What I’m Watching: Life in Pieces

Life in Pieces: Season 2, Episode 7 “Swim Survivor Zen Talk” (B)

I enjoyed two of these segments a whole lot and the other two were decent if not nearly as fun. I’ll start with the two that were just okay. John trying to film a “Survivor” audition tape seems a bit outdated given that the show has been running for sixteen years, but my friend Andrew, who I just saw a few weeks ago, argues that it’s still one of the best shows on the air. Tim trying to hijack his tape and outwit him to impress Jeff Probst was somewhat predictable, and of course all their squabbling just led to Jeff, appearing as himself, agreeing with his team that Clementine, who showed up in a bikini in just one frame, was their obvious choice. Heather teaching Sophia about sex was more than a little extreme, and her asking Matt and Colleen if they had just had sex became a truly awkward family topic. Fortunately, Jen had her fake meditating as a great excuse to get away. If you think about it, she was practicing a kind of relaxation technique, even if playing video games on your phone isn’t regarded as highly in normal circles as deep breathing. I also like that Greg was more impressed and jealous than anything else when he found out about her deception. Colleen’s reason for not learning how to swim was certainly unique, and I loved her deflection technique: “Who even swims anymore? We have cars!” Matt pushing her into the pool as a lesson about the physics of swimming was a poor choice, and I’m glad that she ultimately ended up succeeding in a children’s class as the one student who wasn’t peeing in the pool.