Round Two: Doll and Em

Doll and Em: Season 1, Episode 3 and 4 (B+)

Technically, this is actually round three and four, but, because of how HBO is airing the installments of this British series, I’m looking at these two together as one whole. I was pleasantly surprised to find some sense of continuity in between episodes, namely that the injury Doll sustained as a result of her awful attempt to justify her handicapped parking spot lasted into the next episode. Doll starring in the funeral scene with Em definitely made things much more awkward than they needed to be, namely because she happened to be amazing at crying while it was not one of Em’s strong suits. Em was understandably upset with Doll milking her success and stealing some of the spotlight, and Doll didn’t help matters by calling up MasterCard pretending to be Em and describing her abilities in a less than complimentary manner. Doll going in first to see Em’s casting agent was immensely uncomfortable, and Em having to be Doll’s chauffeur was also unfortunate. Doll has absolutely no self-awareness, and Em much more often has to be the outwardly vindictive one, letting Doll know that she has to treat him with a sort of respect that she isn’t necessarily expected to show to her. We got to see much more of the filming process than ever before, showcasing Em’s actual skills while she parodies herself and her hatred of her hat and inability to cry. In a subtle and far from memorable guest spot, we had John Cusack, who was much more interested in socializing with Doll than with Em. I did enjoy the writer’s dislike of the comparisons to “The Godfather” that everyone kept making.