When Zach sells Giztoob for big bucks, Kimmy celebrates! Jacqueline hustles to keep Tripp as a client. Titus learns a secret about "Cats."
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. Premieres and finales may feature longer reviews. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
"Kimmy Is Rich*!" was written by Meredith Scardino & Evan Waite and directed by Todd Holland
Kimmy has worked at Giztoob throughout this final season despite not knowing what the company actually does. The show has followed the same philosophy. It was much more interested in exploring how Kimmy would act in a typical office setting. She was in charge of her own department but still created many problems in this unique environment. That was the focus of this story throughout the season. She was adjusting to being a semi-functional adult. Sure, the show still had a lot of fun in this setting especially when it came to C.H.E.R.Y./L. And now, the show is hoping to add one sinister twist on all of this to prove that it was truly about something much larger all along. That doesn't totally work. Throughout the series run, the show has always been so smart about exploring and exposing the various eccentricities of modern technological life. It has done so while also pointing out just how inept and naive the main characters are at dealing with them. Sure, they love having a robot working at the office who appears to have a real personality. However, that's revealed to be a complete hoax here. She has just been applied with the Giztoob algorithm to be whatever the person she's interacting with needs her to be. As such, she is an alcoholic who desperately needs saving around Kimmy because that's the type of personality the data-mining says Kimmy thrives around. That's very simplistic while also trying to provide a sinister take on the real-world horrors of the Internet. Zach has absolutely no problem selling the private data of his users to big companies in order to make a profit. He is willing to sell the company in order to become a millionaire. Kimmy is the only person who has moral objections to all of this. But again, it feels like too little too late for it to be all that effective as a story. It's a way to close things out for Kimmy right now as she hopes to advance to the next stage of her career. That includes actually selling her book and hopefully changing the world as a result. She has no problem using the Giztoob algorithm when it comes to helping her achieve this goal though. As such, the show is basically saying that this is fine so long as a person can make it beneficial to themselves in some way. That's not really a great message and it leads to a pretty derailed main story here. It comes at a time when all of the characters are seemingly finding success in their lives. Titus actually joins the cast of a Broadway show. Sure, it's absolutely outrageous that the ensemble for Cats is just made up of actors who figure out that they just have to wear a costume and make it onto the stage singing gibberish in order to join. There is no plot whatsoever. It's still a successful show that continues to sell out audiences. As such, this could be the big break that Titus has been wanting for so long until he gets thrown out. He created this opportunity without Jacqueline's help. She was too focused on her other clients. That includes trying to poach Greg Kinnear away from her new rival in this business. She too is more than happy to use the Giztoob nerds to her advantage. She is also motivated out of selfish interests. That has always been a core part of the character's identity though. And now, she too succeeds. That does feel earned even though it leaves everyone in a compromising position. Plus, the episode concludes with the idea that Lillian, Kimmy and Titus' home could be destroyed. That's one way to set up a series finale. It should be interesting to see what the outcome of all of this is going to be.
