Round Two: SMILF

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 2 “1800 Filet-o-Fishes and One Small Diet Coke” (B+)

I wasn’t sure what to make of this episode for a while, and then it all came together in a really interesting way by the end. This show is blunt and honest, and the way its characters behave isn’t some huge secret they’re all keeping from each other. The fact that Bridgette let the kids each macaroni and cheese again, took a bath in Ally’s bathwater, and had sex with her son on the bed didn’t faze Ally at all, not that she knew about the last item, because she was going through some of her own things. And I would have thought that Ally felt bad about not being able to care for her son because she had to work late, but she didn’t have any issue relaxing while his father did some of the work. Best of all, his aversion to vaccinations was overridden by the surprisingly sweet and sincere Nelly. I’ve been confusing her storyline with that of John Hawkes’ new wife Penelope in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and that’s possibly because it’s the same actress, Samara Weaving, playing both of them! I guess it’s a similar role, although she’s far more intelligent and full of depth here. Bridgette is infusing her personality into all of Larry’s experiences, like saying “a woman” when everyone else says “amen.” Even her relationship with her mother is complex and well played-out on screen. I think I’ll be back to watch more of this show since it’s piqued my interest much more in this episode than it did in the pilot.