Julia Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Chocolate Mousse
Julia starts strong with the first three episodes of Season 2. However, Julia Season 2 Episode 4, “Chocolate Mousse“ doesn’t offer the same decadent taste. It’s still good but not cooked to perfection.
This episode focuses on the beginning stages of new story arcs for many of the major characters. This starts with Russ. He achieves his dream, but it might not be the right fit for him.
Russ always seemed misguided in this pursuit. Therefore, this development isn’t shocking, but it sets up an interesting challenge.
He could continue down that path and try to fix his errors or reevaluate his focus. Russ may return to work on The French Chef.
Either way, this may start his year of self-discovery. Russ is harmless but not the most exciting Julia character.
Therefore, the Russ scenes have some very funny moments, such as Madeline fangirling over Julia, but not enough to really make his storyline stand out, especially because most of the characters have really fascinating arcs this season.
Russ works best when orbiting Julia and navigating that.
Contrasting nicely with Russ’s (seemingly) lackluster storyline, Alice may have the most interesting storyline of the season. She’s leading the female revolution. Alice’s quest for contraception really grounds the story of the time.
It’s hard to imagine a doctor who bluntly refuses to prescribe contraception but that’s a reality faced by women in the 60s. And sadly, with some of the recent Supreme Court rulings, that’s not too far from what some women face in the States.
Alice’s storyline reminds us how Julia is more than just a TV chef but, in her own way, an inspiration.
Julia inspired women to seek freedom and demand a seat in these male-dominated spaces.
Alice matures and develops because of Julia’s guidance and friendship. Her embrace of her sexuality is one of those personal growths.
Brittany Bradford breaks your heart during the doctor’s scene. She shows embarrassment, shame, and bewilderment. Eventually, disappointment comes through subtle facial expressions and body movements.
We get this devastating scene but it contrasts nicely with a fun scene with Alice and her mother. The inclusion of more Virginia and Roland scenes is one of the best changes, so far, with Julia Season 2
They are both hilarious.
“Chocolate Mousse” provides some important steps towards change for this world and the people that live in it. Not all of these changes are fun, but they are necessary.
Other Thoughts
- The mediocre majority line lives rent-free in my head now.
- Virginia and Alice’s scenes are becoming some of the best to watch.
- Roland is become my favorite ridiculous man on the show.
- It’s great to contrast Julia’s first day at WGBH and how much they love her now.
- This is not a very women helping women episode; with Judith and Blanche still kind of at odds, and Julia not warming to Elaine yet.
- Julia is also kind of in her hater era. She seems judgmental for not immediately liking Avis’s new boyfriend. However, I enjoy seeing more of Julia’s flaws this season.
What did you think of this episode of Julia? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Julia streams Thursday on Max.
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Jerrica Tisdale
Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.
2 comments
I have just started watching Julia. I love the show!Although I wanted her to tell the FBI man that he was harassing her and she hasn’t done anything wrong. That she’s a US citizen it doesn’t deserve it.. and that she’s not going to spy on her colleagues. They can do their own spying and not to threaten her.. and I think she should tell everyone what happened to watch their backs. But she didn’t even tell Paul. Anyway, I’m intrigued to see what happens in the next episode and there after.. she was an amazing woman, and did amazing things with her life.
As someone who sought contraception in that same time period, that scene was poignant, but a bit unrealistic. Because at that time in Massachusetts, it wasn’t just the doctor’s choice – it was *illegal* for a doctor to prescribe the pill for an unmarried woman. I got around that by lying and saying that I was engaged and about to be married. I’m sure the doctor saw right through that lie, but he played along, and also performed the blood tests I would have needed to get a marriage license at that time. Later, through the grapevine, I found another doctor who was willing to take the risk and prescribe for unmarried women. And eventually the law was changed. Oh, and by the way, it’s also very unlikely her mother could have gotten a doctor to write a prescription for a person he hadn’t actually examined, as birth control pills in those days were higher dosage than they are now, and there were tests that needed to be performed every 6 months to make sure they weren’t having bad side effects. So you had to keep seeing the doctor every time you wanted to renew the prescription.
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