Take Three: Trying

Trying: Season 1, Episode 3 “Tickets for a Queue” (B+)

This show is very unassuming, just presenting its characters as they go about their daily lives and try to press on despite being woefully unprepared for the future. Discovering that they didn’t get rejected but still have more forms to fill out was an extension of their hope that this could actually happen, even if they knew that they weren’t the right type of people to be considered for adoption based solely on the other contenders they saw. Nikki wasn’t happy that Jason brought what she considered to be a low-class snack to the picnic, and not bringing any serving bowls made the gesture feel particularly empty. Everyone else, including the council worker, having such fancy titles and jobs made Nikki feel very inferior, and Jason’s attempts at humor weren’t helping. They did find one sympathetic couple in Luke and his husband, but the damage was done. Jason complaining incessantly about having to pay for the book they had to get signed and sitting through the two-hour lecture while Nikki was frantically taking notes and trying hard to pay attention wasn’t exactly kind, and she was right to lash out at him. Defending his actions by saying that they usually make fun of people like that was hardly a forceful argument, and fortunately he was able to win her over with his childish charm. I’m happy to see Ophelia Lovibond from “Elementary” as Erica, who has her own feelings about what’s going on in her life that allows Nikki to be a support system for someone else for a change.