Pivoting Review: Bounce, Baby (Season 1 Episode 7)
Pivoting Season 1 Episode 7, “Bounce, Baby” helps demonstrate the various ways people process grief. Some forge new relationships, some stop them in their tracks, and some make a show out of yelling at teenagers over their phones.
To be fair to Amy, losing an outlet to a lost loved one is heartbreaking, and there’s a very bittersweet sentiment in her talking endlessly to her friend on an old phone line, leaving messages that Colleen will never hear.
Still, her antics, particularly driving onto a soccer field to talk to the girl who winds up with the number, are too extreme for me to laugh at. I do at least appreciate the effort to establish that Amy likely had the closest bond with Colleen of our three main characters.
Henry eventually manages to get the phone number back, which may or not be realistic. I don’t necessarily approve of the method, but I do hope we get more scenes of Amy sharing gossip with Colleen and helping to renew her lingering presence.
We also get to see more of Brian in this episode, throwing a first birthday party for their daughter, Lila. It’s another sobering reminder of just how abrupt Colleen’s illness was and that it’s fitting for her loss to be used as the main engine for the early plot.
Sarah helps him plan the party in a sweet gesture tempered by the fact she neglects her new relationship with Tanzy to do it. Seeing her put her foot in every potential friendship or romance still isn’t winning me over.
Her scenes with Brian are much more satisfying, particularly in their discussion of how people are treated when going through loss. It has a comic note, of course, but the commentary about discomfort with grief is all too true.
Finally, you’ll likely remember that Jodie pledged to have sex with Matt in the last episode, feeling her friends would never expect her to. Sure enough, she follows through on proving them wrong here and making her affair the kind that will almost certainly end her marriage.
It’s much more romantic than it might sound, and the episode goes to effective lengths in proving Matt is far more worthy of Jodie’s affection than her actual husband. I do enjoy seeing it, but the looming fallout keeps me from loving it as much as I want to.
We get a taste of that fallout here, both in Jodie fearing she has herpes (be careful what you put on you body before sex, kids) and in Sarah’s reaction when she learns of the affair. While Amy is just in it for the gossip, she has personal reasons to be turned off by cheating.
Despite his very few good moments, I’d be all too happy to see Dan off and let Jodie and Matt solidify what they’re forming here. They really are adorable together. I just hope it’s enough to hold our empathy once Dan finds out.
Lila’s party is a sweet way to wrap up the episode, remember Colleen, and air out everyone’s grievances. Imperfect as they are, all these characters are ready to be there for the next generation. But speaking of that—where the heck are everyone’s kids?
What did you think of this episode of Pivoting? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Pivoting airs Thursday at 9:30/8:30c on Fox.
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Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.