Like the comic book, which is studded with nods to the Rutles and the Church of the Subgenius, the TV "Middleman" is pop-culturally allusive, in ways incidental ("Let her go, Blofeld"), overt (an "Avengers" pastiche) and obscure (name-checking lesser-known comics like "Mouse Guard"). It satirizes the conventions of both comic books and television shows, as in a supertitle reading, "Jolly Fats Wehawkin Employment Agency, exactly 3 minutes, 10 seconds later," which is the length not of the break in the action but of the commercial break that precedes it. Grillo-Marxuach also has a penchant for dumb foreign-language jokes: An Italian restaurant is called Il Mutande Grandissimo, which translates as the Really Big Underpants.
The adventuring is balanced with well-executed, twentysomething domestic comedy. Brit Morgan plays Lacey, Wendy's roommate, a self-described "confrontational spoken-word performance artist" and animal activist (when we meet her she is painting a sign that reads "French Cuisine Kills Bunnies"). Boyfriend Ben (Stephen Sowan) breaks up with her because a teacher in film school tells him there's not enough pain in his life. ("Do you have any idea how that stings, to know that you have no hurt on the inside?" as he shoots her reaction.
