DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Kevin Can F**k Himself series finale episode, “Allison’s House,” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, jaded sitcom spouses! It’s the end, folks. It’s hard to believe we’re at this point. While this show only ran for two seasons, they were two seasons of glorious television. Spellbinding acting and nuanced character work. Kevin Can F**k Himself boasts some action, but it’s more of a character-driven piece. These characters propel the narrative forward. That’s my kind of show.
“Allison’s House” brings this story to a satisfying conclusion.
Ready to delve into “Allison’s House”? Let’s get to it.
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We open six months after the ending of last week’s episode, wherein Allison (Annie Murphy) sits outside a cafe while reading. Her hair is now dark brown. Admittedly, it suits her. Gertrude Fronch is living her life Kevin McRoberts-free. Speaking of, we see Kevin (Eric Petersen) at his home, chatting with Neil (Alex Bonifer) and Pete (Brian Howe). He sports a beard now in his post-Allison world. It’s interesting how both of them changed their appearances after disbanding.
Kevin struggles to stay afloat in the wake of Allison’s “death.” That is until his new girlfriend, Molly (Erinn Hayes), enters the scene. Struggling, you say? She even bears similar features to Allison. (Fun fact: Erinn Hayes played Donna on Kevin Can Wait and was killed off after one season. Nobody knows how Donna died.)
Later, we see Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden) cutting a customer’s hair. She’s running a real salon again! Said customer encourages her to restart her pill business. After the woman departs, Patty flips through a folder filled with newspaper clippings and various files pointing toward Allison’s location. She never stopped looking for her bestie, a.k.a. the love of her life!
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Meanwhile, Allison leaves her apartment to find a suspicious red vehicle parked outside. Kevin learns that Pete is departing for warmer weather. He’ll be staying with Lorraine at her timeshare in sunny Florida. Pete refuses to disclose her address to Kevin, so there’ll be no visitations from the ex-Worcester Wild Dude.
I love that if you look at the dry-erase board near the kitchen door, you’ll see that Kevin now has 723 wins but four losses to “Life.” Before Allison faked her death on last week’s episode, there was a three next to “Life.” Ostensibly, Allison’s “death” was a loss to him.
Next, Tammy (Candice Coke) encourages her girlfriend to leave Worcester. Tammy feels they’re stuck in a rut, and putting this town in the rearview mirror might rejuvenate their relationship. Patty finds it difficult to even think about leaving, especially since she’s only resided in Worcester. Aw, she wants to wait for Allison in case she returns! I’m calling it. It’s canon.
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Speaking of, Allison, a.k.a. Gertrude, is hard at work at a consignment shop. After she leaves, she spots that red vehicle again. Meanwhile, Kevin catches Neil with Aunt D (Jamie Denbo) as they get hot and heavy. As per Kevin’s usual, he reacts obscenely. He laughs at them, genuinely guffawing, but especially Neil for deigning to give D the time of day. Kevin’s an ass. D storms out.
Later, Patty meets Sam (Raymond Lee) at the diner to brainstorm Allison’s whereabouts. She admits that Sam’s been her only friend these past six months. Patty believes that Allison did change — she got out of Worcester. Allison left town to protect Patty. And now Patty’s more alone than ever. Mary Hollis Inboden is a superstar. She’s doled out two seasons’ worth of incredibly nuanced, grounded performances. She never wastes a charged glance or even an eye twitch. It all matters.
While we see Allison working at the consignment shop again, Kevin confronts Neil with Molly in tow at the bar. Kevin believes he’s owed an apology. Why? Because Neil lied to him and was sleeping with D behind his back. Neil’s falling short on his best friend duties to boot. Neil doesn’t feel Kevin deserves an apology, which is understandable. He severs the ties of friendship with Kevin, citing that Kevin treats him like sh*t. Finally! Give ole Kev the boot. Kevin and Molly leave the bar. It’s the end of an era, folks. Kevin and Neil, former BFFs, are no more.
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Next, Allison finds Tammy at her door. A-ha! I knew it. Tammy was tracking Allison. Allison fills Tammy in on her faking her death and that she deserves the blame, not Patty. Tammy breaks down what she believes happened: Allison and Patty assaulted a trucker for pills in Vermont. Then, they sold the pills for cash to give to Nick so that he’d break into Allison’s house. That’s where Tammy loses the thread.
Then, Tammy reassures Allison that the Worcester PD isn’t waiting outside and that she’s not interested in assisting Kevin. We learn Nick died the week before. Tammy states that the case died with him. Allison breathes a sigh of relief. Before departing, Tammy wishes Allison good luck.
Allison goes out for drinks with her work friend, but something feels off. The scene cuts to Allison sitting in her apartment, looking as anxious as all get-out. She grabs her keys and leaves in a whirlwind. Meanwhile, Tammy surprises Patty at the salon by dropping some big news — she just quit the force. Tammy doesn’t want to be tethered to things that aren’t panning out in her favor. She tries to persuade Patty to leave Worcester with her.
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However, Patty refuses to put this town behind her. Thus, Tammy and Patty break up. Later, while Patty is packing Tammy’s belongings, Neil barges in, demanding she talk to D for him. Suddenly, Patty calmly tells her brother he needs to leave. She orders him to move out. You go, girl!
Next, Allison surprises Sam at the diner. They embrace. Allison reveals she returned home to lay bare the bitter truth. Sam informs her about Kevin’s funeral service for her, which was at a bowling alley. That’s where he met Molly. So, Allison tracks down Molly at the bowling alley and asks if they can talk.
Neil knocks on D’s door in a frenzy. She chastises him for showing up at her house in broad daylight, especially where Chuck can see him. Neil believes they should be together and rattles on about how everything makes sense with D. He feels she can make him better. D states that she’ll consider being with him if he can get his act together. But he must make those changes himself.
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Kevin sits at home in silence — no Neil, no Pete, no Allison, no Patty. Just him. After alienating everyone in his life, Kevin is alone. And how can the comedian perform without an audience? Molly enters the fray, and Kevin tells her she’s moving in with him. Molly, spooked, backs out of the door and claims she’s leaving to get cigarettes. She’s not coming back, folks.
Suddenly, Allison appears before Kevin’s eyes. She’s alive! Kevin embraces her. If you look at that dry-erase board, it now claims Life has won six times over Kevin. I’m assuming five and six are Pete and Neil, respectively. Allison informs him that she’s here to do what she should’ve done years ago: tell the truth. Allison reveals she ran away from him six months ago. She declares her intention to divorce him. Yes!
Kevin claims she doesn’t want to divorce him, but Allison asserts she does. We hear the studio audience clap for Allison. As the clapping fades, the lighting goes dark. We finally see Kevin for who he truly is without the sitcom trimmings. He tells Allison she’ll be back before she knows it, begging him for attention. Kevin discredits Allison’s capabilities, citing that she constantly changes her mind, never following through with her desires. Fun fact, Kev: Patty believes in Allison!
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Before Allison leaves, Kevin threatens to destroy her. We see Kevin drink copious amounts of booze alone. He grabs Allison’s belongings lying about the house and tosses them in a trash can. Kevin tries calling Pete, but the latter doesn’t answer. He also leaves a voicemail for Molly. Lastly, Kevin scolds Neil for being a “f*cking idiot” and orders him to call back.
Then, Kevin sets fire to the trash can full of Allison’s things. A very inebriated Kevin passes out while the trash can burns brightly. Meanwhile, we see Tammy leave Patty’s house with her belongings. She gets in her car and drives away. Patty revisits Sam at the diner, where he lets slip that Allison’s in town. However, before Sam can reveal where Allison went, Neil calls Patty with shocking news.
We see Kevin’s house is on fire. A crowd gathers outside to watch the flames stretch toward the sky. A gobsmacked Patty watches the display. Neil walks by Patty with a bag slung over his shoulder. They exchange glances before he departs.
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After the fire department snuffs out the blaze, Patty stands in front of the ruins of the McRoberts house. She sits on the stairs as she used to with Allison. Before long, Allison appears before Patty. They embrace. Folks, the writers made us wait the whole episode for these two to reunite, and it’s so worth it. Allison tells Patty that she wants to stay in Worcester.
“Let’s die alone together,” Patty says. Allison smiles, repeating it back to her. They hold hands.
The end.
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Seeing Kevin outside of his sitcom bubble is so jarring. Hats off to Eric Petersen for making that switch seamlessly and showing us Kevin’s true colors in the muted tones of the real world. He’s downright menacing without the vacuous laugh track and oversaturated lighting. “Allison’s House” puts Kevin’s insecurities on display — he’s afraid of being alone. That’s why he’s always “performing.”
Kevin feels that entertaining those around him while bringing them into his orbit will ensnare them, thus keeping them from leaving him. He’s so insecure in himself that he thinks threatening his loved ones is how to get them to stay. Kevin doesn’t believe he’s enough on his own.
It plays into the fragile ego of the white man and his equally fragile, toxic masculinity. While I didn’t see him being his own downfall and dying in a housefire, I think it’s a fitting end for ole Kev.
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I loved watching the women stand up to the men in this outing. Diane puts her foot down and urges Neil to help himself, while Patty also kicks Neil to the curb. Allison finally stands up to Kevin and demands they divorce. On a similar note, each of these women wants to stay in Worcester, whereas at an earlier stage in the series, they all want to leave. I don’t see it as the town trapping them, but instead, they’re secure enough in themselves to plant their roots. We get to watch them take back their lives and stories. They seize hold of their power.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to live in your hometown or wherever you grew up, and it’s refreshing to see a show depict this. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Speaking of happiness, I loved Allison and Patty’s scene in this episode. What a beautiful testament to everything they’ve endured together. While we’ll never know if something romantic develops from their deep friendship, I believe they’re soulmates. They’re deeply, innately, viscerally the loves of each other’s lives.
Annie Murphy and Mary Hollis Inboden gave us their all in this series, consistently churning out powerhouse performances weekly. Incredible character work all around. Plus, they share some of the most electrifying onscreen chemistry I’ve ever seen, platonic and romantic-wise. Brava.
Overall, Kevin Can F**k Himself is a series everyone should watch at least once. It cleverly subverts sitcom tropes and smashes the patriarchy. It boasts sleek camerawork and delightfully dark humor, with punchy writing to match. The brilliant, heartwarming depiction of supportive female friendship makes my heart sing. Most importantly, the impressive cast will keep you glued to your screen. Talk about some of the most versatile performers you’ll ever watch. They effortlessly weave between comedy and drama like nobody’s business. They provide a masterclass in acting.
I’ll miss this fictional slice of Worcester. Oh, and Kevin can f**k himself (for real).
All seasons of Kevin Can F**k Himself are now streaming on AMC Plus.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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