Good Sam Review: Truce (Season 1 Episode 6)

Good Sam faces generational conflict head-on as everyone struggles to separate professional from personal on Season 1 Episode 6, “Truce.”

This argument is familiar for this show, and it’s only escalating with each episode. This episode makes the age-old move to escalate the tension and puts everyone in the same room. What could possibly go wrong there?

“Truce” confronts the hard truth that no one can adequately move forward until they face their blind spots.

Unfortunately, doing so is proving to be easier said than done, marking Good Sam Season 1 Episode 5, “Wake Up,” as the calm before the storm.

It’s not surprising that Sam and Griff’s truce is so short-lived, and it’s even less surprising that it comes to an end because of Griff and Lex’s relationship. 

The most realistically frustrating part is that each party struggles to see the others’ point of view.

Sam can be upset that her father and best friend are dating behind her back again, but Lex doesn’t need Sam’s permission to date anyone. Furthermore, Griff does try to tell Sam about his relationship, but Sam refuses to listen.

“Truce” turns the miscommunication up, and, in the process, it creates a strong conflict where there is not a clear-cut right or wrong answer. Moreover, the genuine emotions involved on each side make the conflict even stronger.

Similarly, Good Sam dials up the drama between the older and younger generations with a beautifully directed shot where Sam and Malcolm stand directly behind Griff and Byron. Its symbolism is exquisite. 

Byron’s outdated perspective that the younger generation couldn’t possibly know what’s best for Lakeshore is problematic. It’s concerning that Griff (who is meant to be turning over a new leaf with his daughter) doesn’t speak up in her or Malcolm’s favor.

But, it does show how difficult it is to confront those blind spots that are generationally embedded in people. For example, Sam’s ambition to prove she can break the mold ends up breaking her relationship with Malcolm.

Their relationship’s end isn’t as sad as it could be because Good Sam doesn’t spend as much time with Sam and Malcolm outside of the workplace or conversations about the said workplace.

That said, Edwin Hodge’s reaction as Malcolm to Sam’s betrayal is devastating on an individual level. Sam should be the first to know how affecting it could be to bring an estranged parent back into one’s life.

But, the fact that Sam is aware and sees it as a professional side effect is an example of her blind spot. Separating the personal and the professional is essential when it involves her father. But what about Malcolm?

This betrayal stings all the more because it’s one of the first things Good Sam reveals about Malcolm in a while, and Sam uses it as collateral in her competition with her father.

That’s why the prospect of Malcolm and Vivan working together on a developmental project for Lakeshore is so exciting. Admittedly, it feels a little more removed from the drama, but it’s as short-lived as Griff and Sam’s truce.

Hopefully, Good Sam can give Malcolm a larger role that lets him prove his father wrong, even if that’s not alongside Vivian. Coincidentally, that may be inevitable if Rhonda has her way and claims Vivian’s position.

Rhonda and Vivian’s argument through smiles and clenched teeth is an excellent example of how women in power sometimes have to present themselves in public spaces.

It’s equal measures disheartening and intriguing that Vivian takes a beat to remind Rhonda they can’t afford to lose their current positions because of what others will deem a stereotypical catfight. There are so many layers in that.

The escalation of their dynamic is far more intriguing than that of Sam, Griff, and Lex at this point in Good Sam‘s run.

However, it’s fascinating how Good Sam continues to center most of the tension with that trio around Sam and Lex’s friendship.

One of the act breaks ends with the cliffhanger of Lex ending their friendship, and that’s an intentional sign of how pivotal that relationship is to Sam. 

She doesn’t have that argument with her father, and she tells her mother how she wishes Lex would’ve told her the truth earlier in the episode — not Griff.

After “Wake Up,” it’s hard to watch Lex and Sam take so many steps backward, but with the way Good Sam continues to frame this narrative, it’s easy to know this isn’t the end for Sam and Lex.

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Good Sam airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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