Better Things Review: Toilet (Season 3 Episode 7)
On Better Things Season 3 Episode 7, “Toilet,” Sam deals with several uncomfortable situations.
Not many female actresses would embrace the very unsexy subject matter of getting a colonoscopy. But Pamela Adlon has the magic touch when it comes to elevating the mundane. I hate to say it’s brave to show herself on the toilet because it’s such a cliché to call women out for doing things that are entirely pedestrian.
Once, on Sex and the City, Samantha tells Carrie “men don’t like women to be human.” It’s not just men, TV and movies are escapism, and what’s brave is that Adlon tackles subjects that are unflattering and uncomfortable but manages to make them simultaneously humorous, cringeworthy, relatable, and, sometimes, even absurd.
An ongoing theme during Better Things Season 3 is Sam coping with the inevitable consequences of growing older. Whether it’s a turkey neck, muffin tops, hot flashes, or the beginning of the barrage of doctor’s visits and medical procedures that come with the territory.
Adlon puts her own spin on it. Sam mixes a laxative concoction with vodka (clear liquids only) and proceeds to spend hours waiting for “movement.” We see her on the toilet, sharing a popsicle with her dog, checking her phone, and working on her computer and think, “I do that.”
Adlon ventures where nobody wants to admit they actually “go.” Better Things keeps it real, but Sam having a gastroenterologist who calls a patient back after hours (or at all) and texts test results might be the most fantastical thing to ever happen on the show.
Post-physical discomfort, Sam deals with an entirely different kind of strain — completing her last therapy session with Dr. Miller (Matthew Broderick). She jumps from being completely exposed physically to closing herself off emotionally.
Sam reveals more during her epic meltdown on “No Limit,” but she’s totally unwilling or unable to explore any significant area of her life, responding with winces and “Ew.”
Things take an entirely bizarre turn when Dr. Miller admits what viewers already know: he’s got romantic feelings for Sam. Sam is more comfortable dealing with inappropriate situations than she is with showing emotional vulnerability. It’s an odd flirtation: not entirely one-sided but not completely mutual either.
We’re in serious stalker territory when Dr. Miller tells her, “I’ve had blue balls of the heart for you for over 30 years.” This has to be one of the most unconventional declarations of love ever uttered. I love a grand romantic gesture, but Dr. Miller comes off as awkward and kind of creepy.
Their interaction lends clarity as to why Sam is emotionally constipated.
It’s easier for Sam to wallow in cynicism than to allow herself to hope people, particularly men, aren’t freaks. Viewers are left feeling both badly for Dr. Miller because he’ll never see Sam again and a bit unnerved by his ethical, moral, and professional shortcomings.
Anyway, Sam doesn’t seem to be in the market for a new love interest. Who is the “Nobody” on her phone who loves her and wants to see her face? Since this is Better Things, we may never know.
What did you think of this episode of Better Things? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Better Things airs Thursday 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.
2 comments
Is this the episode with the super-toilet? The one with the ads that show someone flushing away a cupful of glass marbles, and Sam is so pleased she buys one?
I want to know the make and model of the super toilet. No kidding.
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