What I’m Watching: Fleishman is in Trouble (Series Finale)

Fleishman is in Trouble: Season 1, Episode 8 “The Liver” (B)

This show has been one of the most interesting series I’ve watched in a while, and that makes this final episode a bit of a letdown. It felt strange to not see Rachel at all aside from that closing moment after the superb showcase she got in the previous episode, and I wish that this could have been a longer series rather than just a limited series, though I guess it’s still possible that more episodes could be commissioned if it’s viewed as a success. Shifting into “I could not tell you what Toby did next” was an unexpected transition since he’s always been the focus of the show, but Libby took over with her own problems and finding a way to get back into the rhythm of a life she had all but abandoned. Telling Toby that she was writing a book about him and him acknowledging that he hadn’t been a good friend to her lately was a worthwhile moment, especially as they both managed to be lackluster friends for Seth when he wanted them to be there and happy for them as he proposed to Vanessa at the party. The interpersonal relationships on this show have been fascinating, as have the smaller moments, like Hannah deciding she doesn’t want a Bat Mitzvah and Toby explaining to her why he believes it’s important. This was a perfect role for Jesse Eisenberg and I’m just as pleased to see Lizzy Caplan get a terrific part, along with Claire Danes, Adam Brody, and Josh Radnor. Despite this finale not feeling like the conclusion the show deserved, I will remember it quite fondly and sing its praises heading into Emmy season.

Series grade: A-
Series MVP: Jesse Eisenberg

What I’m Watching: Fleishman is in Trouble (Penultimate Episode)

Fleishman is in Trouble: Season 1, Episode 7 “Me-Time” (B+)

I was quite surprised when I found out that Claire Danes had been nominated in the supporting actress category by both the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Association and this show had been otherwise ignored by all awards bodies. I do think the other players, particularly Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes, are very much worthy of praise, but I can see that Danes is doing very strong work, first in the flashbacks and now in an episode of complete circular chaos that still felt radically different from what she was doing when Carrie was going through her own episodes on “Homeland.” Seeing the doctor break her water without her consent was much more brutal this time around, and every scene was reframed differently, as Libby pointed out, with the help of another perspective that facilitates telling the whole story. His response to the idea of her moving to LA and taking the kids was particularly harsh, as was his reaction to her being late to therapy shortly after saying that she didn’t even have time to get a divorce. The beef lo mein took on an entirely new meaning as she cycled and ordered it over and over, forgetting what had happened and then just starting right over. Libby does seem very interested in helping her, and we’ll see what that looks like in the upcoming series finale. I wish that this show could go on much longer, though given that I haven’t heard nearly enough buzz about it, this limited series getting extended feels very unlikely.

What I’m Watching: Fleishman is in Trouble

Fleishman is in Trouble: Season 1, Episode 6 “This Is My Enjoyment” (B+)

It’s not pleasant to watch, but I found the viciousness with which Toby, Libby, and Seth came for each other in this episode absolutely riveting. They’ve been friends for so long yet don’t give the others what they need while generally expressing selfish attitudes. Toby is the worst perpetrator, believing that no one else can relate to his experiences, and he was particularly cruel to Libby when she came up to use the bathroom and then when she tried to help after falling asleep in the bed next to him. Though his friends are far from supportive, Seth seems to be headed to a good place with Vanessa after being honest with her about everything, and, unlike Rachel, his new life partner seems to be okay spending time with his friends. It’s true that Libby is not nice to Adam, and he’s not too kind to her either as a result. Seeing Toby so happy just being himself at the reunion before Libby got there was mesmerizingly paired with his miserable experiences with Rachel and her friends, particularly when she pointed out that he was exactly who he was always going to be. Getting to spend some time with Libby apart from Toby and have her experience a formative part of her life that hadn’t gotten her to where she wanted was absolutely worthwhile, and that focus had me completely unprepared for her seeing Rachel, holding a bagel and appearing homeless, sitting right across from her on a park bench.

What I’m Watching: Fleishman is in Trouble

Fleishman is in Trouble: Season 1, Episode 5 “Vantablack” (B+)

It certainly doesn’t seem like Seth is the positive influence that Toby needs in his life right now, and Libby is already feeling left out of their friendship and could provide him much more helpful support. Even Seth isn’t feeling good about what he’s doing, dismissive of Toby’s exuberant reflections from their wild night out because he’s wallowing in self-pity about how he wears a suit because he might have a job interview at any moment and he’s going to have to break things off with Vanessa before she inevitably finds out that he lost his job. I appreciated the humor of Libby narrating about her trip to Disney World that the company would rather not have her mention, and it was great to learn about her backstory. Christian Slater is a great choice to play the author who is the picture of chauvinism, and I’m curious to see whether he’ll continue to play a role in Libby’s writing career, which appears to be headed towards a novel about a man, which is likely Toby given that she’s the narrator of this show. After tending to the emergency at Camp Marah, an amusing anagram of the real-life Camp Ramah, Toby was delicate but blunt in how he told his children that he didn’t think their mother was coming back. Hearing them sing “Fight Song” and seeing him surrounded by people at the dinner table felt like a burst of positivity and optimism, but then he was just alone again when his friends left and his kids went to sleep. Rachel is still out of reach, and I’m starting to wonder if we’re going to actually see her anytime soon.

What I’m Watching: Fleishman is in Trouble

Fleishman is in Trouble: Season 1, Episode 4 “God, What An Idiot He Was” (B+)

There’s definitely something frustrating about the way in which this show still hasn’t gotten us any further with figuring out what’s actually going on with Rachel, but it’s so entertaining and involving to see Toby spiral out of control as he tries to figure it out. The narrated stages were fun, as was Toby’s inability to actually go into her apartment because things kept coming up. Imagining her having sex with Sam while eating beef lomein was definitely the highlight of the montage of ways in which he kept thinking about and picturing their affair, and he did not do a great job of distracting himself. His sleepover resulted in another woman who didn’t want to commit to being with him, and he got to a point where he just couldn’t be around families anymore. Unfortunately that meant him lashing out at Libby, who was trying desperately to get away from the mundanity of her own family existence. Adam very directly acknowledged that it was Libby who Toby enjoyed hanging out with, a fair diagnosis that I think does happen sometime in real life with close friends who predate a relationship. Toby’s response to a mid-separation suggestion from Rachel that they should have more kids was particularly harsh, and that compounded the fury he feels in the present for her having just abandoned her family. Being told he was the wife in this custody case by the lawyer played by J. Smith-Cameron from “Succession” also didn’t sit well with him, and at least he was mentally present enough not to indulge Seth’s “bad time for white men” theorizing.

Take Three: Fleishman is in Trouble

Fleishman is in Trouble: Season 1, Episode 3 “Free Pass” (B+)

Though we’re not seeing as much of her as I’d like, I do enjoy that this show is narrated by Lizzy Caplan’s Lizzy. That also gave us a fun intro scene of Seth firing off the little Hebrew he knew to impress an Israeli girl at a college party framed around Toby’s first magical meeting with Rachel. It also showed how quickly things turned when Rachel made no effort to pretend that she liked Lizzy or Seth, not even bothering to come up with a convincing specific excuse to leave the party almost right away. There were much more romantic aspects to Toby and Rachel’s relationship, like his expression of how he was already nostalgic for the moment they were in and her reaction to the warmth of Shabbat dinner with his family. But that all turned very toxic when she came home from a long day angry that he hadn’t cooked a big dinner and then cruelly mocked his food issues. Her response to having a different doctor and then his inexcusable breaking of her water without her consent was their true downfall, and answering a phone call instead of staying in their fight about how money does or doesn’t buy happiness represented her truly giving up from Toby’s perspective. Fighting within earshot of their dinner guests was a low point, and Rachel saying a personal acquaintance rather than a celebrity when asked about her free pass made things even worse. That also catapulted us back to the present and that rotten watermelon, with Josh Stamberg’s Sam Rothberg apparently occupying a bigger role on this show than otherwise indicated so far.

Round Two: Fleishman Is In Trouble

Fleishman Is In Trouble: Season 1, Episode 2 “Welcome to Paniquil” (B+)

The second installment of this show was just as inviting and worthwhile as the first, once again only showing Rachel in the past without any indication of where she is now aside from that bombshell development in the supermarket at the end of the episode. Their marriage really was toxic, and Toby made a compelling argument that he would be considered wealthy and successful in any other city, or even any other area of the same city. Clarifying to his angry daughter that he was a doctor and not a homeless person only got him attitude about what he could and couldn’t say, and he’s getting no credit at all from her for all he has to do in order to cover for her other absent parent. His son, on the other hand, is causing a different sort of trouble, and his frustration with him looking at pornography on his computer all day has now resulted in Toby hastily firing the only dependable childcare partner he currently has. I like dialogue like “Sunsets are problematic, they’re only for the wealthy,” which feels just right for Jesse Eisenberg to say and also like they come from a Woody Allen movie. I’m pleased to see Michael Gaston from “Jericho” and “The Man in the High Castle” as Toby’s boss, and I imagine we’ll see more of him as this show charts two parallel courses, the one that led to this moment and what happens after as Toby gets closer to figuring out what’s actually going on with his missing ex-wife.

Pilot Review: Fleishman is in Trouble

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.