Take Three: Not Dead Yet

Not Dead Yet: Season 1, Episode 3 “Not Out of High School Yet” (B-)

I’m still waiting to see whether this show is just a fun opportunity to see talented actors in underwhelming roles or if it will eventually elevate itself beyond its premise. In this episode, it was at least good to see Brittany Snow as Piper, Nell’s high school tormenter who was proud of the fact that she fell off a cliff taking a selfie. Getting assigned a front-page obituary because Piper had four million followers was yet another way to torture Nell, who managed to come through and outdo the aggressive Mason who will hopefully now realize that he’s just an intern (albeit with an office) and not on the same level as Nell. Cricket’s relationship with Nell continues to be a dynamic and worthwhile one, and it’s good that she’s able to be honest with her and then to support her in the way she needs, prompting her to give a rousing speech about being seen that got Piper to complement her former target. I’m still not sold on Lexi as a character since she’s nothing but irritating without much redeeming value, but I did appreciate the other office antics that took place. Dennis was legitimately paralyzed when the basketball rolled towards him, and Sam was more than happy to take on a managerial role in forcing him to overcome his allergy to sports and get good at shooting. Her methods weren’t exactly kind, but it was a good way to make up for apparently being the eager bully in high school, something Dennis and Nell could easily realize from the way she talked about her experiences.