What I’m Watching: Better Things (Season Premiere)

Better Things: Season 5, Episode 1 “F*ck Anatoly's Mom” (B+)

It’s wonderful to have this show back, off the air for nearly two years like so many others and now back for its final season. I don’t think there’s any other series that feels quite like this one, and part of that has to do with the way this episode was introduced and the fact that very little actually happened, yet it was still poignant and entertaining. Any opportunity to see Kevin Pollak’s Marion is welcome, especially since Pollak plays a totally different character on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which is also airing right now, and Sam’s hostility towards Caroline mixed with her enthusiasm about their twisted genealogy story made for an odd combination. We also got to see a few other familiar faces, including Mario Cantone from “And Just Like That” and Angela Kinsey from “The Office.” It was jarring for Duke to suddenly hand the phone to her dad for him to talk to Sam, and the fact that there’s a family group chat is certainly upsetting given how much more present Sam has always been than her absent and manipulative ex. Rich is a good support system for Sam when he’s not drowning his own sorrows, and hopefully he’ll be able to comfort her following that swift tonal switch after she applauded herself for having a generator despite not getting the recognition she had hoped for from Frankie. Max eagerly accepting an apartment that Sam considered a hellhole without asking for anything was typical behavior, and I’m sure that won’t be without its problems.