Wednesday, February 27, 2019

REVIEW: 'I'm Sorry' - Andrea Tries to Give Mike the Roll Playing Experience He's Always Wanted in 'Sophie's Choice'

TruTV's I'm Sorry - Episode 2.08 "Sophie's Choice"

Andrea tries to get her friend Jennifer to open up about her divorce, and Andrea and Mike explore new territory in their relationship.





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. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of TruTV's I'm Sorry.

"Sophie's Choice" was written by Andrea Savage and directed by Stephanie Laing

It makes perfect sense that Andrea would be bad at role playing in the bedroom. It's actually surprising that she thinks she would be good at it. In the end, she is only able to please Mike in that way because she has the backstory of an encounter that can be pleasurable to both of them. Outside of that though, she always has to turn everything into a bit or a joke. That's simply the way that she copes with the world. As Jennifer points out here, Andrea has a fear of being vulnerable. That is perfectly on display in the opening scene in which Andrea and Mike are watching a movie with Sharon and Leon in which there is an intimate and graphic sex scene. She wakes her mother up to make sure that she is witnessing all of this as well. That way it becomes less about sitting in the awkwardness of watching this scene with Leon. It then becomes about Sharon's reaction and Andrea making fun at her mother's expense. That's the way that she always deals with awkward situations or high-stress moments. She wants to do right by her family and friends. She has many supportive individuals who understand and love her sense of humor as well. But the show has also pointed out that it is not always appropriate. In fact, it mostly gets her into trouble because she just says whatever she is thinking with no consideration for people who may just be trying to do their jobs and don't care for her antics. Here, Mike knows the woman he has married. He understands that she struggles with role play. He has tried to initiate it in the past and she always started making fun of the scenario. That's exactly what occurs here with the bunker suggestion. Andrea simply can't get into character. She wants to know why two people would think this is a good idea. And yet, she is thinking too much about the specifics without making it an enjoyable time for her husband. She is able to succeed not by doing anything more elaborate or inappropriate. She is simply willing to commit to the role play without having any kind of disdain or criticism for it. Sure, it still doesn't ultimately work out for Mike. The smoke alarm goes off right as things were getting hot and heavy between them. That allows Andrea to go right back into the woman who makes fun about the perfect comedic timing of this new device they have installed in their home. It's absolutely terrifying. But she can immediately laugh about it as well. That's not something that Mike is capable of doing. She is still willing to support him and be with him during these awkward moments though. That too is a consistent character trait for her. She frequently doesn't know what the best thing to do is. She doesn't know how to help Jennifer navigate through her divorce. She hopes Sharon can offer some insight considering she has done it twice. And yet, it's just the bland advice of going out on dates again. That's not helpful to this situation. In fact, the flower arranging class only ends in tears because Jennifer breaks down there. But Andrea remains supportive. Sure, she isn't able to stand up to Scott and tell him off because of his horrible behavior. She's still surprisingly pleasant in that moment. But she also keeps doing activities with Jennifer in the hopes that something will ignite a spark within her once more. Doing escape rooms and taking a flower arranging class aren't right fits. But a cooking class is exactly that even though it's defined by the couple next to them getting into an epic fight. Jennifer even contributes to it as well. That's so shocking. For once, Andrea isn't the one creating a scene. It's still empowering for Jennifer though. No one knows if she will have sex with this married guy. But at least it's an offer that may get the ball rolling on a more productive future for her.