What I’m Watching: Divorce

Divorce: Season 1, Episode 8 “Church” (B+)

It’s a strange thing to see Robert so happy, but it’s also hard to know whether it’s all just an act. Thomas Haden Church as proven to be a fantastic part of this show, portraying Robert as so dry and frequently committed to emphasizing things he says just to be obnoxious. His sudden enthusiasm for taking his kids to church and having an afternoon of archery is strange, but he gets into stuff in a big way whenever he goes for it. He tanked his church experience as soon as he starting trashing Julien, and I love that he went to heckle Julien in his class and then intimidate him by saying “Bonjour.” His exchange was odd, and it was hilarious that all Julien said was that he wasn’t French, something you’d think he would have realized by now after hearing him speak for an entire class. Frances pitching herself as the perfect fit for a huge job at Sotheby’s was a nice prospect that could have worked out so well, but then she got it in her head that she shouldn’t step up her income so that Robert could just take half off it. Her deferment plan was wholly deluded, and it’s the most ridiculous she’s sounded yet. Calling to say that she wasn’t going to take it was awkward given how much she’d ruined her chances, and losing the chance to headhunt someone would have stung even more if Frances hadn’t been fooling herself into thinking that she chose this.