Take Three: Indebted

Indebted: Season 1, Episode 3 “Everybody's Talking About the Mental Load” (B-)

While this show is decidedly unsophisticated, it still made me laugh a few times in this episode, winning the most points for its ability to represent a very real issue. While it sometimes goes by other names, the mental load is definitely something relatable, an imbalance in relationships where one person – often the wife or girlfriend – feels burdened by the responsibility of remembering to get all the important things done, including having to tell the other partner what to do. Dave demonstrated his lack of competence right away by buying two hundred bars of the wrong kind of soap, and I like that, in order to make things even, they decided to swap loads. That’s where things got a bit absurd, though I guess it wasn’t even that exaggerated to see Stew and Deb rely entirely on their children for any kind of help, including physically sorting through the garbage to look for a wallet that was never lost at all. Deb having every box in the garage thrown out was hard to believe since there was really no thought put into it, but there’s the suspension of disbelief required to watch this show. Dave’s frustration at the notion of “The Crown” being spoiled because its events actually happened was funny, and Joanna definitely hasn’t taken on the role of helpful child, insisting ahead that her father pay her back the money he owes her, leading to accidental $5000 transfers to random people. This show’s dismal ratings and reviews mean that there isn’t likely much time left, but I’ll enjoy this show enough while it lasts.