Monday, September 6, 2021

What I’m Watching: Work in Progress

Work in Progress: Season 2, Episode 5 “Take Your Child To Work Day” (B+)

This was a wonderful opportunity for Abby to spend time with a true kindred spirit, her nephew Matty, taking him to the bakery in the morning and then to work with her, where they both had a blast. The timing was unfortunate with Susan having her gender-reveal party that Abby had complained about to HR and was supposed to be something different, though naturally she ended up exclaiming the baby’s sex in her excitement, which prompted quite the tirade from Abby. Fortunately, that was far from the most notable part of the episode, and I enjoyed Abby’s very direct attempts to combat Susan’s heteronormative traditions with a cake that affirmed only that the baby was a baby. Having a harpist at the party was definitely absurd, and Abby even got to get a few barbs in at the expense of her would-be therapist, who happened to be Rick’s boyfriend. After the spectacle of the fire alarm and Abby getting briefly trapped in the balloon drop, she had that intense flashback to all the moments she passed out in the past and instead marvelously rallied herself to get everyone back in the game and march outside safely. She even helped Susan maintain her impeccable fire marshal record, which was quite generous. The ending scene of the episode where Matty got picked up was much more foreboding, with a note about the bakery’s chairs being taken out and toilet paper available in the trunk for Abby. I think it’s indicative of how people didn’t comprehend the impact the pandemic was going to have when the first rumblings of coronavirus began, though for Abby, who has enough trouble dealing with the world as it normally is, it’s going to be a devastating adjustment.

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