Such Brave Girls Season 1 Episodes 1-3 Review: A “Family” Comedy Not For the Faint of Heart
Such Brave Girls Season 1 Episodes 1-3 are technically part of a family show in the sense they’re about a family. Yet this isn’t a series for any but the oldest kids. It earns at least a hard PG-13, if not R, rating.
Focusing on two near-adult sisters, Josie and Billie, and their mother, Deb, who had Josie as a teenager, it tells the story of women trying to survive their circumstances together. It’s a process that involves unhealthy coping mechanisms and love that presumably exists very deep down.
Josie is depressed, and for the most part, her mother and sister handle it in a textbook case of how not to deal with a mental disorder. Billie is obsessed with her toxic boyfriend and Josie and Deb’s reactions can best be described as enabling.
They could both use some maternal guidance, but their source for it may be even more of a mess than they are. Desperately trying to keep her newest man for his money, Deb forsakes all boundaries when it comes to her daughters and any level of decency.
Over the course of these episodes, we veer from second-hand embarrassment to wondering whether we’re even supposed to like most of these characters. That goes double for their love interests, with the possible exception of the girl with whom Josie explores her lesbianism.
On paper, none of this should work. Reasonable people would likely be alarmed at some of the things these characters do and say—and the few that exist in this little world often are. The biggest surprise may be that nobody seems to have called social services.
Yet there’s also a deep realism here. Not necessarily (I hope) in reflecting how any similar families would behave in real life, but in showing people often at their worst as a result of damage and being relatable for taking on the world all the same.
Though they are at times openly cruel to each other, these ladies would do anything for each other, especially Billie and Josie. They often do, from a painful hair dying job to a gag-worthy scene involving a pregnancy test.
I doubt we’ll ever get anywhere close to maudlin with these dynamics, but I do get the sense that the love at the heart of all this snark will move at least a little more into the open in the second half of the season. It would be nice to see the family at least unite against common enemies.
Most importantly, though, this show is wickedly, bombastically, hilarious. As someone who can’t handle on-screen awkwardness, there are times I can barely watch my screen and will still find myself laughing out loud at the dialogue playing out.
The credit goes both to the writers and to pitch-perfect delivery of their work by Kat Sadler, Lizzie Davidson, and Louise Brealey (Josie, Billie, and Deb respectively). In lesser hands, this work would…well, it probably would have someone calling social services.
If you like family comedies but feel they can get too sappy—and if you’re willing to set aside your boundaries for 30 minutes at a time—check this show out immediately. Just make sure you know what you’re in for. And maybe don’t watch over dinner.
What did you think of episodes 1-3 of Such Brave Girls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Such Brave Girls season 1 is now streaming on Hulu.
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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.