What I’m Watching: Better Things

Better Things: Season 3, Episode 6 “What Is Jeopardy?” (B+)

There was a lot in this episode, a half-hour that felt somewhat more thematically unified than the past few installments. The opening scene with Sam prepping food and watching “Jeopardy” with her mom, who shouted out each answer right after she did, indicated a certain monotony that was nowhere to be found for the rest of the episode. It was a surprise to see Matthew Broderick as Sam’s old friend and current therapist Dr. Miller, who had creative answers for Sam’s phone bill and other things irritating her in her life, one of which involved a song that took a minute to register with Sam. Opting to call Xander so that she could organize a rendezvous to do whatever illicit act it was that they used to do involving the boots and the underwear indicated a defeat of sorts that was negated by her ultimate decision to leave and return home before anything happened, even if it may have had to do more with her period than actual regret. Duke’s reaction to being gently hit by her grandmother’s car was worrisome for a while until it became clear that something else was going on that got her scared. The best scene was Phyl calling her son and agreeing to give up her license in exchange for lifelong Ubers, flavored popcorn once a month, and a black credit card that Marion definitely wasn’t going to give her. If only actual conversations with aging parents would go that way in real life…