Jean Milburn has never been perfect. A core aspect of the character is the tension between her professional and personal life; success in the former has taught her to think of herself as a voice of reason, but she can’t always apply those skills to her own life. In some cases, Jean’s expertise might even hinder her, blinding her to the fact that she needs help. She learned all the tools, so she thinks she can do it alone. But no one can.
We see this during a routine doctor’s appointment for baby Joy when Jean tries to downplay the symptoms of her postnatal depression and her doctor suggests looking into medication. But Jean swiftly declines, thinking she can get through this without meds because she already got through a period of depression ten years ago. This is a woman who has encouraged countless patients to consider medication and to think of anxiety and depression as illnesses to be treated just like any physical ailment. And yet she still thinks she’s above it.
It’s later that very same day when it finally clicks for Jean, for the first time this season, that she really does need help. What brings on the realization is an argument with Otis that feels brutal even for them. It’s easy to root against Otis when he gets snotty about her mistake in bringing O on to the radio show, especially because we’ve just witnessed Jean in her most private and vulnerable moments. But there have been quite a few times this season when Jean was too busy with Joy or too busy with work or too exhausted in general to really hang out and talk with her son. “Why are you suddenly acting like a parent?” might be uncalled for, but “You’re treating me like an adult, and I still need a mum” hurts.
It brings me back to one of the most tear-jerking moments from the season-three finale: when Otis tells his unconscious mother that he still needs her even if he pretends to be grown-up (“I can’t not have a mum”). When Jean picks up the phone now and makes an appointment with her doctor, it’s because she wants to be healthy and present in her son’s life, especially with him so close to leaving the nest. She needs to take care of herself to take care of her kids.
Also, Joanna is still around. I’ll acknowledge that the relationship between these sisters has grown on me, and there’s a believable intimacy to the scene during which Jean takes care of her while she throws up. But especially this late in the game, the prospect of spending time on Joanna’s money problems just doesn’t appeal much to me. Jean’s most important relationship on the show is with her son, and their scenes together remain her strongest.
Their unpleasant fight wouldn’t have happened without the multiple L’s Otis takes earlier that day, of course. The student-counselor debate begins with O mentioning the popularity of Otis’s father’s writing in men’s-rights groups, then reading an excerpt about how modern-day men are forced into unnatural, submissive roles. It’s kind of a ridiculous point she’s trying to make, especially because Jean is his mom and he was far more influenced by her than Remi. But I like that the show uses an unfair comparison to nonetheless highlight the fact that Otis can be sexist.
It’s still pretty satisfying, at first, to see Otis deploy the dirt Ruby managed to dig up on O: She ghosted several people she dated at Cavendish, including Aisha’s partner, PK. But it quickly backfires when she owns up to her mistakes and comes out as asexual. O is genuine when she admits that she ran away from her relationships because they got too intimate and she got overwhelmed. But it’s also exactly the type of moment that plays great during an election, especially at a place like Cavendish. O leaves with more support than ever while Otis gets “canceled.”
Maeve has had a bad day too — one that was spent arranging an intimate funeral for Erin. The discovery that her brother is using drugs again feels almost insulting after they both lost a parent to an overdose only days ago. She also receives shocking news from Aimee: She and Isaac like each other! On a normal day, I don’t think this would bother Maeve much, especially since she’s with Otis now. Her initial reaction, a few stunned bursts of laughter, is pretty funny and benign. But once the darkness starts to creep back in, it all begins to feel like too much to handle. She asks if they can talk about this another time, too overwhelmed to think about it for too long.
It’s clear that both Otis and Maeve need their first official date tonight to be great. Otis intends to go in with honesty and finally address the night he slept in Ruby’s bed, but Maeve requests he refrain from buzzkills, and he doesn’t seem to need much persuading. But it’s clear from Maeve choosing to steal a bottle of tequila that this is not a normal week, and not even she can pretend it is. The distractions she’s seeking out are temporary.
During Otis and Maeve’s date to see Brief Encounter, Joanna invites herself to join, having been stood up by Dan. (He got in a motorbike accident, which tracks.) It gives Maeve the perfect excuse to get drunk with her, putting Otis in an uncomfortable position. Eventually, they’re kicked out for throwing popcorn, and Maeve takes Otis to the abandoned Moordale Secondary School. In the empty swimming pool, Maeve tries to initiate sex, another poorly thought-out distraction from what she’s feeling (though this moment has been a long time coming). Otis, being Otis, can’t go through with it while the Ruby debacle is still hanging over his head, so he blurts out the truth at the worst moment. It’s at that point that they’re discovered by the cops and Otis is forced to call his mom. After three and a half seasons, this is when Jean and Maeve finally meet.
Maeve and Otis aren’t the only couple from Moordale out on the town that night. Cal and Aisha share a meaningful moment after Brief Encounter when Cal asks why Aisha didn’t request subtitles for the screening. Aisha explains that she doesn’t want to spend her life having awkward interactions with nondisabled people; it’s not worth it to make a fuss every time. Cal definitely relates to that: They tend to shut down after getting exhausted from explaining their identity to their mom. But they also remind Aisha that she has a right to ask for things. It’s a sweet sentiment.
Viv and Beau’s date, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. For one, Jackson is there; he tried to talk to his parents about meeting his sperm donor, but they weren’t receptive to the idea. It’s a kind gesture when Viv invites him to join them, but it also immediately makes Beau the third wheel. Eventually, he gets tired of the dynamic and walks out, leading Viv to once again assure him that she and Jackson are just friends.
The scene ends on a “happy” note with Viv and Beau admitting they’re falling for each other. But what lingers is the vague discomfort, the sense that Beau’s jealousy could become a problem in the future. His comment about not letting Jackson distract her is particularly eyebrow-raising, suggesting that Beau could turn out to be more controlling than we realized.
Maybe Beau trying to isolate Viv from Jackson is a sign that she should do the opposite; in many ways, she just found her dream guy, and she’s too wrapped up in that feeling to see the red flags the way her closest friend might. It’s like what Jean wisely said earlier: “Sometimes our loved ones can see us much more clearly than we see ourselves.” In the moment, she’s referring to both Celia and herself, but, really, the statement applies to everyone on this show. It’s through the people we love that we often come to understand who we are.
All the Good Things and the Bad Things That May Be
• “Is that the chile sauce?” “Yeah, peri-peri for the peri-perimenopause.”
• That exchange refers to the opening scene of Celia using chile oil to masturbate, only for her son to walk in on her spraying whipped cream down there to stop the burn. That horrifying incident makes Celia the unofficial “patient of the week,” though her later conversation with Jean focuses more on her embarrassment over discussing menopause.
• Michael wants to get back together with Maureen, but she’s opposed to it for the time being. It feels maybe a tad too reminiscent of where their story went near the end of season three, but I expect a different outcome this time.
• Adam’s journey from being terrified of horses to loving them continues apace, this time with Jem demonstrating how listening to a horse’s heartbeat can be soothing.
• It’s not fun to see Otis continue to get distracted by his own problems right when Eric is trying to open up to him, but at least the church is back on Eric’s good side for now. Pastor Samuel agrees to his offer to use Cavendish’s annual fundraiser to support the soup kitchen, but watching Hot Church Man sing in the choir seems to seal the deal. It’s a great moment visually, too, with Eric getting enveloped by light.
• I’ve always loved how often Maeve tries to convince Aimee she’s smart, so “Aimes, you are smart” was very cute.
