Round Two: Significant Mother

Significant Mother: Season 1, Episode 2 “Mixed Doubles” (B)

I’m glad I decided to give this show a second shot as I did enjoy this episode and I think I could be into watching it every week. What impressed me about this episode is that it had a celebrity guest star, Denise Richards, who could have taken away from the plot and established this show as one that relies on big names to steal the show, but instead she was incorporated in a perfect way. As Pepper, she was a foil for Lydia, a version of what she could be if she actually considered herself a cougar (or kitty hawk) and thrived on sleeping with younger men just for the sake of it. As we’ve learned over the course of this and last episode, this relationship is more than just about Lydia feeling young, and despite Jimmy’s egg-headed nature, they have something real brewing. I’m glad that the romance extends beyond Nate’s cucumber nightmares and into failed attempts at space-oriented role play. I love just how much “Battlestar Galactica” was referenced in this episode, and that it even got as specific as naming Starbuck and talking about drydock. Harrison is also a positive part of the show, dropping by to give his ex-wife a teddy bear that’s obviously a nanny cam and insulting her young new beau. Every time I hear Atticus talk, I can’t help but be reminded of Russell Brand, but maybe he’ll eventually do something to distinguish himself before Sam inevitably gets won over by the timid Nate.