On Becoming a God in Central Florida Review: Wham Bam Thank You FAM (Season 1 Episode 9)

On Becoming a God in Central Florida Season 1 Episode 9, “Wham Bam Thank You FAM,” finds Krystal working on one last plan to take revenge on Obie Garbeau.

Not much is resolved over the course of the episode, but all of the pieces are now in place for what promises to be an explosive ending to the season.

There are some funny moments at Paradise Cay, where Krystal engages in tiny acts of rebellion against the Louise and Obie — sticking up her middle finger when their backs are turned, smoking cigarettes in prohibited places on their property, running her fingertips all over their expensive oil paintings. 

These shots are clearly meant to provoke a laugh, but they’re also deeply saddening, because they demonstrate just how powerless Krystal is against the people who have systematically destroyed her life.

It’s frustrating to watch Krystal’s intelligence being wasted on work as menial as her personal assistant job with Louise. Krystal is resourceful, driven, and brilliant in her own way. She has repeatedly demonstrated better business smarts than any of the other FAM members, which even her former boss reluctantly admits:

Stan: You don’t like to work, but you also don’t take crap from people. You’re always coming up with new ideas to make things better.

The way Krystal’s ideas are constantly dismissed and belittled is infuriating, but certainly not surprising; it’s generally easy to show how patriarchal systems, which prioritize male perspectives and experiences, are bad for women.

Ernie’s scenes in this episode accomplish something far more difficult: they show how FAM’s deeply entrenched patriarchy actually damages entire families, men included.

All Ernie wanted to do was be a good provider, father, and husband, but FAM’s rhetoric has changed the way he approaches these responsibilities. The kind of toxic masculinity that the company culture encourages — which is aggressive, dispassionate, and predicated on obedience and control — has twisted Ernie’s signature humility into insecurity, and his openness into repression.

He has lost the ability to emotionally connect with his wife and child. He feels successful, but also deeply lonely and misunderstood.

This kind of character work — treating flaws and insecurities with compassion, but never excusing the bad actions that result from them — is one of On Becoming a God in Central Florida‘s biggest strengths.

On a systemic level, we can see how Ernie’s ideas and contributions are valued more than Krystal’s — but on a human level their suffering feels equally potent, and that’s what makes the shows’s storytelling so compelling.

Mel Rodriguez’s performance really stands out in this episode. The way he lets Ernie’s vulnerability shine through in fleeting moments, using his ever-present smile to mask his rising insecurity, is subtle and lovely. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rodriguez’s work generate some buzz during the next awards season.

As for Krystal, one of the most disturbing aspects of “Wham Bam Thank You FAM” is the frequent insinuation that her involvement with FAM is causing her to become increasingly self-obsessed and manipulative — the very same qualities that she so despises about the Garbeaus.

Rhonda: One fancy party. That’s all it took before you treated me like the help, and then I don’t even hear from you until you need a sitter. Don’t let those people change you, okay?

It’s hard to say whether Krystal’s cruelty is a new development, or if it’s something she was capable of all along. Perhaps, as with Ernie, the point is that we’re all capable of inadvertently becoming our worst selves in the face of desperation. 

With one episode left in the season, the question that looms largest is whether someone who has become intimately aware of injustice, and therefore been pushed to their emotional extremes, can possibly find a path leading back to serenity.

What did you think of this episode of On Becoming a God in Central Florida? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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On Becoming a God in Central Florida airs Sundays at 10/9c on Showtime.

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