"Better Things" Is Better Than Ever

In both series weamp8217ve got a divorced single parent who works in the entertainment industry amp160Check amp160Theyamp8217re alone but have great friends amp160Theyamp8217re sad but not depressed amp160Theyamp8217re cynical but not necessarily assholes amp160Check check check amp160And their kids CK has two girls Adlon has three both in real life and on their respective shows tend to split their time between being sources of both unfiltered stress and unconditional love amp160I could go on but I wonamp8217t amp160The point is that at the time all these similarities were a good thing amp160However with CKamp8217s dismissal from all things TV in late 2017 due to accusations of sexual misconduct that CK later admitted to suddenly something that was a successful joint collaboration between the two comedy pros would turn into a solo venture for one of themamp160 Adlon summed it up perfectly in an interview with IndieWire back in January by saying amp8220All of a sudden heamp8217s gone my show is dangling from a precipiceamp8221Which brings us to Season 3 amp160The formula over the first two seasons has remained more or less the same and thankfully that trend has continued right into the third season which by the time this is published will have already telecast itamp8217s fourth episode amp160Donamp8217t get it twisted though amp160Formula or no Better Things is its own beast amp160Adlonamp8217s character Sam is our gateway into a world thatamp8217s as familiar as it is foreignFor me itamp8217s foreign in the physical sense Iamp8217m not a woman I donamp8217t live in a houseneighborhood like hers and even though I write about television and not for it she does which puts her job inamp160the industry while mine is best described as amp8220industry adjacentamp8221On the flip side thereamp8217s so much to identify with amp160I see Samamp8217s dealings with her collegebound daughter Max Mikey Madison and I thank my lucky stars that my daughteramp8217s only six amp160I see Samamp8217s youngest and nicest daughter Duke Olivia Edward getting older and older in every episode and I identify with the mixed feelings of watching my own kids get bigger every day amp160I see Samamp8217s rebellious middle child her daughter Frankie Hannah Alligood and Iamp8217m honestly reminded of my son amp160Heamp8217s a little younger but theyamp8217re both snarky knowitallsPoint is unlike Louie which leaned in a weird sort of trippy direction every now and then Better Things sources all its gravitas from its existing onscreen relationships and treats each episode as kind of a microcosmic example of life in whatever particular configuration it happened to be in that day amp160The constants are this family not the particulars or the detailsIamp8217ll admit sometimes it felt weird knowing that what I just watched pretty much boiled down to amp8220Sam dumps guy amp160Sam goes to Santa Barbara amp160Sam leaves amp160Sam thinks about her kidsamp8221 but maybe thatamp8217s because your average comedydramedy usually finds it necessary to spoon feed us the plot points amp160All that amp8220last time on amp8230amp8221 and amp8220to be continued amp8230amp8221 nonsense just doesnamp8217t matter on Better Things amp160Iamp8217m not saying stuff doesnamp8217t happen chronologically amp160Iamp8217m just saying any one episode by nature doesnamp8217t necessarily need to have been seen prior to any other episode amp160Itamp8217s like life Sht happens every day and whether it was terrible or awesome or whatever the next day we just kind of keep living our lives amp160Thatamp8217s how Better Things feelsLast season Samamp8217s mother Phyllis aka amp8220Phylamp8221 Celia Imrie purposely injured herself I assume in a misguided attempt to feel some semblance of control in a world where her senility is creeping up on her more and more every day amp160Yes it buys her some sympathy and unbeknownst to her makes Sam consider putting her in a home but the truth never comes to light and that thread is never really picked back up in a specific way amp160Similarly there are moments when it seems like both Duke and Sam can see spirits or ghosts maybe amp160Sam talks to a responding apparition of her late father on more than one occasion Season 3 included and Duke saw what Iamp8217m pretty sure was a ghost during Season 2amp8217s amp8220White Rockamp8221 episode amp160Neither of these things are really explained or become major plots points amp160Theyamp8217re just amp8230 thereThis show if nothing else should get props for how it likes to turn traditional things on their heads amp160For example all the main female cast members have namesnicknames that sound traditionally male amp160Sam Max Frankie Duke Phyl amp160I thought that was a nice touch amp160Sam is a single mother but sheamp8217s not a prissy dresswearing homemaker amp160Instead she swears speaks her mind wears jeans or pants constantly and is more of a amp8220guyamp8221 then most of the guys with whom she comes in contact amp160In fact Iamp8217d argue that almost every guy she interacts with is the worst except for her close friend Rich Diedrich Baderamp160 Heamp8217s the bestamp160Sam is complicated amp160The guys she deals with are not amp160In Season 2 she dumps not one but two different dudes for being a little amp8220too muchamp8221 emotionally amp160She almost feels a sexual attraction towards her best friendamp8217s exhusband Jeff Greg Comer which once given the chance to make his case he promptly talks her out of inadvertently because heamp8217s an idiot amp160Arnold Hall Rade Serbedzija the father of Samamp8217s exhusband begs her to continue financially supporting his grownass son even after her courtappointed alimony payments finally end amp160Who the hell does thatWith the exception of Rich there isnamp8217t a single respectable man in almost any of the episodes amp160Is this a commentary on how men are viewed by women today or is it just a brutal look at the intentionally ignored hypocrisy of my gender since like amp8230 ever amp160My money is on the latterI think the point is thatamp160a amp8220normalamp8221 show about a working single mother wouldamp8217ve shined a light on her financial struggles difficulties raising her children and how impossible it is for her to be content in life without the helppresence of a man amp160On the contrary Sam is doing just fine financially amp160Sheamp8217s an amazing mother so no issues there and honestly life would probably be easier for her without the men in her life amp160So add all that up throw in a bunch of dope cameos Season 3 includes Sharon Stone Matthew Broderick and Janina Gavankar among others and thatamp8217s what the show feels like right now amp160Iamp8217ve got to say Better Things hasnamp8217t just survived with Adlon fully taking the reigns itamp8217s improved and Iamp8217m all the way here for itClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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"Better Things" Is Better Than Ever

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Ainsley Andrade

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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Ainsley Andrade

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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