Hung, "'Great sausage' or 'Can I call you Dick?'": Pimpin' ain't easy

Quick thoughts on the second episode of "Hung" coming up just as soon as I give you my list of do's and don't's...

"I'm a normal guy. I do normal things. Why don't you market me that way?" -Ray
"What's normal?" -Tanya

Having spent the pilot showing us why Ray's life is pathetic enough that he'd consider a career as a hooker, episode two of "Hung" spends more time on the pimp half of the equation, exploring Tanya's own sad existence as a failed poet and unfulfilled temp. By the end, it's very clear why she might think being a "happiness consultant" is her best option right now -- and that, while she and Ray have as steep a learning curve at their new career as Walter White did as a drug lord, she's not as ill-equipped as you might think. Hooking up with Lenore the personal shopper is actually a damned clever idea, especially given the kind of guy Ray wants to sell himself as.

While Thomas Jane is the main reason I'm watching, Jane Adams is a whole lot of fun in this episode, particularly in the moment where we see Tanya so excited by the possibilities of her plan that she literally skips through the chain restaurant's parking lot.

Overall, "'Great Sausage'" is quite a bit funnier than the pilot, which I know some people dismissed as being too dark and depressing. The addition of Rebecca Creskoff as the epically hateful Lenore is a strong step in a more comic direction, as we see both Ray and Tanya struggle mightily with how to deal with this forceful, nasty but not uncharismatic piece of work.

The half-hour length (which will be standard from here on out) also suits the show better, I think, than the 45 minutes or so of the pilot. (Feel free to make all the "Hung" length jokes you want, folks; I've been telling them for a few weeks now.) There are still some bumps ahead -- even with her minimal appearances so far, Anne Heche/Jess is really annoying -- but I was glad I watched this one back-to-back with the pilot, as it gave me a much better sense of what "Hung" could be like.

What did everybody else think?