The Odd Couple

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1965

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Summary

Act Summaries & Analyses

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Act 1Act Summaries & Analyses

Act 1 Summary

Oscar Madison, a 43-year-old sportswriter, is hosting a weekly poker game at his apartment for his friends Vinnie, Roy, Speed, and Murray. As they wait for their other friend Felix, they comment on the state of Oscar’s apartment. He offers them sandwiches from the kitchen and invites them to choose between brown and green ones, with the green being “either very new cheese or very old meat” (9). Oscar has also been reckless with his finances in the time following his divorce and can only join the game by borrowing money from Murray. As Oscar’s friends’ frustrations begin to mount, he receives a call from his ex-wife Blanche. She angrily reminds him that his child support check is a month late. Oscar brushes her off, telling her that he’ll get to it as soon as he can and insisting that money is tight. Roy, who is also Oscar’s accountant, tells him that Blanche could easily send him to jail for his failure to pay and urges him to get his life and finances together.

Shortly after, they get a call from Murray’s wife, who lets them know that Felix failed to show up for work. Everyone finds this worrying since Felix is extremely organized. They then call Felix’s wife Frances, who explains that she and Felix are getting a divorce. Everyone finds this surprising, as Felix and Frances always seemed to have a steady marriage. It also proves to be a cause for additional concern: the last time Frances threatened to leave, Felix tried to kill himself. Their fears prove to be valid, as Oscar tells them that Frances received a “suicide telegram” from him (19). Felix clearly believed this would give him time to save himself should it change her mind. As the group wonders what to do, the doorbell rings.

Oscar realizes that Felix could try to kill himself in the apartment, saying “[...] If you’re going to kill yourself, where’s the safest place to do it? [...] With your friends!” (20) They all swear to be calm and let Felix in. When Felix asks if anyone called for him, the group acts oblivious. He then asks if the building is 12 floors, and Oscar insists it’s a paltry 11. When he tries to go to the bathroom, Oscar insists on accompanying him. He waits outside while Felix cries. When he exits the bathroom, he admits to taking a bottle of pills but throwing them up.

Felix is now alone with Oscar and is incredibly upset. He tells him that he didn’t want to divorce but understands that Frances must have experienced great difficulties surviving his anxiety and various neuroses. Despite his ability to reflect, he is still distraught, telling Oscar “I’m nothing without [my wife and kids]! Nothing!” (33). Oscar offers his sympathies, saying that he was also incredibly difficult for Blanche and his son—he’s messy, gambles, and lost a lot of their money despite being a successful sportswriter. He tells Felix he should move in with him. Oscar admits he doesn’t like living alone, and Felix is excited at the prospect of all the cleaning he can do. He gets right to work, telling Oscar he’ll do the dishes and then go to bed. When he says good night, he accidentally calls Oscar “Frances.”

Act 1 Analysis

Act 1 provides the audience with crucial exposition into Oscar and Felix’s marital woes and foreshadows how these could impact their living arrangement. Both men are divorcees, and their relationships with their ex-wives provide insight into their current conditions. Oscar’s relationship with Blanche is largely defined by his apathy. He is financially reckless and would rather spend his money drinking and gambling than provide for them. Even though he is four weeks behind on his child support payments, he refuses to act until Murray tells him that he could be arrested. Oscar’s carelessness extends to his apartment, which is referred to as “a study in slovenliness” (5). He refuses to address its state, insisting he doesn’t mind living in filth. His friends, however, do mind. Most of them are disgusted by his moldy sandwiches and don’t understand how he lives the way he does. This demonstrates that Oscar’s sloppy and inattentive nature is alienating his family and friends. His lack of action in response to their concerns suggests that he doesn’t care enough to change.

Felix’s histrionic entrance operates in a similar way. He arrives at the poker game after missing a day of work, clearly hoping Frances called to express her concern when he asks, “Anyone call about me?” (22). He also shares his plans to commit suicide; however, it is questionable that he was ever going to follow through with them. After sharing that he took pills, thus getting his friends to immediately try to help him, he confesses that he threw them up before arriving. At the height of his breakdown, he admits to sending Frances a “suicide telegram,” thinking that she will experience a change of heart and cancel their divorce to save his life (19). Though his emotional reaction comes from a place of pain, his actions are incredibly self-centered. He does not seem to mind putting his family and friends through traumatic experiences if it means getting the care and attention he wants. This is one of many instances where Felix will use his anxieties to try and excuse self-centered behavior.

The Odd Couple is a satire, meaning that its humor mocks or questions social customs. In this case, Simon is satirizing marriage and rejecting the notion that it is the highest form of relationship. Though the spotlight is mainly on Felix’s reaction to his impending divorce, many of the poker group participants have marriage woes of their own. Vinnie never seems at home in his own relationship and is constantly worrying about upsetting his wife. In this game, he seems more worried about getting home than winning money. He frets:

SPEED. Hey, Vinnie, tell Oscar what time you’re leaving.

VINNIE. (Like a trained dog.) Twelve o’clock. (10)

Similarly, Murray is annoyed by his wife. When Oscar jokingly flirts with her, he says “I wish you were having an affair with her…Then she wouldn’t bother me all the time” (15). Even the supporting cast is plagued by their unhappy relationships, which foreshadows Simon’s pessimistic outlook throughout the play. While Simon does not provide a solution to these problems just yet, the audience can observe that many of these relationships seem to be affected by one or both partners’ lack of respect for the other. These themes will continue to be developed throughout the play.

Simon often employs physical comedy to showcase the development of these tropes. Since The Odd Couple is a piece of performance art, physical comedy can give the audience a visual for what is being satirized. In Act 1, Simon uses physical comedy to show how Oscar and Felix’s relationship starts to take on marriage-like traits. After Oscar invites Felix to live with him, Felix seems visibly stressed. He says he is experiencing a neck spasm, which happens when he’s extremely anxious. As a result, Oscar offers to give him a neck massage. The two then continue their conversation as if nothing changed:

OSCAR. (Rubbing neck.) Think of warm jello! …

FELIX. Isn’t that terrible? I can’t do it…I can’t relax. (32)

Though Oscar and Felix were previously close friends, they are now experiencing a new level of intimacy. This suggests that their relationship will continue to evolve over the course of the play.