Last week I was a bit critical of the show's exploration of the inherent sexism and ageism present in the Hollywood casting process. A good idea on paper, the episode made the point it wanted to make, but, in my opinion, failed to make it as dramatically or comedically interesting as I would've liked. Instead, that episode excelled in the moments focused on Sam's fears of ageing, and her struggles to keep up with her daughter Frankie, who's knowledge of the world is growing exponentially.
So while last week's episode hinted at the topics Pamela Adlon and co. really want to explore, "Future Fever" made it very clear. Better Things is good at a lot of things, but it truly excels when focusing on themes of family, parenting and motherhood. And so, unsurprisingly, an episode focused entirely on said themes, like this week's, is the best episode so far.
This episode turned the show's attention to Sam's eldest (and, up until this point, most annoying) daughter, Max. Before this week, the character struggled to escape the "self-obsessed teen" archetype she was labelled with, but "Future Fever" gave Max far more nuance and shading than I expected. This episode finds her having a sort of epiphany, as she realises that she has wasted her life up until now, and fears that she has no future. This wasn't helped by a meeting with her guidance counsellor (played by The Wire's Michael Hyatt!), which understandably made her a little depressed.
The scene in the middle of the episode, in which Sam has a bunch of friends over and Max speaks about her fears, was powerful, from the ways Sam's friends tried to encourage her to Sam breaking down crying. And I have to say that Mikey Madison absolutely killed it, not just in this scene but throughout the episode. And the whole thing had a wonderful payoff in the episode's final scene, as Sam takes Max to buy a suit, and gives her a corny, moving speech, which includes the words I wrote in the title of this review.
This episode, of course, wasn't without its comedy, such as the material with Sam and the other mam at Frankie's football match (which Frankie was too sick to attend). Pamela Adlon's face as the other mam started talking about a woman set to have surgery and she tried to act as if she knew what was going on was absolutely hilarious. And the climax to the scene in which Sam, much to Max's horror, intervenes on a first date she's been eavesdropping on, was brilliant, as the man returned from the bathroom and tried to hit on Max. The disgusted reactions of the three women had me in stitches.
But above all, "Future Fever" was a lovely, heartwarming episode. While previous episodes mostly focused on the various pains and tribulations of being a parent, "Future Fever" seemed to serve as a reminder, to both Sam and viewers, that sometimes being a parent can be really great, and it's the little moments that make it all worthwhile.
Grade: A
Best line: "It's about the power of group consciousness helping her heal."
