What I’m Watching: Transparent

Transparent: Season 3, Episode 3 “To Sardines and Back” (B+)

It always seems to be a spectacle when the entire Pfefferman family gets together for a family dinner, and this time was no exception. Leading up to it, Sarah receiving no votes in favor of her being appointed to the board of the temple had her gunning for Buzz, who, rather politely, was trying not to get in the middle of things and instead left Raquel to be the only person to advocate for Sarah. I like that Raquel has become a regular member of the cast, able to pursue her own storylines mostly separate from the Pfefferman family as the one character not invited to Maura’s birthday dinner. I was surprised to learn that Maura was celebrating her seventieth birthday, and a bit of quick research reveals that Jeffrey Tambor is actually seventy-two. It seems that’s not too old to think about surgery to align Maura’s sex with her gender, news that came as a real surprise to her entire family, some of whom are happy for their “moppa” but are sad to know that the father they grew up with will truly be gone. Maura didn’t seem to care too much that Vicki was offended that she hadn’t shared this life-changing decision with her first, and inviting everyone in during the family game of hide-and-seek was definitely one way to avoid the situation. Josh seemed to bond quite a bit with Shea, and somehow Sarah’s relationship with Len seems to be improving considerably, which is helpful given her current state.