In her fantasies, Frankie Shaw dares to face down disturbing truths; in her real world, the storyline seems to be stuck.
“SMILF” is two shows in one, and only half of them work. The first show is an experimental mishmash of short films exposing the world to a woman’s experience in 2019 — particularly, an abused woman’s experience. The other show is a more typical serialized narrative, tracking a single mother trying to get her life together.
In the show’s second season, the more classic half is damn near stagnant. Bridgette Bird (creator and star Frankie Shaw) faces added hardship, sure, but in the first five episodes she does little to address it. Meanwhile, Shaw’s creative side — the one that got her short film into Sundance and later landed a deal for her own Showtime series — should elicit strong reactions ranging from outright shock to deep contemplation. Not all of the basketball star’s big shots swish through the net, but even Shaw’s acrobatic airballs are far more interesting than watching her dribble in circles.
Read More:‘Wayne’ Review: It’s ‘The End of the F***ing World,’ But This YouTube Original Is Better Than Fine Take her conscious messages to the entertainment industry. Last season ended with an indictment of Woody Allen, and in “SMILF” Season 2, Bridgette takes a milk bath with Harvey Weinstein. No, it’s not the actual Harvey Weinstein; it’s an imaginary version of the accused rapist, played by a guy in a creepy, expressionless Weinstein mask and conjured to mind for Bridgette’s erotic satisfaction. Still, in Bridgette’s fantasy, the enrobed former producer goes down on her in a hotel room while promising to make her a star. Alexandra or Anna Reimer in “SMILF” Mark Schafer/SHOWTIME Bridgette knows this is sick, but she can’t escape him — or her desires. Her childhood abuse at the hands of her father has screwed with every element of her life, especially her relationships with men, and a big part of Bridgette’s Season 2 arc is trying to make healthy decisions and avoid predatory men. She spends one episode freaking out over a date with a “nice guy.” In another, she imagines what life might be like if she modeled her behavior after girly-girl role models. There’s even a flashback episode to the birth of her son, Larry Bird (played by twin sisters Alexandra and Anna Reimer), framing both her contested choice to have him and the very explicit pains she went through during labor.
