Better Things Review: Holding (Season 3 Episode 2)
On Better Things Season 3 Episode 2, “Holding,” a perimenopausal Sam can’t get comfortable on a movie set or at Duke’s school.
Menopause is, in many ways, like childbirth. The experience is different for everyone.
For Sam, it’s like a scene from An American Werewolf in London. The final death rattle of her ovaries is akin to a man agonizingly transforming from a human into a blood-thirsty creature of the night. Hey, ladies, something to look forward to.
Better Things Season 3 is a period of transformation for Adlon, Sam, and her on-screen daughters. The first few minutes of Better Things Season 3 Episode 1, “Chicago,” is devoted to Sam coming to the realization that her body is beginning the inevitable decline everyone faces.
Unless you are blessed with fantastic genetics, the time and motivation to exercise relentlessly and find zero joy in food, or have a ton of money to hand over to a plastic surgeon, time comes for us all. It may not happen overnight, but it can certainly feel like it.
Sam tries to squeeze her bloated frame into jeans and tops that likely fit a few months ago, and her reaction is a hilarious blend of shock, awe, and self-deprecating humor.
On “Holding,” Sam is awakened in the middle of the night by horrible hot flashes. Her cheeks are bright pink, she sheds clothes, splashes water on her face, and tries to derive comfort from a multitude of fans surrounding her bed.
The entire episode, Sam is hot. She’s physically uncomfortable in her own skin, on the movie set where the temperature is boiling, and under her collar. Sam vacillates between merely disgruntled to complete outrage.
It’s not that Sam’s feelings are entirely irrational which is often how women are perceived from the time they begin their reproductive journey to the time it ends. Sam’s reactions are amplified. Adlon isn’t afraid to be unlikable, and for most of “Holding,” Sam’s irritation is contagious.
Almost every interaction Sam has, including with Duke (Olivia Edward) who is entering her insufferable tweens, aggravates her. From a condescending film director, to confrontational parents at a school event, we are reminded how many a**h***s we encounter on a daily basis, and how often it is difficult to hold back.
Sam’s boiling point comes while she’s dealing with the mother of a bully; an obnoxiously disinterested and dismissive woman who is unapologetic when it comes her son’s behavior as well as her own. Sam both welcomes and sidesteps multiple battles on “Holding,” but this is one she really can’t win.
Sometimes, common decency, compassion, or just good manners is too much to ask. Sam isn’t a woman with incredibly high expectations, but she does bristle at injustice or lack of accountability on any level. Turning the other cheek is great until you wind up crucified.
There are people who just deserve a good pummeling. It’s all they understand, and it’s the only thing they’ll respond to. Sam over steps which is something the central character in a comedy series can do with no repercussions while the rest of us cannot.
What did you think of this episode of Better Things? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Better Things airs Thursdays at 10/9c on FX.
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Jennifer Lind-Westbrook
Jennifer has been working as a freelance writer for six years, contributing to BuddyTV, Screen Rant, TVRage, Hidden Remote, Gossip On This, and PopMatters. She prefers binge-watching old episodes of The Office (British and American versions) to long walks on the beach. She's still holding out hope that Happy Endings will get a revival.