Work in Progress Review: 3, 2, 1 (Season 1 Episode 8)
Work in Progress Season 1 Episode 8, “3, 2, 1,” is not a finale that is neatly wrapped up with a pretty bow, and it shouldn’t be because working through mental health issues is an ongoing process with no finish line. And in creating a finish line with the almond countdown, Abby (Abby McEnany) seems to have sabotaged her relationship with Chris (Theo Germaine), which was the strongest aspect of her life that was helping her to improve.
She thought the almonds would be a life-line, a reason Chris could not overlook because of the timeliness and what that final almond means, but it ends up being the downfall of their relationship. Someone can mean everything to you, but they cannot be everything to you. Chris struggles to get Abby to understand this.
Abby: I have one almond left, Chris, and if-
Chris: Abby, those almonds are completely arbitrary. They mean nothing.
Abby: They mean everything.
It’s a horrible position in which to be put, and one Chris doesn’t feel comfortable taking on. He is so honest and sincere and kind about it, though—it’s the most gentle let-down I’ve ever seen. He tells Abby that he loves her and adores her, and although he doesn’t say it, one can see there is understanding, if not forgiveness, for Abby’s mistake.
However, Abby reacts harshly and desperately, and when she yells Chris’ dead name, it’s like a knife in the heart of Chris as well as the viewer. I am so disappointed in Abby for doing that. The sensitivity the show has shown by cleverly blurring and bleeping the name up to and including this moment makes this transgression all the more upsetting.
McEnany displays Abby’s desperation so well that she seems to have sunk low enough for this aberrant behavior to be believable. People say hurtful things to those they love when they are angry or scared. It by no means excuses her actions, but it makes for a shocking yet plausible twist which, in turn, makes for good drama.
And Germaine’s performance adds to that drama as well. Their range of emotion in this tough scene is authentic and heartbreaking, portraying Chris as strong and vulnerable at the same time.
Being disappointed in Abby does not make me disappointed in the episode. This is a solid episode and a solid finale.
The stuff with the dead therapist provides some morose humor that fits with the mood of the show, along with the artsy suicide imaginings. Beautiful sisterly love is shown when Alison (Karin Anglin) comes to help Abby out of her depressive state. The dreaded coffee meeting with Susan (Mary Sohn) from work is unexpectedly pleasant and gives us and Abby a false sense of security.
The discussion with Julia (Julia Sweeney) about “reclaiming” the Pat character sets things up for what Abby fails to see with Chris later on.
Julia: I fixed Pat.
Abby: No, Julia, I don’t want you to fix Pat. I want you to bury Pat.
Abby tends to bury her problems so it makes sense that she would want to do the same with Julia’s Pat character. On the other hand, she wants Chris to fix her, knowing that one cannot “fix” another person, just like Julia can’t “fix” Pat. She is being contradictory, and that is understandable coming from someone who feels like their life is spinning out of control.
The scene where Abby meets with her ex, Melanie (Echaka Agba), is eye-opening and difficult. We see a pattern where Abby pushes people away when they cannot be everything she needs them to be. Eight years and still Melanie is unable to live up to what Abby is expecting.
This meeting pushes Abby into unreliable narrator territory, but getting to know her over the course of the season makes it so we are unable to dismiss her as such. Ending this first season journey like this really drives the message home that people are complicated and people being together and loving each other is even more complicated.
The human condition is complex, and each and every one of us is a work in progress.
What did you think of the Season 1 finale of Work in Progress? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Work in Progress airs Sundays at 11/10c on Showtime.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.