Mr. Corman Review: Happy Birthday (Season 1 Episode 3)

Josh spends some quality time with his mom on Mr. Corman Season 1 Episode 3, “Happy Birthday.”

I am learning to expect the unexpected with this show.

Even with the fantastical offshoots and dreamlike sojourns the first two episodes have featured, I still could have never predicted that this episode would culminate in a mother-son song and dance number. At first it is very strange, but it turns out to be quite sweet.

It works because Mr. Corman has already established a unique and eclectic storytelling style, kind of like mixed-media art for the screen with elements from different genres and cinematic concepts.

Although, a musical number is still a hard sell no matter how far out of the box a show has gone. What cements it as a success on this episode is the immense talent showcased by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Debra Winger.

Josh (Gordon-Levitt) and Ruth (Winger) are as earnest and genuine when they are trading harsh truths as they are when they’re dancing hand in hand on a roof with an orange-slice sun in the sky. There is just the right level of emotion in every scene they share. 

Ruth spends the majority of the episode hilariously exasperated, sighing and scoffing and grumbling, her face either scrunched in concern or blank and resigned. She seems like a woman who did her best as a mother and has made peace with the mistakes she has made.

Josh dredges up the difficulties of their past and her guilt returns whether she wants it to or not. He is candid with her about his recent panic attacks and how he is still troubled with anxiety. She’s not overly dismissive, but she’s not very empathetic either.

They work through their issues with a maudlin, sentimental song, “Oh, Here We Go,” written by Gordon-Levitt and Mr. Corman‘s composer, Nathan Johnson. The say the things they can’t say to each other in the song and it is effective in showing the love between them and their hopes and regrets in regards to one another.

We are thrust into the musical fantasy as Ruth and Josh stare at each other across the roof of his car. It’s a standoff of sorts. Will they have the conversation they clearly need to have?

That conversation takes place in the song, so it is a sad realization when the illusion ends and snaps back to the dark parking lot where they choose to leave things unsaid. 

Winger and Gordon-Levitt handle the ups and downs and unconventional interludes of this episode impressively well, and it ends on a bittersweet and oddly comforting note.

What did you think of this episode of Mr. Corman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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