Hello Tomorrow! Season 1 Episode 6 Review: The Numbers Behind the Numbers
Hello Tomorrow! Season 1 Episode 6, “The Numbers Behind the Numbers,” gives us some background on Jack, and it’s quite pitiful.
I think Herb sums it up best when he says, “You see, there is pain, Eddie. And then there’s lying to yourself.” Jack is the king of lying to himself, but we learn on this episode that doing so is key to his survival.
Like a shark that dies when it stops swimming, Jack’s world will crumble if he stops lying and his existence would be meaningless. As he carries on his own father’s delusions of grandeur, he treats his son as his father treated him—at arm’s length, but instilling an importance placed on dreams.
“No one is not a dreamer.” This is the paternal advice Jack’s father gave him, and which has become the basis of his ambition as a great salesman.
When Joey begins to see the reality of the situation, he tells Jack to stop dreaming, which is akin (pun intended) to telling him to drop dead.
This is a really interesting angle to the overall story, but like so many aspects of the series, it falls just short of actually being interesting. You could say the ideas and themes eclipse the concept of the show itself.
It’s good that some characters know some truths because that is the only thing moving the story forward. Never mind learning about Jack’s father’s plans for lunar living, legitimate or not—that is part of the lie, and the lie is not important.
It’s about who perpetuates the lies and who searches for the truth, and the strain it puts on relationships. Hello Tomorrow! focuses its story on the father/son dynamic between Jack and Joey; which, I believe, is a big misstep.
In my review for Hello Tomorrow! Season 1 Episode 5, “From the Desk of Stanley Jenkins,” I expressed my boredom with this storyline. Now that Joey knows it’s all a crock, at least there’s some momentum, but I still don’t find it to be engaging storytelling.
Their argument that ends this episode lacks a significant punch, and I just end up feeling the same amount of sorry for Jack that I did for the Jack of one year ago. He is fast approaching another low point, it seems, and I doubt that the rich woman from the last episode is going to be the upswing Jack is hoping for—or desperately needing, rather.
The sub plots don’t do too much in the background. I like both Herb and Shirley as characters, but I do not like their storylines. It’s worth repeating, Shirley deserves better, and, frankly, so does Herb.
I am glad to see Jacki Weaver back as Jack’s mother, and the scene where she cheats at Bingo is delightful.
While there are moments of drama and charm here and there, Hello Tomorrow! Season 1 Episode 6, “The Numbers Behind the Numbers,” is another insipid installment.
What did you think of this episode of Hello Tomorrow!? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Hello Tomorrow! stream Fridays on Apple TV+.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.