7.1/10. This is basically a tale of two halves. I liked the first part a great deal and the second part not so much, and it basically comes down to my preferring the pairing between Selina and Mary King way better than the pairing between Selina and Andrew.
The notion of Selina negotiating over the budget with someone not above pulling stunts to win worked well, and the segueway into Selina holding the negotiations at her daughter's first birthday is the kind of comic premise with potential, that was quickly realized. The two of them trying to talk turkey in the women's bathroom, and Selina inadvertently shutting down the party for their talks was great comedy.
But once it got to be all about Selina and Andrew, it didn't really work for me. The whole "he fluffs you then he fucks you" bit, and Selina turning into a giggly schoolgirl around him was hacky sitcom stuff. The show got some mileage out of everyone having to smile at dinner, and the irony of Selina's anger being at POTUS and not at Andrew, but getting a bad photo out of it anyway, but for the most part it was kind of a dud. The best thing to come out of it, and the whole episode really, is Selina's poor daughter, who has to suffer through two parents who clearly don't care enough about her. It's not like the show gets serious or maudlin, but it's enough of a "what the hell" moment when her birthday is ruined both times that you feel for her.
Other than that, it was a real treat to me to see Zach Woods playing Amy's date here, because his turn as Gabe on The Office was the first thing I thought of when Jonah showed up, so seeing the two interact was oddly fun. That said, I don't buy Dan and Amy as a thing, so the groundwork they're laying for Dan being jealous or whatever didn't really work for me. Still some good material in the episode though.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-02-05T00:25:58Z
7.1/10. This is basically a tale of two halves. I liked the first part a great deal and the second part not so much, and it basically comes down to my preferring the pairing between Selina and Mary King way better than the pairing between Selina and Andrew.
The notion of Selina negotiating over the budget with someone not above pulling stunts to win worked well, and the segueway into Selina holding the negotiations at her daughter's first birthday is the kind of comic premise with potential, that was quickly realized. The two of them trying to talk turkey in the women's bathroom, and Selina inadvertently shutting down the party for their talks was great comedy.
But once it got to be all about Selina and Andrew, it didn't really work for me. The whole "he fluffs you then he fucks you" bit, and Selina turning into a giggly schoolgirl around him was hacky sitcom stuff. The show got some mileage out of everyone having to smile at dinner, and the irony of Selina's anger being at POTUS and not at Andrew, but getting a bad photo out of it anyway, but for the most part it was kind of a dud. The best thing to come out of it, and the whole episode really, is Selina's poor daughter, who has to suffer through two parents who clearly don't care enough about her. It's not like the show gets serious or maudlin, but it's enough of a "what the hell" moment when her birthday is ruined both times that you feel for her.
Other than that, it was a real treat to me to see Zach Woods playing Amy's date here, because his turn as Gabe on The Office was the first thing I thought of when Jonah showed up, so seeing the two interact was oddly fun. That said, I don't buy Dan and Amy as a thing, so the groundwork they're laying for Dan being jealous or whatever didn't really work for me. Still some good material in the episode though.