Not Dead Yet Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Not Out of High School Yet
Between the influencers and the teenage flashbacks, Not Dead Yet Season 1 Episode 3, “Not Out of High School Yet” might be a lot to take in for some of us. Let’s just say our subject of the week plays her role to a T.
Her name is Piper Ashford, and if “influencer culture” is ever added to the dictionary, her picture could be used for the entry. She even died for the sake of a dangerous Instagram selfie, which is a bit too close to reality to be comfortable.
More relevantly, she went to school with our lead and took pleasure publicly humiliating Nell. That’s a hard thing for either Nell or viewers to get past, and Piper’s continued snide comments only make matters worse.
The story plays out pretty much as you’d expect, minus us learning about a secret tragedy in Piper’s life or her hidden depths. She’s still quite shallow in the end. Yet that personality covers up insecurities, and that’s something Nell can literally speak to well.
It’s the kind of setup that might leave us expecting a redemption. For better or worse, we don’t really get one. Nell’s speech at Piper’s funeral could be about the little voices in anyone’s head. If anything, it makes the fact she had no real friends to speak her truth even clearer.
That does leave me feel like we’re missing something, though only a little. Nell’s words are ones both she and Piper need to hear. I also appreciate that Piper expresses gratitude in passing, not a tearful moment of apology. She’s just not the type.
The resulting article persuades Lexi to give her the front page over Mason, who I’m trying really hard and not quite successfully to view as a fun antagonist we’ll eventually bond with. I have no problem loving the celebratory dinner with her work besties and Cricket.
Sam and Dennis also have their own B plot in which he face downs a childhood humiliation on the basketball “field” and she comes to terms with having been a ruthless—though admittedly witty—bully in her own youth.
The story is a bit of a cliché itself, but it does give us needed additional scenes with Dennis, who’s only gotten a few moments on screen before now. And if you are upset about a lack of self-reflection from Piper, we do get one from Sam.
I do wish we got more time with them or any other minor characters in this episode. Between Nell being the main character and Piper being who she is, we understand that this plot will eat up screen time. Still, Not Dead Yet deserves to be as close to an ensemble sitcom as possible.
Piper’s probably not going to convince anyone to forgive the people who make high school flashbacks terrible. If she can convince us to be nicer now, both to others and ourselves, that’ll be enough of a legacy. Well, that and her obit’s “dope” headline.
What did you think of this episode of Not Dead Yet? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Not Dead Yet airs Wednesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC.
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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.