What I'd Like to See in the Last 13 Episodes of Guess Who

Amazingly, Guess Who has nearly come to a close and we're just waiting for the final 13 episodes (or 12 if you're lucky enough to have seen the Jason Sudeikis episode in the UK) at this point. Besides the obvious of wanting to see cool guest stars and spooky mysteries, I wanted to dive deeper and write this month's short editorial article on a few specific things I'd like to see in the final few Guess Who episodes.

One thing that has been somewhat inconsistent, but getting better, in the Guess Who episodes is the over-focus on the guest star. Sometimes, it feels like the writers focus so much on making the episode about the guest star that the actual mystery is neglected, and one's enjoyment of the episode is almost entirely dependent on their like or dislike of the guest star. Personally, this is why I did not enjoy the Ricky Gervais episode, among some others where the guest star was overbearingly present in the episode. They've been doing better with it in the second half of season 1 and season 2, but certain episodes were still "meh" to me because of not enough mystery development. 

Looking at the other side of it, I think the guest star should at least have a decent amount of presence in the episode, so they can contribute something. The Joey Chestnut episode felt like he was a side character because he was written so blandly, for example. I hope in the second half of season 2, that there is a consistent better balance of guest star presence, so they at least have a role to play but not so much of a role that it takes away time from the mystery or other members of the gang.

Overall though, I think the episodes are really improving from where we were at the beginning of season 1. We got some great episodes in the first half of season 2, especially Kristen Schaal and Morgan Freeman in which I felt the guest stars fit in perfectly with the plots of the episode. Which brings me to my last point: the guest star should actually seem interested in their role. In some episodes, the line delivery of guest stars seems very bland and forced, with episodes like Kacey Musgraves, Bill Nye & Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Jim Gaffigan being the ones coming to mind. It makes the episode less fun IMO if the guest star is just going through the motions or just there for the sake of claiming they have a guest star on the show.

I can't wait for the second half of season 2, and I'm hoping we get it soon!