Yes, this was his best performance on the show. There are quite a few others for which either one of them rightly should have won, but this exceeds pretty much anything else I've seen them do.
We begin this episode with poor Dave recovering from maybe the worst night of his life. (Before the one in
this episode, that is
) When Maddie shows up, she feeds him that line of horsefeathers about
Oh, nothing happened, boring night, saw my old friend, blah blah blah. And David knows that at least some of this is not true. But he doesn't call her out on it, in fact he can't, because then she'd know that he was following her around. He is trapped. He has to pretend that he doesn't know anything and that nothing is wrong. Meanwhile, everything is. His world is falling apart.
Even now, he tries to deny it, joking and not wanting to say why he's interested in what happens to them, but everyone else can see it telegraphed over his face. (Funny thing about Agnes and Bert, they always catch on to what's under the surface for our two heroes.)
So he invites himself to the dinner. And he decides that finally, come hell or high water, those words are going to pass his lips, and damn the consequences.
You are so happy for him when he scoots over to the table.
He's going to say it! Ooh! David starts blushing and stammering like a schoolboy. He looks happier than he's ever been. Scared, too, but we know the reason why he's there.
Maddie can't for the life of her figure out what is going on.
What are you doing here? But David just keeps barreling on.
And then he starts to say it. I have come to a conclusion. I realized that--
And Sam comes back to the table.
Let me tell you, I literally yelled and doubled over off the chair.
But Sam probably remembers him from the other night.
Oh, what's this wiseguy doing here? You. With the flowers. Again.
And you're asking about my woman.
Trouble.
What happens next is amazing to watch in its own right.
They plow through an exhausting conversation that everybody pretends is funny, but is sheer hate and agony under the surface. None of them can leave or actually start an open fight, because that would be too obvious, not to mention get them in trouble in public. No. They have to stay where the bear trap sprung.
Sam in a passive-aggressive stroke of genius decides to let David have enough rope with which to hang himself. I could never before figure out why he lets him keep drinking. Notice Sam hardly has anything. David progressively makes himself look like worse and worse of a fool in front of Maddie.
That's precisely the point.
David winds up utterly in his cups, while Sam is barely troubled, and Maddie is similarly clean. Dave tries to joke; he tries to talk about college, about work, about his past, and it all crashes directly into a wall. Sam is better than him on everything.
He can't even buy the round with his credit card.
And then
Sam gets to drive him home.
Total, abject failure on every front.
One of the worst fights between the two men, without a punch being tossed.
Then there's the trip home. Poor David can't even make it down the hallway of his own building, and has to be
thrown into bed by his rival. Contrast that with the last view of Sam, who gets to spend the night quite comfortable and happy, in Maddie's arms.
Could it have been done better? Could anybody else claim to have put forward a more realistic portrayal of the heart of their character? Made you feel precisely what he was feeling in that moment?
I doubt it.
) When Maddie shows up, she feeds him that line of horsefeathers about Oh, nothing happened, boring night, saw my old friend, blah blah blah. And David knows that at least some of this is not true. But he doesn't call her out on it, in fact he can't, because then she'd know that he was following her around. He is trapped. He has to pretend that he doesn't know anything and that nothing is wrong. Meanwhile, everything is. His world is falling apart. 
Just wondering. Thanks. 
)
