Alexa & Katie: Season 1/ Episode 8 “Support Group” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Katie ends up pulling an Alexa as she goes overboard because she isn’t getting enough attention and feels things changing.

Network
Netflix
Director(s)		Phill Lewis
Writer(s)		Erin Wagoner
Air Date		3/23/2018
Actors Introduced
Megan	Nadja Alaya
Justin	Gus Kamp
Michelle	Eris Baker
Nurse Lynda	Carmella Riley

Anxiety & Therapy: Lori, Jennifer, Alexa, Dave

Having a kid with cancer isn’t unheard of, but the potential of your child dying before you remains abnormal. So, naturally, Lori is freaking out and kind of paranoid that Alexa isn’t getting as much care as she should. To the point that when she sees one mom brought cookies for the nurses, and Nurse Lynda checks on their kid after talking to Lori, she decides to bake cookies like she doesn’t have a full-time job.

Leading to Dave to worry a bit since, while he understands the seriousness of the situation, he isn’t as high strong. So, with Jennifer taking psychology courses, even if she failed it the first time, any help would be better than no help. So, she provides an outlet – her pillows to beat. Which turns into multiple things in her house that Dave will have to write a check for.

Commentary

I get the show isn’t going to overdo it with guest stars and reoccurring roles but, all things considered, you’d think Lori would be going to some kind of support group. Especially since, more and more, it seems Dave isn’t really that much of a help. Maybe financially but when it comes to child rearing or just being a good partner, he does the absolute bare minimum.

So the fact Lori hasn’t made friends with Megan’s parents, who seem like they too got money, or the other kids, just seems weird. Especially with how she freaks out and I’m sure could use someone who understands. Just like Alexa has someone who understands in Megan.

Friendship Is Like Sunshine and We Don’t Talk About Clouds: Katie, Alexa

Katie has an Alexa moment. Her relationship changes with someone, in this case, Alexa, and so she goes over the top to try to maintain it. The specific issue here is that Alexa’s hospital best friend, Megan, is getting way too much of Alexa’s time. Why? Well, because they are in the hospital together and share something Katie knows nothing about.

Yet, despite Katie seeming like the more empathetic and thoughtful one, this has to be explained to her to sink in. But once it does she’s cool.

Commentary

There comes a point that as a guy, who isn’t in the age group, nor perhaps at the socio-economic level of these 14-year-old girls, you just have to hunch things off. Katie feeling guilty about not paying attention to Alexa because of the play, I get. However, her sense of dependency I don’t fully understand. Now, a part of me does recognize that with how much her mom works and how hard, maybe Katie doesn’t want to lose the best friend role because of what Alexa and her family give her access to. Be it food, the experience of a two-parent household, and of course seeing Lucas. Yet, considering how long they’ve been friends and how Katie has proven she is ride or die, no pun intended, and how she seemed to be a bit more emotionally intelligent.

Though, who knows, maybe Katie’s obsession with being there for Alexa isn’t just a gap in my understanding of girls her age but maybe it has to deal with her dad too. And I know, you can’t source all of a girl’s issues to her father but it is very weird how absent he is. Making me wonder if maybe Katie’s reaction to Alexa getting a significant friend maybe triggered a memory of what led to her dad leaving? That is assuming there was that kind of ending to the relationship.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Where did all those cookies Lori gave Nurse Lynda go? They were given to her one shot and completely disappeared the next…

Highlights

1. Cancer not being used as some sort of gimmick for the show this episode but being shown in a slightly more serious way. Especially in regards to showing Michelle in a wheelchair, implying she is too weak to generally walk on her own. This is on top of showing Justin, who isn’t someone who is upbeat and all that but, be it personality or the chemo, seems drained.

On The Fence

1. Not knowing what happened between Jennifer and her ex is creating an increasingly big hole in understanding her kids. Especially in regards to how they handle their friendships and being alone since it makes you think everything about them is a reaction to him not being around.
2. Maintaining the thought that these are 14-year-old girls, dealing with some of their emotions for the first time, and not finding their reactions to said emotions over the top and something you’d only see in sitcoms.

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