OK, I’ll admit it. The Big C and I went on a little break for a while. I often compare my relationships with TV shows to real, live relationships because I think it’s a funny analogy, but I don’t actually believe in “being on a break” in the real world. You’re either together or you’re not. End of story.
But in my exclusive little world of TV shows? Breaks galore! Sometimes you’re just not feeling a show, but that doesn’t mean you won’t want to come back to it later. So even though I’d grown bored of The Big C after a few episodes, I kept squirreling them away on my laptop for a rainy day. That rainy day came last week (probably because I ran out of Friday Night Lights DVDs and now have to wait for new ones to air) and I’ve got to tell you, this show picked up.
I can’t be the only one who got bored. Weren’t you sick of Cathy’s husband and kid being selfish and whiny? Weren’t you dying for Cathy to tell them the truth about her illness so that they’d feel really, really guilty and start treating her with respect? Yeah, me too. But then the episodes got good! Instead of bickering with her loser husband, Cathy hooked up with a hot artist. She told her brother she was dying of cancer and then pretended she was joking when she had an emotional break down. She had a great moment with her favorite student, Andrea, when she discovered Andrea had lied about living in the ghetto. Her husband threw her a hilarious surprise birthday party and her best friend came back in town. And she finally told her husband the truth.
Two things have made these past few episodes great.
- Guest stars. Idris Elba? Delicious. Gabourey Sidibe? Fantastic. I love the stuff between her and Cathy as well as the stuff between her and Adam. Cynthia Nixon? The perfect choice for Cathy’s long lost best friend!
- Relationships. Instead of focusing on Cathy doing wacky things like pretending to date her doctor or buying a car she can’t drive, the show is focusing more on her relationships. The early, wacky episodes were good but they couldn’t last forever. Cathy’s relationships with her friends, like Marlene and Rebecca, show a more normal side of Cathy. And lately Paul and Adam haven’t seemed, you know, horrible. And the episode where Cathy and her brother went to visit their dad was a great insight into their lives.
Monday night’s episode, the most recent to date, dealt with Paul’s reaction to the news. He was angry that Cathy hadn’t told him sooner. He did a lot of internet research about crazy “cures” like coffee enemas and bee sting therapy. And finally he was understanding. And he moved back in. I’ve never cared for Paul and I didn’t exactly want him and Cathy back together, but the way it played out felt right. The next hurdle will be telling Adam the truth, and I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to the remaining episodes this season. If you, like me, gave up on this show I’d encourage you to take a couple hours and give it a second shot.
