One thing that this episode makes even clearer than last week's excellent series premiere is just how unapologetically female Better Things is, quite unlike the majority of modern television. The way in which this show talks about women's issues and female sexuality shouldn't feel revolutionary in this day and age, but unfortunately, it does. But hopefully, this show can help change the way female sexuality, as well as female issues in general, are talked about on television. And in the meantime, it's so bloody fun to watch.
This episode approached a subject that television mostly shies away from, and when it does tackle it, it's generally with a pretty narrow viewpoint: menopause. When TV usually explores this subject through one of its characters that character soon laments her inability to reproduce. But Better Things flips that on its head by having Sam actually look forward to menopause, as she sees having her period as a hindrance and she has no interest in having more children. But she is informed by her gynecologist that she has the reproductive organs of a 16-year-old, and so is annoyed by the fact she has to continue using protection during sex. I'm sure this is a reality for a lot of women, and the frankness with which the episode dealt with the issue was welcome.
This episode also saw the introduction of Celia Imrie as Sam's English, persistent mother Phyllis who, unfortunately for Sam, lives right across the street. Imrie is immediately great in the role, and her back-and-forth with Adlon in the episode was one of its highlights. And her monologue in the middle of the episode about Audrey and Joseph was probably its comedic highpoint. Phyllis's cackling when talking about how Joseph died was hilarious, a fantastic moment of dark comedy.
But the episode's most memorable moment was the big speech Sam delivered at the Women and Girls Empowerment Seminar, a speech that had a very meta feel to it. When Sam stood up on the stage in front of all those little girls and their family members and began talking about them getting their period, the reaction was awkward, to say the least. But Sam continued to assure them all that it was okay to talk about these things, and soon enough everyone in the room was going along with it (with the hilarious exception of Phyllis). The scene was brilliant, and it almost felt as if Adlon was using it to plead with TV audiences, assuring them that talking about these things in such an open way is okay.
We didn't see much of Sam's work life in this episode, with the exception of one delightful little scene in which Sam, while covered in alien make-up and costume, is fired from a seemingly high-profile sci-fi show. She's told not to take any selfies of herself in costume, and Adlon (who directed the episode) cuts to Sam casually taking selfies while in costume. It's not an example of the show's typically subtle humour, but it was a great moment nonetheless.
As a man, I was concerned for a while that my natural inability to relate to a lot of the issues the show tackles would lead to me finding it hard to write about it every week, but now I know I don't have anything to worry about. Not only is this show a pleasure to watch, but it's a pleasure to write about, whether it's discussing the themes or the jokes of an episode. I now find myself looking forward to writing about the show every week. I mean, what other show would end an episode with a woman stealing a condom from her teenage daughter's bedroom?
