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Inside the Episode
With Executive Producer Cynthia Mort
I like the ending of this episode, it's very intense, Carolyn stopping this journey. It's not just another failed pregnancy test, it's everything they've gone through. It's all about failure. She hasn't failed at many things, and yet she's failing at this over and over again. It's a hard thing for her to deal with – for both of them to deal with. Getting their hopes up and not getting what they want has come close to destroying them.
It's starting to become clear that it's not so tough for Palek; He's along for the ride, but he's not as invested. He's more aware of the toll that it's taking on them. Infertility is a devastating journey for any couple, but I think that Palek is more willing to let go than Carolyn is. He sees the damage it's causing. At some point you have to say, is it worth it? And that's what Palek's doing.
Dave on the Couch
Dave had made some kind of peace with his and Katie's situation, in his way he was happy. When Katie brought it out, and they went to therapy, I think in some ways Dave was more aware of what's about to happen. His dread is not "I don't want to be here," but "I don't want to face what's coming."
There are some very rough times ahead for them, they say many of the things they never wanted to say. They could have lived the next 30 years in this state of not confronting, and they could have been happy. They love their kids. They love their life. They love each other.
I think as the show goes on and into season two, Dave is going to do what a lot of men are capable of doing, which is saying: OK, this is the situation; this is where we are, and let's move forward. And that is going to create some conflicts.
Storytime: Better Than Sex?
That moment with Katie and Dave in bed with Josh was a beautiful, intimate moment – every bit as valuable as Katie and Dave together in bed, post-sex. I don't think people want to confront that, but it's true.
Jamie's Confession
Early on, when it seemed like Jamie would never give Hugo a break, it was really her own bullshit coming out, because she knows that she loves him, and she knows that she has not been monogamous. So that has been a big part of her reaction to Hugo.
...And Her Back and Forth
There's a lot of push/pull with Jamie. But I think that's somewhat common in women and in men. Jamie could have been Katie ten or 12 years ago or Carolyn seven or eight years ago. But when she's at the park, when Nick says he's going to take a shower, she doesn't like it that he can leave her. And she's torn. And then she calls him. And then she's like, never mind. She can't quite figure out her next move. Because she is smart and she is in therapy and she realizes that she can't just f**k this guy and feel good. Because she doesn't feel good. Because she loves Hugo.
When she's back at the apartment with Nick, it's: You pick a song, no I'll pick a song. I'll go, no stay. It's push/pull. And then she ends up losing this battle and having sex with him, but then maybe there's something to that. Then later on the couch, they're going to have sex again and she says I can't. And he's smart enough to understand it, and I think that affects her, in a good way.
The Beggar
Basically all of the end songs are just a list of some of my all-time favorite songs. And that Mos Def song, The Beggar, I just think is amazing for so many reasons. But it's really Palek and Dave's song to Carolyn and Katie -- it's the guys' song to them and what they're going through. And that they love them.
There is something about Mos Def that really works for me. It's just about love, that song. It's about Carolyn giving up, and Palek watching her, and Palek loving her. Dave loving his wife for the kind of mother she is.
Viewer Questions
Question
I was wondering if there is any subtext in Palek buying the suits? Maybe it will be unveiled in the future, but I couldn't figure out the meaning of him impulsively stopping into the store for the purchase.
--tvreluctant
CM:
Palek needs to get out of this place that Carolyn has put them. And he goes shopping, which everyone thinks women do, but men do all the time. He sees himself in that suit, more importantly, he sees himself through the salesgirl's eyes. It's a different view of himself. And he likes it. So when he says, "I'll take the other one, too." That's just: f**k it, I need this. So the symbolism is not really in the suit. It's in how he sees himself and how she sees him. And that's what we all do when we have to break out of whatever bullshit we're in. We seek out a different view.
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