Better Things FX Original Series

Do you mean they were horrified because they knew she'd swim naked, and not because she had the vest? That makes sense. But what was the vest?

 

I thought it was more just baring her clothes than the vest. I seem to remember it was a heart monitor vest like the LifeVest and while uncomfortable for her not anything oogie about it.

 

Anyone else thinking that this was the final episode of the series?
It felt like closure for Sam on some levels.

 

It was billed as a "season finale" so I'm guessing there will be more. At least I hope so. Seems like this is the type of series where there's almost an endless amount of story lines that can be devised, especially in the creative manner in which she does it.

 

My wife and I just finished watching season 4 on Hulu. This series is incredible, truly one of the medium’s finest. I’m so glad I happened to catch part if an interview Pamela Adlon did on the radio a few months back. It reminded me to check out Better Things, and it’s been a rewarding ride. I have three daughters myself (in an intact family), so not a parallel, but there’s plenty I could relate to as a parent.

 

Better Things - Season 5 - IMDb

 

Curious that the two best series on TV start with the same word.

 

Returns 28 February!

 

Final season. Great show.

 

Pamela did an episode of "Finding Your Roots" with Henry Louis Gates recently so it likes like they incorporated that into a story line.

I was born in '65 so I'm Gen X and not a boomer, she was born in '66 so she qualifies as Gen X as well.

 

I watched this show around the time Covid hit. Loved it. Looking forward to the next season. I felt like the last season could have been worked as a proper ending but I'll certainly take more.

 

Bumped

 

The season premiere was very good!

 

The first three episodes have been kinda meh to me. I have loved all the other seasons. It’s just not connecting now.

 

The first 2 episodes were a little slow but episode 3 clicked. They're back - Duke has grown so much. Love the cameos like Danny Trejo. Who had the cameo in the 2nd episode? Marty Krofft? I want her El Camino when the show ends....

 

The way the girls are interacting is so funny and fascinating that I wish there was more of that than anything else. More surprises, laughs and heart than can be found anywhere else.

 

Wasn't that brilliant? I agree wish there were more scenes like that. It was such a realistic of siblings IMO.

 

BTW Pamela Adlon is doing a final season podcast that airs each Tuesday to discuss the previous nights episode. She hosts it with a different member of the cast. Very entertaining.

 

I agree, and was also thinking it's showing how they are growing into adults and are developing their own relationships with each other that are not dependent upon their Mom. It's a very natural progression in a family.

 

Episode 4 has Duke growing up too fast and Max not there yet. Frankie has so much love for her mother that they don't know what to do with it and it comes out all wrong. Phil has a secret even bigger that Max, the sort of secret being held by someone who is giving / throwing away all their stuff.

 

Danny only has three kids in real life

 

My one lingering complaint about the show, like with many others, is that it (with wild lack of realism) shows the main character in a domestic setting most of the time, instead of the place where an adult will presumably be 40-60 hours a week to earn the money to buy that almost claustrophically comfortable suburban lifestyle. This season does seem to be addressing that, though (brother's stern advice to downgrade and simplify). Is Pam still out on the road a lot doing gigs?

I like how Adlon is representing the struggle older adults are having to suddenly understand the several classifications of gender that seem to have suddenly appeared, instead of the traditional two, and risk being punished for not grasping the concepts right away.

 

I've always thought about her career while watching the show, and especially now when her brother confronted her about her finances. She does seem to spend most of her waking hours driving around (it's LA!) and visiting friends, or hanging out at home.

 

I'm starting to think it was time for this show to end. It has run its course. There are still some wonderful moments this season, but a lot of it seems forced and awkwardly paced. Some of the humor falls flat, and some of the serious character scenes are overly long.

 

She probably feels the same way. Considering that she's the star, plus the director for every show, plus the main writer, and everything else, it's exhausting. Listening to her podcast it's become clear that this last season is a way to put a lot of actors that might be a little more obscure who she admires into the shows and give them some exposure. I also think that with the kids getting older it's become less cute and more dramatic, as happens in real life. I'm still really enjoying it, and highly recommend the podcasts following each week's new episodes. But I generally agree that it's probably the right decision to move on.