"Woman is the Something of the Something" finds Better Things turn its attention, as it inevitably would, to issues of age, and not only in how they relate to female casting in Hollywood, but in normal, everyday life for a single mother. And while I don't think this episode fully capitalised on the themes it was exploring, it did continue the show's trend of asking questions most shows wouldn't think of, and that's important in and of itself.
When I say this episode didn't fully capitalise on its themes, I'm mostly referring to the casting side of things, which was interesting, but felt a little incomplete, and not funny enough considering the presence of two very fine comedic actors in Danny Pudi and Zach Woods. I admired the decision to leave Sam out of the entire process, leading to her having no idea of the part she eventually lost to Rachel MacAdams (who, by the way, would likely never do a broadcast sitcom), as it underlined what this episode was going for: Sam was never going to get the part, because actresses of Sam's age, no matter how funny or talented or attractive (as Sam is), don't get the roles they deserve, with some obvious exceptions. I just feel like the entire subplot didn't work as much as I would've liked on a dramatic or comedic level.
Sam's own fears of growing old provided much more potent material in the episode, from the bizarre, slightly surreal conversation with the seemingly homeless mother at the top of the episode to the sweet final scene, in which Sam worries about Frankie growing up too fast and not being able to keep up with her daughter's ever expanding knowledge of the world and its issues. That final scene in particular was some of the best writing the show has given us thus far, and is something I'm sure many parents can relate to.
And is it just me or did this episode feel a bit more dreamlike than the others? I mean, this show has demonstrated from the start that it had an interest in the surreal, and it' always been clear we shouldn't necessarily view everything on screen as reality, but this episode, especially in the opening scene, seemed to play into that aspect more.
So, to conclude, I appreciated this episode's noble intent to explore the disgusting ageism that is so strongly integrated into the female casting process, but while it got its point across, it didn't have the same zip to it as previous episodes, and was also lacking in some of the little moments and details that make this show stand out. But Sam's own fears of growing old provided far more successful material for the episode, from the comedic (her and Sunny's visit to a plastic surgeon) to the dramatic (the final scene).
Grade: B
