Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Season 1 Episode 3 Wastes Time on Denise

Critic’s Rating: 3 / 5.0

3

I was seated for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Season 1 Episode 3 after the way the previous episode ended.

And then, meh.

This was a mediocre installment in what could have been a fun romp into witch trials and a magical threat.

(Colin Remas Brown/HBO Max)

Even The Big Bang Theory cameos couldn’t save this one, as the entire focus was on Denise for absolutely no reason at all.

Why Did Denise Decide to Leave?

During Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Season 1 Episode 2, naturally, Stuart decided he needed to see the love of his life.

However, this isn’t the same world that he left behind, and Denise is somewhat happily married to Gary.

In a surprising turn of events, she decides to leave Gary and follow Stuart, taking her into a new universe where she has to face the choices she’s made.

(Colin Remas Brown/HBO Max)

Now, I get it. Denise is from a world where she and Stuart were never together. She later tells the Magic World Gary that they had six years of happiness together.

They barely argued — although that’s because they weren’t allowed to get mad thanks to the cube floating in the sky.

So, why would she leave that? What did she think she was missing?

I don’t even think we get to the bottom of it all. Honestly, I lost track of the whole thing because I just didn’t care.

There’s so much more going on throughout the episode that was far more interesting, and each time we went back to Denise at the bar or with Gary, I just rolled my eyes.

(Colin Remas Brown/HBO Max)

I don’t mind Denise, and I liked her character from the apocalypse world they were in, but now we’re stuck with this one, which has a lot of unresolved issues.

I guess in a way it’s supposed to be a look at how emotions being controlled and suppressed lead to these issues.

But there’s a universe to save!

Bert Finally Took Control

My favorite part of the 18 minutes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe was seeing Bert take control.

As Will Wheaton shows up to kill Stuart for helping Bernadette, Bert steps in the way.

(Colin Remas Brown/HBO Max)

He’s magic, and that’s what saves him from being burned at the stake.

Now, I will say that I could have done with a little more of an explanation as to why Bert was being burned at the stake.

I assumed it was because he was magic, but he suddenly gained groupies as a result.

This is why the time spent with Denise was a waste. There was so much more to delve into and explain in this universe.

I feel like we learned so much about the apocalypse and the cube worlds. Why not this magic one? Was it because the writers didn’t know where to go with it?

(Courtesy of HBO Max)

However, Bert finally took control, and we got to see some actual emotion from him.

Yes, I laughed out loud when Kripke was turned into a penguin. He deserved it, although I think a weasel would have been more appropriate.

The fight between Will and Bert added some fun action to the episode, something the previous installment missed.

I ended up with a lot more questions about how powerful Bert was, considering he was able to take on Will so easily, and Will came across as such a high-ranking magical being — although he could have been faking that!

I know we won’t revisit that world, but I would love to just get some niggling questions answered.

(Courtesy of HBO Max)

Of Course, Bernadette Is a Demon

I’ve always loved how The Big Bang Theory grew Bernadette’s character into a sweet-sounding dictator. And I say that lovingly.

She’s so charming and nice when she wants to be, but when she gets mad, she’s scary. Many of the characters on the original series pointed it out, including Penny and Howard!

So, it made perfect sense that she would turn out to be a demon in this magic world. Even then, she had the sweet voice and apologized as she stepped on people.

It brought the heart of the original series through in just a short scene.

(Colin Remas Brown/HBO Max)

What could have happened had she managed to get her hands on the universe-jumping machine?

I would love to see an alternate universe where that happened, but that isn’t the point of this series. That’s for fanfiction, I guess!

Nobody would stand a chance against Bernie.

Another question came up as I watched: how did the magical council bind her powers?

She seems so unstoppable, and Will turned up almost in fear that Bernadette was loose. It would suggest that it took a lot of power to contain her and strip her of her powers.

(Courtesy of HBO Max)

I will say that while Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Season 1 Episode 2 reminded me a lot of Charmed in the way the utopian society was set up, this episode reminded me a lot of Angel in the way Bernadette looked.

She was the spit of Lorne, just a giant version. Now I want to see some sort of karaoke bar where she sings and where other demons and magical creatures can hang out.

It does bring up the wonder of how many other TV shows and movies have been used as inspiration for future episodes of the series.

At least the series is keeping things unique and adding its own twists, so it is paying homage to the sci-fi that has come before rather than a direct copy, and I appreciate that.

However, I need more of the failing-to-save-the-universe storyline in future episodes. No more of Denise wallowing in a bar.

(HBO Max/Screenshot)

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