What I’m Watching: SMILF (Series Finale)

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 10 “Single Mom is Looking (for) Family” (B)

So, this is it. Unlike with many other series that are cancelled so early on in their runs, no one is clamoring for it to be brought back, so it’s definitely the last we’ll see of it. The one thing besides Larry that could really bring Bridgette and Nelson together is Rafi not doing well, and the news of Nelson’s pregnancy seems to have triggered a relapse that puts him in a completely different position than we’ve seen before on this show. Prior to that, Rafi kissing Bridgette was unexpected, and, fortunately, she reacted in a mature and appropriate way by telling him that it couldn’t go anywhere, even if the way she talked about it to others didn’t indicate that she was so set against it. What came next demonstrated just how disconnected he was from reality when he relapsed, and it was troubling that Tutu and Jackie didn’t seem to notice much being wrong about him actively greeting guests on the doorstep. The party wasn’t such a disaster even though it could have been, and it was nice to see Bridgette and Nelson unite in presenting a strong front to keep Rafi on track. Eliza’s role wasn’t too consequential, and her character is just one of the many things about this show that felt interesting but never really went anywhere concrete. I don’t think I’ll miss this show much, and I’m also not sure if Frankie Shaw will be making anything else soon, but I’m curious to see what, if anything, she does next.

Season grade: B-
Season MVP: Samara Weaving as Nelson

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 9 “Single Mom is Losing Faith” (B-)

I don’t quite understand why an entire episode of this show takes place in a Western setting, which seems all the more inconsequential given the impending end of this show, which has actually already aired at this point. I get that it’s meant to be a metaphor and that the gender roles are reversed so that the women are portrayed as strong while the men are emotional and all too petty, but this is just the latest instance of the plot not coherently progressing forward. It felt like a strange opportunity to finally meet Mr. Daddy, played by Clark Gregg, current star of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and who was last married to Connie Britton onscreen in “The To Do List.” It was a relatively small role and didn’t fit too much into the narrative since ultimately it was Ally who treated Bridgette poorly, even if it was as an indirect result of being ignored by Mr. Daddy. The other guest star I recognized right away was Luka Jones, now a star of “Shrill” and previously of the underrated and cancelled-too-soon “People of Earth,” as the man Bridgette brought in for the bounty. Nelson shooting Bridgette in the foot was moderately entertaining, but it’s hard to know what would actually have played out to get them to be on good terms. I like that they came together but don’t love the way in which it happened, and I think that this episode, with moments like grace concluding with “say a-woman,” is symbolic of part of what this show has aspired to be but never really managed to achieve.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 8 “Sex Makes It Less Formal” (B)

When it comes to bad ideas, I’d say that Bridgette planning Rafi’s bachelor party is up there. It was actually going pretty well for a while, and he seemed to be having a great time, even when Bridgette shared a deep story that didn’t paint him in the best light since it prevented her from saying goodbye to her grandmother. But then when the stripper didn’t show up, Bridgette deciding to take that role on herself felt like a truly problematic move that couldn’t go anywhere good. Even though things ended badly, the situation still prompted Rafi to tell Bridgette that he really wanted her at his wedding, something that likely won’t go over too well with Nelson, who had her own moment of panic when she couldn’t escape her wedding dress in the heat. That’s definitely representative of more metaphorical fears about being trapped, especially since she leads a much more stable life than her husband-to-be, and despite his affection for her, they’re going to run into problems about money in the future. Bridgette, on the other hand, can relate to him on a level that Nelson won’t ever be able to. With just two episodes left, I’m not sure how far this three-person relationship will get, but there’s evidently some baggage that Nelson has with her own family too. I suspect that this is the very episode where the filming with Samara Weaving caused much of the controversy that took down this show, though it doesn’t seem like much objectionable comment made it through to the final cut.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 7 “Smile More If Lying Fails” (B)

This show was actually cancelled before this episode aired, a likely consequence of reports of problematic behavior by star and creator Frankie Shaw on set. As I’ve mentioned throughout this season, I’m not too sad to see the show go, though I now feel like I may as well stick with it through the final three episodes. It doesn’t change my perspective to know that the show won’t be continuing since I feel like most of these episodes are relatively self-contained anyway, if they’re even related to the primary plot of the show. We haven’t seen Eliza in a while, which made the focus on her in this half-hour a bit puzzling, but it did help to show yet another situation in which Bridgette doesn’t understand how she’s behaving. Finding out that she wouldn’t be invited to Rafi and Nelson’s wedding was a huge blow given how excited she was to attend rather than devastated to learn of the impending union, and her question about whether Larry would be invited didn’t help the situation at all. Bridgette’s corn rows did manage to make people uncomfortable, and telling the narrative about how Rafi had proposed to her was particularly painful because she left the fact that she said no long before until the very end. I immediately recognized Gary Anthony Williams, who stars on “I’m Sorry,” as Philip, who was quite enthusiastic but not too interested in talking to Bridgette. The date at the end of the episode was mostly going well, and as if Bridgette texting during the “bad sex” wasn’t rude enough, she had to go and send it to him, making the night a true misfire.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 6 “Should Mothers Incur Loss Financially?” (B+)

This episode impressed me more than recent installments have, starting out with everything in Bridgette’s life coming with a price tag, presented cleverly during her nighttime routine with Larry. This was a productive and insightful look at how Bridgette operates, succeeding tremendously in an interview with a woman who shared her interests but wasn’t too happy to hear about her having a child, pretty much telling her that she shouldn’t take the job because of the nights and weekends involved. After being laughed at by people who didn’t know her for finding leftover fries on a picnic table and telling Larry that the waiter put them outside for them, Bridgette seemed surprised to learn that she could qualify for food stamps. It didn’t take long at all for her to discover that she couldn’t use them quite as easily as she had hoped to, and her mother exploded at her in the supermarket when she wanted her to cover the remainder of what she needed to pay. Fortunately, they were able to get back to a good place when Tutu failed to make the fact that she didn’t want to be thrown out of her house clear to her stepson, and the goals that they set together for what they wanted to achieve in the future provided some optimism. Rafi proposing to Nelson after their big fight caught me by surprise, and it’s possible that the motivations behind it weren’t really right as the inspiration for them to theoretically spend the rest of their lives together.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 5 “Single Mom in Love Forever” (B)

So this episode didn’t provide the forward narrative direction I had asked for, but it was an engaging and very watchable half-hour that filled in some important gaps from the past related to Larry’s birth and the separation of Bridgette and Rafi as a couple. The opening with everyone, both those in Bridgette’s life and not, telling her why she couldn’t be a single parent helped to explain why they stayed together as long as they did, even though she was obviously upset at him for kissing another woman. Ally Sheedy’s Fiona definitely sought to mitigate that by trying to relax Bridgette and have her let it go, a notion that Bridgette obviously didn’t love because it seemed to indicate her taking some responsibility for it. Rafi calling her an ice queen and a frozen tundra didn’t help matters much, nor did his suggestion of Adolfo as a name for the baby, and it took until right after Larry’s birth for her to decide that she really couldn’t marry him. The woman who would later become known as Tutu was very insistent on being there for the birth even if Bridgette adamantly didn’t want her to be, and after she peed, pooped, and threw up, it turned out to be great that she was there because that was all Bridgette wanted in that moment. I’m not sure why Stormy Daniels needed to have a cameo as Dana, but it didn’t detract from the episode, and I wouldn’t have known who she was if I hadn’t seen her named listed as a guest star. This episode wasn’t definitive enough to inspire me to commit to finishing out the season, but it did earn my attention for at least another episode.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 4 “So Maybe I Look Feminine” (C+)

I’m starting to become disillusioned with this show, wondering what the point is when we can’t ever get a straight narrative that actually happened, prone instead to extended fantasy sequences and focusing on characters who aren’t actually members of the main cast. This episode was interesting, though that’s probably because it was so far out of the realm of reality that it enlivened what I’d describe right now as an otherwise unspectacular series. It’s always good to see Ari Graynor, fresh off the recently-cancelled “I’m Dying Up Here,” returning to Showtime to play Bridgette’s friend Emma, who was preparing for her wedding before getting hit in the face in a scene stolen right out of “Meet the Parents.” The far more notable guest star was Kevin Bacon, an actor whose career is somewhat puzzling to me after his earlier Golden Globe-nominated role on the short-lived “I Love Dick,” as himself. I guess it’s possible that he and Frankie Shaw know each other but, no matter what, his appearance as himself in a barn scene that could easily have taken place in a porn movie was downright bizarre. I’d prefer that Bridgette actually spoke to Nelson about her issues with her shushing Rafi, but instead she just stayed home and imagined all this. I’m going to give this show another episode to see if it manages to keep me interested or if I’m more than ready to give it up, especially since it runs ten episodes this season instead of last year’s eight.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 3 “Surrogate Mothers Inspire Loving Families” (B)

I feel like this show wants to be so much more than it is, and this episode was indicative of that lofty aim. We barely saw Bridget, which wasn’t necessarily a problem, and instead got to spend time with Ally and the people in her circle. I didn’t think that Connie Britton would be sticking around this show anymore, especially with other commitments like “Dirty John,” but this episode demonstrated that she’s exceptionally skilled for this role. The selfishness that Ally exhibits is truly incredible, making everyone around her feel guilty for thinking that they could do whatever they wanted with their lives and not succumb to her every whim. Connecting that with the story of the woman who she met while working at the store whose birthday it also happened to be was cleverly-done, and Ally managed to make a quick friend before she realized that the news she had for her wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Getting to call her and tell her that the bag was indeed available provided the only real gratification for Ally in this half-hour, a win that was immediately grounded by the reminder of the $23,000 price tag she was completely ready to pay. Rivers certainly wasn’t amenable to doing what his mother wanted, demanding a gun from Target if he went with her and proclaiming that he hated Judge Judy because she’s always right and it’s so predictable. The best line of the episode came from Ally when she donated her old fridge, with so much subtext behind it: “I love gifting gifts on my birthday.”

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 2 “Sorry Mary, I’m Losing Faith” (B)

This episode felt a bit more all over the place than the introductory installment of this season, though I suppose it’s representative of how everything is falling apart in Bridgette’s life. It wasn’t at all surprising that she missed her date because Ally felt like she could use her time however she wanted, though it was particularly crushing for her to casually fire Bridgette after forcing her to confess her husband’s infidelity and slapping her. The worst part is that this likely isn’t the end, since Ally has never been known to be consistent or reliable, and she’ll probably continue to use Bridgette under the guise of being her friend. Running into a church to shout “abortion” before stealing the statue of the Virgin Mary was hardly indicative of Bridgette doing well with that news, but then she actually made a productive suggestion to Rafi after she woke him up to come pick her up. A schedule for Larry is a great idea, and it will help her establish some much-needed stability, even if it gives her less ammunition to guilt Rafi into doing her a favor because he owes her millions in child support. Tutu talking to Jackie didn’t help her much, and bashing in the car that blocked her driveway in the middle of the night seemed far more therapeutic as a way of coping with her recent loss. The way that mother and daughter take out their frustration isn’t exactly the same, but there is a whole lot of passion and destruction that tends to result from it.

What I’m Watching: SMILF (Season Premiere)

SMILF: Season 2, Episode 1 “Shit Man, I’ve Literally Failed” (B+)

I think I had forgotten that this show existed, reminded only by advertisements before other Showtime series and every time I see Frankie Shaw as I’m finishing up the first season of “Homecoming.” I’ll admit that the way that this season’s episodes are titled is incredibly clever, addressing the fact that people hated the name of the show in a head-on way that explains just how creative the acronym can be. Bridget is someone who right now is pretty much letting life happen to her, getting a massage from the woman who lives where her father used to and then finding out from the hoarder whose bathroom she wanted to use during her stepfather’s funeral that he had died a while back, just before, as she put it, she was about to find him. She did take a more active role in attempting to influence the world around her right before she lost her wallet and she confronted a guy interacting with his daughter by pretending to be a roaming child psychologist. The TSA agent telling her that she would have to shoot her if she tried to get by was entertainingly blunt, and I was most impressed that she flew on Spirit Airlines and they were still willing to try to help her. Dealing with her own issues, Bridget wasn’t exactly sympathetic to her mother’s loss, and the priest knew what he was in for with this family, having to apologize to all potentially offended minority members after Zaggy’s nickname-filled eulogy. I wasn’t sure I’d be excited about watching this show, but I think I’m intrigued enough after this premiere.

What I’m Watching: SMILF (Season Finale)

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 8 “Mark’s Lunch and Two Cups of Coffee” (B+)

If nothing else, this show is full of enormous potential. The first season is now wrapped, and it’s hard to find any true consistency in it since every episode is pretty different. Featuring recognizably Woody Allen-font opening credits in an installment that opened with young Bridgette energetically calling the important people in her life to let them know that her father had molested her was an odd tribute of sorts, and the theme didn’t persist throughout the episode. Again, I’m convinced that creator and star Frankie Shaw has a lot to say and some great ways to do it, but this show hasn’t found its signature style or voice just yet. The scene that I found to be strongest was the one where Bridgette tried to get out her frustration by having sex with Ally’s son and telling him to say depraved things to her, a moment of release that was interrupted when she thought he was judging her by pointing out that Larry might be able to hear them. Bridgette considers herself to be a good parent even if she makes questionable decisions, and while she’ll admit her flaws, she doesn’t want anyone else calling her out on them. Matching with her father on Tinder set the stage for an intense confrontation, but of course the man wasn’t actually her dad but rather a poor guy who was fortunately able to quickly note that he wasn’t who she thought he was. It was great to see Nelson come out of her shell a bit too, confronting Bridgette when she found out that Rafi slept over, an occurrence that didn’t faze either of them but had her feeling out of the loop. I’m excited to see where this show goes in season two and beyond, and look forward to its return, whenever that may be.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Frankie Shaw as Bridgette

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 7 “Family-Sized Popcorn & a Can of Wine” (B+)

There’s often not a lot of ground covered in each of this show’s episodes, but they still work pretty well as small vignettes of the parenting and relationship challenges Bridgette experiences on a daily basis. Trying to potty train Larry didn’t go all that well, and she had normal frustrations when it came to that as she tried to be enthusiastic and encouraging without getting too invested in the likelihood of his progress. Bringing Larry to a horror movie definitely wasn’t the smartest idea, and they rightly got yelled at by the guy behind them for that mistake. On the bus, strangers were a bit more forgiving when she loudly realized that she had forgotten to feed him breakfast and lunch. Bridgette is far from the worst television mother, and her occasional lack of awareness and forgetfulness are forgivable given her sweet intent to make the world a great place for her son. Rafi is more than a bit distracted at the moment, unable to process what happened the night before, and I’m curious to see where that’s going to lead since he too is a good guy in a strong relationship with a nice woman who would surely have a whole lot of trouble handling what the idea of him being attracted to another man means for them. This show’s inaugural season is only eight episodes, which means that the season finale airs tomorrow night, so let’s hope for a memorable and entertaining conclusion that wraps things up well enough while getting us excited for season two.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 6 “Chocolate Pudding and a Cooler of Gatorade” (B+)

This is my first time writing about this show since it scored surprise Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress and Best Comedy Series. While I do like this show, I didn’t expect it to be rewarded since it just started and hasn’t quite established itself or determined what it is. This episode was a prime example, opening with narration about Bridgette being a famous basketball player before revealing that she had been invited to try out for the WNBA, an audition which included an imagined synchronized routine, the kind of device this show sometimes uses but not consistently. Ally was quick to dismiss her chances because of her height, and it seems like that played a lot more into it than the lack of her ritual lemon water. She can work on her BEEF as much as he wants, but she’s not going to make the cut when she’s competing with women who can dunk. Rafi clearly has a complicated relationship with his own family, and his connection to his priest friend from the gym is turning into something other than he thought it was also. Tutu got a big spotlight in this episode when she tracked down Edmond and got dressed up to go to the dentist. He didn’t seem to have any issue having sex with her in his chair, and it was only after she told him that she wanted a bed next time that she realized he had gotten his matching tattoo removed, ruining the experience for her. Bridgette telling her mom that she was nauseous about the thought of being her age and not having done a lot with her life came out much meaner than I think she meant, but I suspect it won’t take much to repair that relationship.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 5 “Run, Bridgette, Run or Forty-Eight Burnt Cupcakes and Graveyard Rum” (B)

So, I’ve never seen the 1998 film “Run, Lola, Run,” and therefore I think a good portion of this episode’s formatting was lost on me. I knew immediately that it was being parodying when Bridgette’s hair inexplicably turned red when she took over running, but other than that, I’m not in on the references. The way I interpreted this episode is that it was Bridgette playing out the scenarios that she could have chosen, with the fourth and final option being the one where she takes the high road and decides that it’s worthwhile to give Rafi the benefit of the doubt. That definitely wasn’t how things went during her first three attempts to find Larry’s panda. Connie Britton’s Ally has a remarkable ability to miss everything that’s going on around her, and of course Bridgette would get pulled in to doing things for her when she just needed to get the stuffed animal back for her son. We haven’t yet Mr. Daddy, and something tells me we won’t, with his reputation preceding him. I didn’t expect Gary Anthony Williams from “I’m Sorry” to play Eliza’s father, and I’d say that those mushrooms were quite helpful in allowing her to de-stress before his visit and then undress during it in the second scene. Nelson once again proved her worth by trying to mediate the conflict between her boyfriend and Bridgette, but she didn’t stick around long enough to give it a shot, instead going to the cemetery to watch her mom and her aunt pee on their parents’ graves on Father’s Day for Mothers. I think we should assume that Rafi, Tutu, and Bridgette all didn’t get hit by cars, and we’ll be back to normal storytelling next episode.

What I’m Watching: SMILF

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 4 “Deep-Dish Pizza and a Shot of Holy Water” (B+)

Bridgette lives a pretty crazy life, investing heavily in each moment even if she isn’t always the same person in all of them. She was all about her basketball fantasy while her stuff was getting stolen and then her shoes were literally taken off her feet, and she didn’t bother to confront the thieves when she ran into them the next day. Instead, she was ready to challenge all men by participating with Nelson and Eliza in the Muscle Man Mud Run, something that people apparently train for all year and they decided to do after ingesting a few protein bars. That Craiglist encounter is still haunting her (and lingering in that disturbing scene with the guy enjoying himself in the duct above the changing room), and she’s running full force into getting past it, including seducing an unwitting supermarket employee and showing him one hell of a good time in the back of the store. After Rafi made a new friend who happened to be a sober priest at the gym, he was ready to baptize Larry, something that he knew Bridgette wouldn’t like and which her mother went along with for some reason. When Bridgette found out, she let him have it, and what a showcase of Frankie Shaw’s talents that scene was. Rafi may feel like he has the moral high ground because Bridgette got Larry vaccinated, but she’s not going to let that stand, making her a truly immutable and unsinkable protagonist who makes this show very worth watching.

Take Three: SMILF

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 3 “Half a Sheet Cake and a Blue-Raspberry Slushie” (B+)

I’m still not sure exactly where this show is headed, but its characters are very interesting and seem to be doing a solid enough job of steering the ship thus far. This show has started employing a device where Bridgette imagines a situation playing out one way and spends a few moments in her head with men and women alike lining up to give her sexual pleasure or dancing with a man she just met in a supermarket. It’s moderately effective, most so as an indicator of the creativity that lies within Bridgette, who up until now has utilized most of that energy writing papers for teenagers she tutors. She hasn’t made much of her life, befriending and smoking pot with the landlord’s son but still responsible for her rent, and she doesn’t have many actual job prospects since she wants to bring her son along with her. I enjoyed seeing Nelson, her roommate, Rafi, and Bridgette just chatting in the apartment, and it’s nice that there isn’t any true bad blood in that group, just honesty. What we did get was a hint of romance with the man who wanted to pay Bridgette just to meet her, but then went downhill immediately when she responded in exactly the right way to an unwanted, nonconsensual move on his part that echoes much of what has been making news headlines recently. Opening the episode with the PTSD photo shoot, the eating porn, and Nelson interviewing a sexist sports star showed this series’ surprising depth and potential to be great as it establishes itself.

Round Two: SMILF

SMILF: Season 1, Episode 2 “1800 Filet-o-Fishes and One Small Diet Coke” (B+)

I wasn’t sure what to make of this episode for a while, and then it all came together in a really interesting way by the end. This show is blunt and honest, and the way its characters behave isn’t some huge secret they’re all keeping from each other. The fact that Bridgette let the kids each macaroni and cheese again, took a bath in Ally’s bathwater, and had sex with her son on the bed didn’t faze Ally at all, not that she knew about the last item, because she was going through some of her own things. And I would have thought that Ally felt bad about not being able to care for her son because she had to work late, but she didn’t have any issue relaxing while his father did some of the work. Best of all, his aversion to vaccinations was overridden by the surprisingly sweet and sincere Nelly. I’ve been confusing her storyline with that of John Hawkes’ new wife Penelope in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and that’s possibly because it’s the same actress, Samara Weaving, playing both of them! I guess it’s a similar role, although she’s far more intelligent and full of depth here. Bridgette is infusing her personality into all of Larry’s experiences, like saying “a woman” when everyone else says “amen.” Even her relationship with her mother is complex and well played-out on screen. I think I’ll be back to watch more of this show since it’s piqued my interest much more in this episode than it did in the pilot.

Pilot Review: SMILF

SMILF (Showtime)
Premiered November 5 at 10pm

This pilot has been available to stream for two weeks already, though naturally I only had the chance to watch it just a few hours before it premiered on television. This show is notable both for its title and for the fact that it stars Frankie Shaw, who I remember as a strong asset of “Mr. Robot” back in season one. Here, she’s full of personality, playing a mom who doesn’t seem to pay too much attention to her baby in public but dotes on him in private while having some very sexually explicit conversations about her body and her life. I didn’t know that this was based on an award-winning Sundance short written and directed by Shaw, and knowing her personal involvement in all aspects of this show, which is based in part on her real life, makes it considerably more appealing. It’s also a perfect show to follow “Shameless,” just as depraved but with far fewer characters to get to know. I also like the Connie Britton featured in this show, one who’s very unfiltered but still exceedingly polite in the way that she says everything. I’m not sure that we got a good enough sense of what the specific plot of this show is going to be from just this episode alone, but I’m intrigued enough by the format, the network, and the lead actress to tune in again and see what happens next with this single mom who has her own way of going through the world.

How will it work as a series? The acronym that serves as this show’s title was used in a text in this episode, and I think that Shaw’s Bridgette is going to try to own it as a positive identifier, scoffing at those who would look down at her and living life the way she wants to, which should prove entertaining.
How long will it last? Reviews appear to be pretty good, and I imagine a lot of people weren’t optimistic about this show only because of its title. Paired with “Shameless,” this show is off to a great ratings start, besting a lot of recent premieres deemed successful, and I think it’s pretty much set to enjoy a long and creative run.

PIlot grade: B+