There’s nothing like a conversation with your neighbor while in your underwear to give you a jolt. I felt sparks flying but maybe it’s just the lack of pants? Sam (Bridget Everett) agrees to brunch and spending time with Joel (Jeff Hiller), his boyfriend Michael (Jon Hudson Odom), and Fred Rococo (Murray Hill) from choir practice. She seems a little stiff, but probably not as stiff as the Bloody Mary’s they likely ordered. Sam gets a call from her sister, quickly shanghaied into visiting Tricia’s (Mary Catherine Garrison) store. Joel, you can play coy but clearly you’re a regular visitor who knows these ladies well. No judgment. You don’t seem to be trying to be friends with them, just friendly. Of course, it doesn’t take long for Sam to agree to help Trish and just man alive, I can’t stand this woman. She just seems insufferable.
Back home, Sam connects with her neighbor again. He seems like a decent fellow though he went pretty dark with that joke. To be fair, if Holly had a dark sense of humor then I’d imagine it’d be fine. That said, this isn’t the worst interaction we’ve seen for Sam and actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of this gentleman. The cinematography does an absolutely brilliant job of sinking you directly into Middle America with the corn and the Main Street and the down home charm. But much like down home charm anywhere, there’s plenty of stuff bubbling under the surface. Mom (Jane Brody) clearly isn’t doing great. Seems common knowledge for everyone else except Dad (Mike Hagerty), then again maybe he just doesn’t want to face it. It’s hard looking painful realities in the face. Which her sister seems eager to throw back at her.
Listen, not everyone ends up in the job of their dreams where they feel absolutely fulfilled all the time. In fact, it’s practically common place at this point to meet someone working job B only to find out they have degrees and experience for job A. I have two degrees in criminal justice and now I work with toddlers while I get my Associate’s in Early Childhood Education, which I’d love to not use and just work out of my home as an artist. But, people gotta put food on the table. Sam could be the barnacle living with her sister, but no she’s doing her own thing and Tricia just has to step in it. You know what Sam, I don’t blame you for that interaction. I would have probably purposely destroyed an envelope or two on the way out so I say you came out of it more mature than I would. However, what isn’t very adult is taking all this anger over toe Joel’s and taking it out on his vision board. It is okay to have dreams, even if they aren’t overly realistic, we have to be able to imagine bigger, better things for ourselves. It takes a visit to Holly’s old partner to set things straight and I’m fully behind it. You have to do what makes you happy. Everything else can and will get in the way. But you have to keep trying. I foresee more choir practice in Sam’s future. Figuring out your self-esteem isn’t easy, but I think Sam’s in good company for the journey. Minus Tricia.
