Sometimes, a show was only meant to last for a limited period of time. Bridget Everett’s delightful dramedy Somebody Somewhere will end with its third season, and while that seems sad at first, we also think a series like this is better off ending one season two early rather than one season too late.
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE SEASON 3: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: Sam Miller (Bridget Everett) says hello to a dog on the floor of the bar where she works.
The Gist: On first glance, it seems like Sam is in a decent place in her life, settled in her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas. Job she likes, friends she loves, and a routine that fits her low-key life. But that facade starts to fall away in the face of all the changes everyone in her life is going through.
Joel (Jeff Hiller) is moving in with Brad (Tim Bagley) and selling his house; when Joel tells Sam that he’s taking the first offer on the house, Sam seems to be taken a bit by surprise that the change is happening so soon.
Sam’s sister Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison) is officially divorced and has stopped feeling sorry for herself. She’s dating multiple men, has bought an Escalade as “a divorce present to me, from my cunt pillows,” i.e. the crafting project that went viral. She even ends up cancelling a night with Sam to go out on a last-minute date.
Even Fred (Murray Hill) is making changes; at their weekly brunch at The Chef, Sam and Joel find out that Fred’s wife Susan (Jennifer Mudge) has persuaded him to go to the doctor for the first time in years, which has led him to eat healthier. He proposes the weekly hangout take place at the local batting cages.
Feeling like she’s being left behind, Sam goes to an animal shelter and bonds with a puffball of a white dog named Pepper, but she still has to think about it before filling out the application. She also reluctantly goes to the Miller family farm to collect a rent check from a burly man she and Tricia call Iceland (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson); Tricia hates to interact with him, but Sam surprisingly finds the native Icelander charming. He even keeps the kid pictures of Sam and her sisters where they are, and makes up stories about all of them.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? At this point, Somebody Somewhere stands on its own; in the past, we’ve compared it to shows like One Mississippi.
Our Take: While we weren’t happy to hear that the third season of Somebody Somewhere will be its final one, we realized that was a selfish feeling. We just like spending as much time with Sam and everyone in her circle as much as possible, and at this point, the show feels like a nice comfortable, broken-in pair of slippers.
But that worn-in feel can also make a show complacent, with the writers trying to figure out ways to keep making Sam wish for something more in her life. Now, though, they’re working towards something for Sam. We have some ideas what that might be, but we’re also happy to make the journey with her.
Everett and co-creators Hannah Bos and Paul Threen had Sam find a group of like-minded people as she came out of her depression in Season 1, then had her get comfortable with those people in Season 2. But in Season 3, they’re giving Sam reasons to want more. And while that “more” may just mean being happy being with herself and maybe with a furry friend, it could also mean that she starts a relationship with Iceland, or something completely different.
We’ve all been where Sam is, right? Our friends are moving on, making changes, growing up a bit and we feel like we’re standing still. What we don’t realize until later is that life isn’t a competition. Things come when they come, and many more things are possible when you finally accept and like yourself. This feels like the lesson Sam may learn this year, and we’re ready to watch her learn it.
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: After another disappointment, Sam wipes away tears and drives out of a parking lot while “Smalltown Boy” plays.
Sleeper Star: Tim Bagley is always a welcome presence, whether he’s playing someone who’s gossipy and underhanded or someone with much purer intentions, like Brad. It seems like we’ll be seeing a lot of him in this final season.
Most Pilot-y Line: Brad has the least cluttered kitchen counters we’ve ever seen. He says the only small appliance he keeps on the counter is his coffee maker. Does he even use his kitchen?
Our Call: STREAM IT. Somebody Somewhere looks like its going to end the way it began, as a funny, emotional, poignant show with characters we love to spend time with.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Somebody Somewhere’ Season 3 On HBO, Where Sam Tries To Figure Her Life Out As Everyone Around Her Is Changing appeared first on Decider.
