Thursday, July 22, 2021

What I’m Watching: Blindspotting

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 5 “Beaches Be Trippin’” (B+)

This episode certainly had a clever title, and this show manages to keep things uniquely interesting even without too much going on over the course of a half-hour installment. I like that the mutual dislike between Ashley and Trish is acknowledged frequently by both of them, and that Ashley is usually the instigator, tricking her into confirming that she owned a particular kind of bathing suit. Janelle bringing them to the beach to get high and exorcise some of their demons was well-intentioned but naturally missing a few important details, like the fact that they weren’t supposed to have eaten anything beforehand. I appreciated seeing some familiar TV faces on the beach, with Emily Althaus from “Togetherness” and “Orange is the New Black” as Amy, who was even more emotional than the rest of them, and Ginger Gonzaga from “Kidding” and “Mixology” as Maria, who prefers Venmo to Paypal. Their joint trip was indeed trippy, and coming out of it on the beach together at the end felt relatively therapeutic, with the potential even to improve Ashley and Trish’s existing relationship. The highlight of the episode was Earl and his desperate effort to do well at his interview while racing home to make it by 5pm before his monitor kicked back in. While his new boss, played by Susan Park from “Snowpiercer,” probably should not have hired him for a dependable early-morning job requiring a good deal of heavy lifting, he did show a remarkable commitment to being on time when everything depended on it.

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