Kevin Can F**k Himself Review: Broken (Season 1 Episode 7)

Kevin Can F**k Himself Season 1 Episode 7, “Broken,” is a loaded gun of potential; disastrous, earth-scorching, potential.

To start this episode with Allison at the station is to open the flood gates and let everything this season has been holding back, both format and story-wise, come flooding to the forefront.

It’s a move that offers this season a chance to cash in on the high-stakes climax it needs to leave a lasting impression.

And yet, Kevin Can F**k Himself doesn’t need elaborate murder plots or intense drug investigations to be great. It just needs women to demand space in a genre that rarely awards them the luxury, and this show has that in Patty and Allison.

Every show has that moment where the audience can see the premise’s hard work pay off in such a simple but impactful way. A moment where the characters fully spring from the dialogue and the sets to speak to us.

That moment comes when Patty and Allison share a bottle of wine in the bathtub together.

The scene rips into the reality of why being these imperfect, single, opinionated, demanding things can lead women to believe they are broken. But Patty and Allison’s realization that their lowest moments gave them a strong female friendship is a light at the end of this dark-tunneled premise.

Allison and Patty’s reluctant friendship is this season’s crown achievement and it’s lovely to see their bond grow even closer as the plot thickens and sexualities are questioned.

It’s just as lovely as watching Allison try to micromanage her own husband’s murder — a hilarious character trait one has to appreciate the show not overlooking in these darker moments.

One can also appreciate Patty and Tammy are not overlooked in the chaos of an impending finale. Patty finding reassurance in her feelings for a woman doesn’t quite fit this season trajectory and could easily be pushed to the side for Allison’s pressing issues.

Yet, this episode dives right back into their budding (and adorable) relationship, taking us on a painting date and morning breakfast hangs with Neil.

Their time together has the potential at times to push Kevin’s fate right out of the narrative. This continues to allows Patty to be more than a sidekick as she navigates her own growing pains as a character that can live in both genres seamlessly.

The choice to focus on Patty and Tammy’s potential as a long-term couple through her interactions with Allison gives Patty priority over our protagonist at times, but you won’t hear me complaining. Not when all the female relationships on this show are so compelling.

The issue with penultimate episodes that double as part one to a two-part conclusion is they rarely move the plot forward. These episodes at their worst are the elaboration, the gap fillers, and the drawn-out cliffhangers.

“Broken” is all three in ways that are equally provoking and tedious.

The episode starts on a high note with the deduction that something has happened to Kevin and the audience isn’t privy to it. For one small moment, we get the pleasure of imagining his demise.

This high-stakes start is the perfect way to jumpstart the final hours of this season by getting right to our protagonist’s main conflict and doing it with a gripping flashback mystery.

However, as time goes on it becomes clear the episode isn’t giving us anything of substance towards the mystery at hand.

Allison and Patty preparing for their post-Kevin lives is entertaining but their involvement in this murder isn’t necessarily breaking new ground. Sam and Jen’s fight is a captivating development but given their complete lack of involvement in the mystery, this does not get us any closer to the “why” of the interrogation.

The only two scenes that share a meaningful connection are Nick’s cold open and the final beats of the episode as Kevin hears an intruder downstairs.

A dozen different scenarios could happen in between and we still end up with the same outcome. This suggests that even the flashiest of content the episode produces is filler.

Everything that happens in between is still important. The issue is every single one of these scenes could have appeared earlier in the season, and not only would the flow make more sense but we would be no closer to the conclusion this episode is speeding towards.

The same goes for the generous use of comedy sets. It’s amusing to see Patty and Neil get the sitcom treatment, especially when Tammy is sleeping over. Even the baby clinic has its uses through the sitcom lens.

It’s just a shame to see all these different dynamics and sets come into play in the final hour, as opposed to being sprinkled in throughout this journey.

The most disappointing thing of all is the lack of reveal or answers awaiting us at the end.

It is a brilliant cliffhanger and one that will certainly have passive viewers tuning in for the finale just to ensure Kevin gets what’s coming to him. Even so, this cliffhanger isn’t earned.

We end this episode knowing nothing more about the incident that took place between Nick and Kevin than we did at the beginning of “Broken”. Early on, Nick is seen with a gun and Allison mentions she was in bed with Kevin when it happened. That’s all the reveal we get for the remainder of the episode.

A gunshot off-screen is the pinnacle of a plot twist, but it’s not entirely satisfying for the episode it’s attempting to elevate.

Having conflict take place off-screen ensures this show stays within the sitcom rules, despite Allison’s desire to have these two genres clash. That said, one could expect more from this ballsy premise when it comes to bending the guidelines of the sitcom lens.

If Kevin’s comedy kingdom is allowed to continue unscathed, what does that say about Allison’s chances for escaping the sitcom wife role?

One has to hope that sacrificing parts of the penultimate episode for this epic cliffhanger means Kevin Can F**k Himself is building to something good. Few signs point to Kevin biting the dust, but these final moments are alive with a determination that suggests whatever happens next will be worth the wait.

It hopefully means the finale has one big middle finger of a f**k coming for Kevin.

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The season finale of Kevin Can F**k Himself airs Sunday, July 25 at 9/8c on AMC.

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