What I’m Watching: Grace and Frankie

Grace and Frankie: Season 2, Episode 11 “The Bender” (B+)

This is a fitting title for this episode, since Grace’s behavior can only be described accurately by the word “bender.” It was jarring to have such a serious plotline emerge when paired with Bud and Coyote meeting Jacob, who Bud seemed determined not to like at every turn in the most comedic of ways. It turns out that Jacob actually is a good guy, and he treats Frankie well, and after Coyote was in awe right away, Bud came around to that line of thinking when he saw Jacob carry Grace out of the room when her deplorable behavior started. Getting sloshed and having a blast with the other drunk people at Billie’s bar verged on the border between harmless and problematic, and refusing to listen to reason when she realized who the other people there were made it clear that there was something bad going on. Driving to the liquor store to buy them out of their tiny alcohol bottle supply was a reckless decision, and leaving her keys in her car was the last straw. Frankie’s refusal to pick her up was understandable, and Babe preparing for her last hurrah is hardly going to be the most devastating thing to happen in this show’s near future. Robert and Sol getting back together and leaving Sol’s dreary apartment behind was a far more promising development, and I think selling the house and finding a place of their own with no bad memories is a great idea, provided it doesn’t send Grace spiraling any further.