Norman worries he may have made the wrong decision about Phoebe. Sandy wants to take his relationship with Lisa to the next level.
In 2018, it makes no sense to provide full-length reviews of each individual episode for shows released all at once on the streaming services. Sure, there are some shows out there that value the power of the episode. They do make a point in differentiating each episode to ensure it's not just one big slog to the finish. However, the ability to watch the entire season at one's own viewing pace has largely changed the way we consume and discuss these shows. So, some brief summary thoughts are really all that's actually necessary with these seasons. As such, here are my latest thoughts on the next episode of Netflix's The Kominsky Method.
"Chapter 5: An Agent Crowns" was written by Chuck Lorre and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
This episode immediately gives Sandy his test results. That's a very good thing because I was slowly growing quite impatient with that particular story. And here, the show still finds a way to have Sandy living his life in agony and uncertainty. For the past few episodes, he feared that these results would come back positive for cancer. And now, he receives both good and bad news from Dr. Wexler. He's not at risk of dying from prostate cancer. However, he does have some slow-moving cancer cells in his prostate. It's not something the doctor is worried about though. He doesn't have to do anything to treat it at the moment. But it does send Sandy spinning. He blows off his class because he is seeing the futility of life and how it can all be taken away in a moment. That's the kind of reflection that this show does best. And yet, it's also quite amusing to watch Lisa call him out on his behavior because he only wants to make a larger commitment to their current relationship because he is faced with an uncertain future. He doesn't want to die alone in life. And so, he is holding on tight to this relationship that is still just in the beginning stages of development. Of course, the two of them still have sex. It even makes for an amusing joke about how many pills Sandy is currently taking. As such, it's no big deal that he has to take another one in order to help his bladder. But all of this is enough for him to also take a stand in life and only do the things he is willing to support. He wants to be working. He is pressing Norman to get an acting job for him. Norman books him for a national commercial. It's just for a product that Sandy can't support at all. It's actually such a bitting moment because it parodies those types of home equity commercials that are so prevalent on television. Sandy wants there to be a list of warnings at the end just like there is with all of the medication commercials. He wants people to be well-informed about the product they could potentially use for their benefit. The director just wants him to follow the script and do what he is paid to be doing. But Sandy still has the power to voice his concerns even though he has the freedom to just walk off set without fear of any repercussions whatsoever. The world should be empowering every voice to matter. These concerns that Sandy has are valid. However, the show still wants to paint him as an actor who doesn't have a successful career because he keeps getting in his own way. When Norman tells the agents at work that he needs a new project for Sandy, they all groan because it's not a job that any of them want to do. In fact, this is the first time that Norman has been in the office at all in the past two years. He was too busy with Eileen to continue managing this agency. He is still a well-respected agent who helps many of his clients. But now, he is throwing himself into work in order to distract from his recent issues with Phoebe. Of course, that doesn't work out well because Phoebe lands in the hospital once more with a drug overdose. That ensures that Norman is still going to be contending with family drama moving forward. That may actually be the priority for him this season as he has to find a way to cope with everything that has happened while ensuring that his future looks brighter than it does at the moment.
