What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 3 “Surrogate Mothers Inspire Loving Families” (B)

I feel like this show wants to be so much more than it is, and this episode was indicative of that lofty aim. We barely saw Bridget, which wasn’t necessarily a problem, and instead got to spend time with Ally and the people in her circle. I didn’t think that Connie Britton would be sticking around this show anymore, especially with other commitments like “Dirty John,” but this episode demonstrated that she’s exceptionally skilled for this role. The selfishness that Ally exhibits is truly incredible, making everyone around her feel guilty for thinking that they could do whatever they wanted with their lives and not succumb to her every whim. Connecting that with the story of the woman who she met while working at the store whose birthday it also happened to be was cleverly-done, and Ally managed to make a quick friend before she realized that the news she had for her wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Getting to call her and tell her that the bag was indeed available provided the only real gratification for Ally in this half-hour, a win that was immediately grounded by the reminder of the $23,000 price tag she was completely ready to pay. Rivers certainly wasn’t amenable to doing what his mother wanted, demanding a gun from Target if he went with her and proclaiming that he hated Judge Judy because she’s always right and it’s so predictable. The best line of the episode came from Ally when she donated her old fridge, with so much subtext behind it: “I love gifting gifts on my birthday.”