Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Review: Kimmy Walks Into A Bar (Season 2 Episode 7)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt keeps surprising me and I’m wondering how they do it.
One would think that silly comedic gimmicks can only carry this show through one, two seasons at the most.
We already know the premise: Kimmy moves to New York City after spending 15 years in a bunker against her will. Lillian and Titus are her friends that help her adjust to society.
Kimmy is terminally delightful and always thinking of the future. But what happens when Kimmy’s past sneaks up on in an unexpected way? Does she seek out help or look for a band-aid to cover her trauma?
In “Kimmy Walks Into A Bar,” she seeks out a quick band-aid fix, but also gets a wake-up call from Keith, an Army Vet who knows a thing or two about trauma himself.
Keith: Just because you’re out doesn’t mean it’s out of you.
Kimmy hides her pain behind her optimism.
She’s never down; she’s always looking for ways to fix other people’s lives. Kimmy never says no. She’s there for Titus, Lillian, and Jaclyn.
But she is never there for herself.
Kimmy is never willing, or even able, to look at her past and see the trauma. Maybe she’s still in denial about what happened; perhaps she needs to get angry or maybe, just maybe, she needs to seek out some professional help.
There is only so much pain a person can take.
Is Kimmy optimistic because she thought she missed out on the world or is she covering pain?
She was young when she went into the bunker, so is this a case of arrested development? I’m going to say yes. She is covering her pain by trying to relive the years she missed. By using slang from the late ’90s and by masking her dark past with sunshine.
I’m surprised by how similar Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Jessica Jones are. Both main characters are dealing with trauma. Jessica uses alcohol and determination to take down Killgrave; Kimmy uses her positive personality to combat her demons.
They are survivors and superheroes.
Unlike Jessica, however, Kimmy doesn’t possess the superhuman strength to help her on her quest. She only has herself, and no one can do it alone.
I hope the next few episodes explore Kimmy getting help, accepting what happened to her, and that the darkness that is always insidiously lurking on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt dissipates and kookiness returns 100 fold.
What did you think of this episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Reviewer Rating:
User Rating:
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 2 is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Jessica Kreamer
Jessica has a degree in History, an MLA is Liberal Arts, and a great desire to consume as much quality television as she can. By day, she's an office worker and caregiver. By night, she's a tea drinking television fanatic. Her current favorite television shows include: Madam Secretary, How To Get Away With Murder, Jane the Virgin, and Veep. Her greatest wish is to make tea drinking into a payable skill. Follow Jessica on Twitter: @pythiaprophet