Alex and Valerie grapple with an unexpected death in the family, and put momentous life decisions on hold to go on a double date. Laura finds clarity in her love life.
Laura, now living at her father's house, invites her dad's girlfriend and her estranged grandparents to Thanksgiving dinner. The night ends with hurt feelings, slammed doors and broken dishes.
Dad comes to the house so he can die in peace. Valerie thinks about going back to Drew again. Alex tries to do what is best and Laura struggles with her decision to leave her "boyfriend".
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Title: Casual (2015–2018)
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A comedy series about a bachelor brother and his newly divorced sister living under one roof again. Together, they coach each other through the crazy world of dating while raising her teenage daughter.
Shows centered around dating are generally problematic because it's hard to empathize with the trials and tribulations of good-looking actors who have highly active sex lives.
This show got my attention in the first two episodes by bucking that trend in a manner I can buy. The protagonist, Valerie (arguably SNL's biggest firing mistake in history in Michaela Watkins) is an attractive divorcée in her late 30's with a sincere lack of confidence in herself. Sure, sex and dating are theoretically easy (her career is a successful psychiatrist proves that point) and obtainable for a woman who's willing to go out to a bar and take the first steps in propositioning a guy but if intimacy is a psychological problem, it can be more difficult in practice. Valerie's discomfort is just visceral which makes her lows relatable and will make her eventual highs (if she gets over her hang-ups) well-earned.
Her adult brother, Alex (Tommy Dewey), is equally filled with psychological hang-ups. He's been more successful in dating than his sister but he has a certain psychological distance from the whole thing. A good move on the show's part is to strip Alex of misogynist vibes: As a guy who wrote the algorithms of the dating site he's using, Alex simply feels that both men and women are overly predictable and that he's gamed the system. The pilot contains a double date (done in secret as Alex and Valerie are carpooling) which contains some relatable and truthful moments while also adding a whiff of comedy (lots of mileage to be mined out of Jill Latiano's fitness freak).
The relationship between Alex and Valerie is one of the stronger sibling portrayals on television at the moment.
Like many Jason Reitman films, this is a film with a blurred line between comedy and drama which isn't so bad considering the show portrays truth to it. One of the few shows centering on romance that's worth watching.
In the pilot episode, he condescendingly a woman for whom dating and sex isn't easy