Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce Review: Rule #63 It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint (Season 5 Episode 4)

Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce Season 5 Episode 4, “Rule #63: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint,” aka Lisa Edelstein’s directorial debut, delves into the world of parenting/step-parenting.

Parenting is a hard job. There is no handbook to tell you how to do it — unless it’s Abby McCarthy’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Parenting. Parenting your own kids is hard enough, factoring in someone else’s makes the job ten times harder.

It gets harder because there is another adult involved.

Seeing someone else parent your kids is hard. Abby knows this, she’s been through it (Becca and Jake’s current fiancée). So seeing Colette more or less threaten Abby is not surprising.

With more and more blended families these days, seeing accurate depictions of step-parenting/co-parenting is extremely important.

Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce has shown blended families in the past seasons. Seeing Abby on the other side — as the other woman per say — is very refreshing.

We saw her deal with the idea of another person raising her children in seasons past, now we get to see her be the one to raise another woman’s children and deal with the aftermath of a mother feeling threatened.

Seeing Colette, more or less, tell Abby off does make you want to hate her a bit.

Abby is the protagonist. For five seasons we have seen her go through the ups and downs of divorce and co-parenting. We have seen her be the parent watching another person play a maternal role in her kids’ lives.

We love Abby. The show has successfully conditioned the audience to side with Abby on nearly everything.

However, Colette is just a mom feeling threatened.

She used to have it all: the baseball player husband, a beautiful family, a full life. Now she is single and watching this beautiful woman step into her place, so to speak.

She’s overstepping boundaries, but you can see that she’s doing it out of fear of being replaced.

Even so, it is very clever to turn the page on Abby and give viewers a look into how the other person feels. Everyone will side with the mother in these situations. That’s a given. However, seeing how someone who is placed into this step-parenting role deals with making a home for the children and helping them adjust is important.

Step parents are playing bigger roles now than they may have in the past. They’re not just the person in a relationship with your parent, they are taking on active roles in the child’s upbringing.

Abby is filling this shoe. She’s keeping the kids while Mike is away.

The scene where she loses it and tells Colette off is very powerful.

We’re given an insight into what the stepparent feels in these situations. They’re not the actual parent and finding their place isn’t always easy. They don’t want to step on toes, but they do want a say in the matter when the kids are staying with them.

This episode opens up the topic of step-parenting for discussion.

Aside from step-parenting, infertility is brought up. Delia finds out she doesn’t have any viable embryos and is, rightfully so, upset.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Delia wanting to get pregnant; I’m still not. I prefer Delia staying true to herself and not wanting children just for the sake of wanting them. However, seeing Delia upset is hard to watch.

Necar Zadegan is an incredible actress, and the emotion she can deliver with a look is heartbreaking.

The close-up shot, while she is getting the news, is gut-wrenching to watch. You see her face fall and the emotions displayed clearly before she schools herself into being okay. This moment is relatable to nearly everyone.

Who hasn’t been horribly upset but put on a poker face and claimed to be okay?

She may not be mommy material but seeing the hurt on her face at the thought of never getting that chance sways you a little to want that for her.

As far as Delia getting pregnant with Tony’s kid, who didn’t see that coming? That foreshadowing was thick as fog the past few episodes.

Speaking of thick foreshadowing, Phoebe and Tess’ instant chemistry shouts they were going to get it on before the season ended. What I wasn’t expecting was that kiss before the episode ended. Instant reward at it’s finest.

They’re hot. I’m totally down for this being Phoebe’s happily ever after.

Jo, on the other hand, needs some major find yourself time to figure out what she wants. The girl is conflicted like there is no tomorrow.

The walking camera at the start of the episode is an interesting choice. The feel is more organic to the meeting set-up; less structured, freer.

Lisa Edelstein does a killer job as director! The scene decisions really bring out the emotions that needed to be felt. Overall, exceptionally done!

What did you think of this episode of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce airs Thursdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

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