Once again, Dead to Me takes a beat to remind viewers that the world doesn’t turn around Jen Harding and Judy Hale, exploring tragedy via characters that barely enter their orbit. Last episode, it was the heartbreaking grief that still haunts Yolanda, a member of the support group that dominated in the early episodes. This episode, it’s Nurse Francine, played by the great TV character actress Lee Garlington, who has been accumulating credits for four decades. Francine is a sweet, supportive person in Judy’s life for the three months that she’s undergoing chemo treatment — and then she’s just gone. She dies of a massive heart attack just before Judy’s last treatment. What does this mean narratively? Is it just another dose of the universe’s twisted sense of humor? Another reminder that we can’t control fate? In very different ways, Jen and Judy try to control their fate — Jen through practical means and Judy through emotional ones like the power of positive thinking. But sometimes it doesn’t matter. And maybe Jen and Judy will learn that as Dead to Me comes to an end of its own.
Before then, Jen is in her usual action mode, doing what it takes to help Judy through her cancer treatment. Judy wants a balance of holistic, natural healing and the medical processes needed to save her life. She’s also thinking about the fact that after chemo, she will likely be due for menopause, and the window of her being able to have children of her own will close forever. Remember that was a major plot of season one, with Judy’s desire for a child with Steve shaping that abusive relationship.
At the station, Nick drops a wooden bird on Perez’s death and it’s like she sees a ghost. In a move that feels a bit convenient but can be forgiven because there’s so little time left on this show, Nick has already matched the photo of the chunk of wood pulled from Steve’s skull to the bird he gave back to Ben. He’s sure it’s what killed Steve, but he’s connecting it to Judy more than Jen. He thinks Jen has something to do with it, but suspects Judy more. Perez stutters her way through trying to throw him off, saying she will take it to Moranis before ordering Nick to get back on the hit-and-run case.
As they work on Judy’s “cance†at the hospital, Jen confronts memories of her mother, including a flashback prompted by the sight of a young daughter caring for her sick mother. Francine talks to Judy about fate and partners coming together as Perez keeps trying to call and get Jen’s attention. But Jen has bigger things to worry about right now. A show that’s always been pretty tight in terms of timeline — we’re really not far from the accident that ended last season — goes the montage route to zip through Judy’s chemo. Set to “Mama Said,†by the Shirelles, it marks time by showing Jen making the paper cranes for Henry while sitting by Judy’s side during treatments. Perez has been trying to stall the investigation — and it must have worked, given the weeks that pass during this montage — but Jen and Judy are more focused on getting Judy healthy right now. There’s an important beat right after Judy reveals her regret about not having kids to Francine, saying, “I didn’t get chosen.†Francine responds, “Maybe you got chosen for something else.â€
Perez and Jen finally meet up, and Jen learns about the bird that Perez is supposed to have given to Moranis long ago. Jen starts crying. As she reveals Judy’s diagnosis and treatment, it almost seems like she’s willing to give up on the cover-up. What if the emotional toll of Judy’s disease is just too much for Jen to keep lying about what happened to Steve?
Judy also breaks emotionally after learning about Francine’s heart attack. “Everything is random and meaningless,†she yells. “Nothing matters!†She’s gone from denial to acceptance to anger. Despite all the necklaces and amethysts that people like Judy use to try to shape their destiny, the randomness of life has always been a theme of Dead to Me.
And then Judy and Jen take mushrooms! The ladies get goofy with balloons and spatulas for a bit, and after that wears off, they get emotionally intense as Jen worries she fucked up her kids and Judy wishes Jen were her mom. These are two people damaged by their mothers — one dead, one a criminal — in very different ways.
Then the trip goes bad, as Jen has a vision of her sick mother in the mirror. She wants to go to the hospital, and Charlie is going to take her there. Wait, but who’s taking care of Judy? Poor Henry has to help her through her trip, but it’s another chance for a sweet moment when the darling kid calls Judy his “other mom.†Maybe that’s the fate that was chosen for Judy Hale.
There are two more fateful twists this episode. First, Nick is going through the CCTV footage when he sees Charlie behind the wheel of Ben’s beat-up car. He drops a “Holy shit,†and Jen could say the same when she hears from the doc that the heartbeat she thinks is her own is actually that of the baby in her womb. Holy shit, indeed.
Extra Counseling
• Jen tells Henry, “Don’t you ever say moist in this house,†a reminder of everyone’s least-favorite word. There are actual studies as to why people hate this word. Here’s an interesting article about it.
• Lee Garlington! She’s been in dozens of movies and shows since the ’80s, appearing recently in The Magicians, Longmire, The Killing, and Psych. It’s always nice to see a familiar face like hers.
• Four episodes left! Will Judy’s chemo work? Will Jen have another baby? Will Nick arrest Ben? And can these characters get to the beach dream that opened the season with the truth about Steve’s death still a secret?