[8.4/10] A lot to enjoy in this one, particularly with respect to the main story with Selina and Mike. For one thing, I enjoyed the fact that Selina was immediately disdainful of therapy, but then in telling stories for her memoirs, basically turned Mike into her therapist. It's some nicely-deployed poetic irony. At the same time, I love the little details sprinkled in, like that Mike was hired as communications director because he was someone who Andrew wouldn't try to shtup, or how Gary is palpably jealous of how much time Mike and Selina are spending together.
I even like the Psych 101 stuff with Selina. It's a fun bit to spend the first half of the episode setting up all her delusions about her childhood while she puts her dad on a pedestal and the inconsistencies pile up, while spending the second half of the episode learning the reality of her dad as a renowned womanizer and other harsh truths, while having a memento-smashing coping session over it. Her realization that she became her mother -- a narcissistic woman married to a cheater who went into politics to satiate her need for approval -- is a little pat, but it works. And the scene where she and Mike trash her family's old house, with Mike letting out his own frustrations that Selina hasn't paid him, is good stuff too.
The rest of the episode acquits itself well enough. Sherman Tans' daughter hooking up and then bossing around Jonah has some potential. The reveal that Dan's co-anchor planting stories about them dating so that she doesn't become "grandma" is interesting. Richard, as usual, is adorable in his naivete when Catherine and Marjorie ask him for a sperm sample. The entire deal with Selina's wax statue and Amy trying to get it some place where people aren't taking lewd pictures with it has some juice. And again, Selina's abject terribleness and disregard for the people close to her comes out in a pretty bold unflinching way.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-05-26T05:08:07Z
[8.4/10] A lot to enjoy in this one, particularly with respect to the main story with Selina and Mike. For one thing, I enjoyed the fact that Selina was immediately disdainful of therapy, but then in telling stories for her memoirs, basically turned Mike into her therapist. It's some nicely-deployed poetic irony. At the same time, I love the little details sprinkled in, like that Mike was hired as communications director because he was someone who Andrew wouldn't try to shtup, or how Gary is palpably jealous of how much time Mike and Selina are spending together.
I even like the Psych 101 stuff with Selina. It's a fun bit to spend the first half of the episode setting up all her delusions about her childhood while she puts her dad on a pedestal and the inconsistencies pile up, while spending the second half of the episode learning the reality of her dad as a renowned womanizer and other harsh truths, while having a memento-smashing coping session over it. Her realization that she became her mother -- a narcissistic woman married to a cheater who went into politics to satiate her need for approval -- is a little pat, but it works. And the scene where she and Mike trash her family's old house, with Mike letting out his own frustrations that Selina hasn't paid him, is good stuff too.
The rest of the episode acquits itself well enough. Sherman Tans' daughter hooking up and then bossing around Jonah has some potential. The reveal that Dan's co-anchor planting stories about them dating so that she doesn't become "grandma" is interesting. Richard, as usual, is adorable in his naivete when Catherine and Marjorie ask him for a sperm sample. The entire deal with Selina's wax statue and Amy trying to get it some place where people aren't taking lewd pictures with it has some juice. And again, Selina's abject terribleness and disregard for the people close to her comes out in a pretty bold unflinching way.
Overall, quality ep of the show.