NOT DEAD YET: S2/E9/10 Two-parter review/recap.
Not Dead Yet has become one of my favorite shows, especially in the dramedy genre. Gina Rodriguez is always a force to be reckoned with, whether in dramas like “Awake” or the breakout comedy “Jane The Virgin”, her mannerisms and comedic timing are priceless.
BASED ON A BOOK.
Not Dead Yet is a live-action television series based on the book Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter, a book I think I might be adding to my Amazon list. Rodriguez stars as Nell Serrano, a determined and passionate journalist stuck writing local obituaries.
The twist? She doesn’t need much research to talk about their lives as their ghosts appear and meddle in her mortal business.
Not Dead Yet has an emotional two-parter with episodes nine and ten making the viewer question their views on life and parents. Where would we be without our dream jobs? Maybe some of us have not even found them yet, or maybe we focus so much on work that the idea of family becomes foreign.
IN WALKS THE SPIRIT OF A PAST EMPLOYEE.
Not Dead Yet introduces fast-talking Donna (Jenifer Lewis), a former editor of the Socal Independent where Nell works and is Serrano’s newest obituary subject. As usual, Nell’s interactions with the ghosts leave her looking like a crazy person talking to thin air (or herself) unless she has her earphones in.
Donna reminds me of a self-efficient Newsie, right down to her talks of her humble beginnings of starting as a news-boy. As the current owner of Socal decides to sell off the company for parts and put everyone’s jobs in jeopardy, Nell reluctantly seeks help from the ghost who tells her to butter up the interviewer, Quentin (Malcolm Barrett).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NELL!
The irony is that Rodriguez is portraying someone who is just turning thirty-nine in this episode and she looks decades younger in the show/reality. Perhaps a good skincare regimen?
It’s a little messy and it also holds a birthday night for Nell of drunken shenanigans and reminds us that even grown men can still suck their thumb and long for their mother. For Nell, this is a big step as she has been planning to freeze her eggs, which means alcohol is supposed to be off the table.
We also get a nice montage with on-again-off-again love interest TJ (Jesse Garcia) consisting of booze and arm wrestling, which is later seen again with Quentin, or Q-Dog as she tries to give him a nickname.
After a rather disappointing experience of trying to stand up (and failing) to her father, billionaire Duncan Rhodes (Brad Garrett) collapses, leaving his daughter Lexi (Lauren Ash) in shambles.
To be continued…
EPISODE 10.
With Mr. Rhodes in a state of limbo in surgery, his spirit comes to Nell with some damning advice to keep her job. Willing even more courage, she enters the interview with Donna’s proclaimed buzzard Quentin, physically making herself appear larger and more dominant. She sweeps out of the room with flying colors and strides out of the impromptu interview with power and satisfaction.
As Rhodes comes to after a successful surgery, Lexi finally admits that she likes running the Independent and finds herself finally independent. She is no longer the little girl who needs her father to plan things out for her as a fallback.
Draining her trust fund and using every penny Lexi has, she buys the magazine which secures everyone’s jobs. Her first idea? To make it the SoCool Independent. Unfortunately, this sounds unprofessional and ridiculous and she immediately comically calls to take down the billboards and advertisements plastered with her face.
We can’t help but wonder, what happened to Donna? Did we miss Nell write her obituary and send it off in the blink of an eye? Or did she take her advice and disappear?
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About the author: Katie Harden is a professionally repped New York-based/bi-coastal musical theater, entertainment journalist, and indie film actress. She is proudly part of the Actor’s Equity Association and frequently interviews colleagues, friends, and celebrities, along with reviewing television and movies. Find her at the bottom of a can of Arizona sweet tea or in the ocean!
Work: AMC, Showtime, HBO, The Emmy’s, The Walking Dead magazine, MGM, Universal, Sony Screen Gems, Fansided, Bloody Disgusting, and more.
INSTAGRAM: @KATIEHARDENOFFICIAL