey do you think we should switch to paperless bill?!” “I don’t think I’m ready for that. I like to have a hard copy for my records.”
• “Speaking of Hard Copy, whatever happened to that show?”
• “See you at home!” “In bed!” “Naked!”
• “I don’t want that slender dragon to get the satisfaction of seeing me rage bend.”
• “In what world is she “the together one?” She polishes her fax machine.”
• “By the way, you look great in Kente cloth.”
• “Rage get caught up on Downtown Abbey.”
• “It’s time to stop waiting and start exhalin’.”
• “Oh my god, bird!” “Are you having a stroke? It’s Brad.”
• “Sweet, sweet little bird.”

PS- Here’s some Pooh Bear Max gifs for you to enjoy!