Maeve opens up to Otis as Eric sees something he may have thought he’d never see before. Network Netflix Director(s) Ben Taylor Writer(s) Sophie Goodhart Air Date 1.11.2019 Introduced This Episode Remi James Purefoy Lily Tanya Reynolds Mr. Groff Alistair Petrie Sarah Lu Corfield Images and text in this post may contain affiliate links…
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Maeve opens up to Otis as Eric sees something he may have thought he’d never see before.
| Network | ||
| Netflix | ||
| Director(s) | Ben Taylor | |
| Writer(s) | Sophie Goodhart | |
| Air Date | 1.11.2019 | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Remi | James Purefoy | |
| Lily | Tanya Reynolds | |
| Mr. Groff | Alistair Petrie | |
| Sarah | Lu Corfield | |
Images and text in this post may contain affiliate links which, If you make a purchase, I may earn money or products from the company. Most affiliate links contain an upward facing, superscript, arrow.
Daddy Isn’t Here: Remi, Otis, Jean
In case you were wondering who Otis’ dad is, where he is, and what is the state of their relationship, we get our answer! Otis’ father is named Remi, he is a sex therapist like Jean, lives in America, and apparently is a bit of a douchebag. How so? Well, the way Jean paints things, he might have stolen some of her work for what is listed as a co-authored book. One Remi, surprisingly, is on a book tour promoting without Jean.
But, one thing Remi doesn’t have that Jean does is Otis. However, with her continually not respecting his privacy, this time by going in his room, despite explicitly being told not to, she may lose Otis as well.
Commentary
Well, that answers why Jean goes through men like napkins. Perhaps feeling used and tossed away as she did, it made it so she needed to feel back in control. So, in the absolute worse way possible, she decided it would be best just to flip the script and do unto others as they did unto her. But, what remains unanswered is what happened between Remi and Jean, how they met and does Otis even have a relationship with his father?
On top of that, why is Jean, who seems open to Otis growing up and going out, now snooping? I get she feels she isn’t kept up to date as maybe she once was, but considering Jean knows it is wrong, you’d think she’d be smarter about her snooping. Take not cleaning Otis’ sheet or telling the ladies in her workshop about his nocturnal emissions. Heck, before you know it, she may actually have a book about her son, vs. her patients, and further fracture their relationship.
Pent Up Sexuality: Lily, Eric
It seems each episode may begin with some kind of sex act and with this episode, we watch Lily draw out some of her fantasies. Most of which strangely deal with tentacles but when you are as sexually frustrated as she is, anything potentially phallic will do. Heck, any male who seems like he’d want to do something as well right?
Hence how Eric comes into her life since he tries to join the Swing Band and no one wants to vouch for him because he is terrible. Yet, in hopes she could get some dick, Lily does. But unfortunately Eric is 100% gay, not bi, so while she gets to play with makeup, and see what rimming is, she doesn’t get what she wanted.
Well, neither does Eric’s dad, who discovers him in drag, but that’s a whole other story.
Commentary
I really do hope we get to see more of Lily. The main reason being, there is something weird about her that seems like she is more normal than given credit for. Which I know sounds like a jumbled sentence but, to rephrase, there is something so weird about her that she seems almost normal. Like her weirdness comes from being comfortable in her skin, and because so many aren’t, in truth she is probably the most normal person in the room. Making the idea, that Eric pushed, about maybe Otis and Lily hooking up, perhaps dating, sound quite nice. I doubt it will happen, but I really want it to.
Switching to Eric’s family life, it seems they don’t know he is gay, but at least his dad didn’t flip his lid when he saw his son in drag. Maybe he suspected but didn’t have any real evidence? Either way, I’m just glad he didn’t toss him out or anything like that. Granted, there wasn’t any sign that he approved of his son’s expression, barely seemed able to tolerate it, but at least he didn’t take things to the extreme.
You Got a Friend In Me: Maeve, Jackson, Adam, Mr. Groff, Otis, Sarah
Despite some semblance of closeness with Aimee, it is Otis who Maeve chooses when she learns she can’t have an abortion alone. Well, that she can’t have an abortion unless someone picks her up. Believe me when I say, thanks to a kooky woman named Sarah, Maeve isn’t alone in any part of the process. Yet, despite Sarah being a bit odd, she is also a welcomed presence. For while she doesn’t replace having a mom or someone who Maeve was seriously close to, she does help in her own way.
Though, perhaps not on the level of Otis. Someone who, just by showing up when asked seems like the kind of guy she may not fall for but will invest in – past their shared business venture. But, of course, being that Otis isn’t sure how Maeve sees him, he just tries to go with the flow and not lose his mind. Which is becoming increasingly difficult.
He may not be the only one. Like Maeve, Adam not being close to Aimee is starting to get to him a bit. Especially since he hasn’t been able to relieve some of his frustrations with life on Eric. However, things really start to bubble as he sees his dad, Mr. Groff, congratulate and publicly praise Jackson after a swim meet. But don’t get mad at Jackson. Considering the way his mom is, always pushing him, making things never seem enough, just being told he did a good job likely meant everything to him. More than Adam may ever know.
Commentary
Let’s set aside the Jackson and Adam stuff, since that seemingly will become a bigger thing later in the season. Instead, let’s focus on Maeve. Between a mother who is a drug addict, and a brother who isn’t reliable, for whatever reason, you have to admire that she isn’t allowed to become a full-on sympathetic figure. Have bad and unfortunate things happen? Yes. Yet, there is no begging for sympathy here. Maeve needed an abortion, so she took herself to get one and called on the only person she knew who could keep a secret. In doing so, she found what she hasn’t had in a really long time – a real friend.
Which pushes you to wonder how Otis sees them and what potential he may see in their relationship? He knows she and Jackson have something going on, likely she got an abortion because of him, but will that repress his feelings? He already got a wet dream because of her, and is getting to know her, so what may come of this?
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What was up with Sarah? Did she get an abortion because she couldn’t afford another child, was in a relationship which was abusive perhaps, or something else?
- So you’re telling me Jean didn’t catch Otis mentioning doing a sex clinic? The boy is a terrible liar and is unable to hide things well.
Highlights
- Lily and Sarah, though both very weird, once you got past how different they seemed, you recognize something in them. Be it because they were comfortable in their skin in ways most aren’t, and that is what made them stand out, or just a certain pizazz, I do hope they aren’t one and done characters.
- What may come of this Jackson x Adam jealousy.
On The Fence
- What may come of Eric being discovered by his dad.
- Remi seeming like a douche and possibly not being a layered character.
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