Stuff You Should Be Watching: Grace and Frankie

Grace and Frankie posterNB: It’s Flashback Friday! Elyse talked about her love for the “wonderfully creepy” The Kettering Incident on Stuff You Should Be Watching. However, if you want something with a bit more levity, Redheadedgirl recommends Grace and Frankie. This post was originally published May 6, 2016.

One of the great things that has happened as a result of the Netflix Revolution in Original programming is that shows that would never have made it past the “So I have an idea…” stage in a network (broadcast or cable) gets a home. This is totally one of those shows.

The premise is this: Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) are married to two lawyers (Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, respectively) who are partners in law, and over the past twenty years, the two husbands have fallen in love with each other. This show is what happens after that announcement and how everyone learns to live with the new normal.

It’s HILARIOUS.

First off, we knew that Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda were gifted comedic actresses, and we knew that Martin Sheen is no slouch. For those of us who have only seen Sam Waterston in Law & Order (and some financial investment product commercial), we didn’t know that he could be funny.  Watching these four play off of each other is a true gift, and the show surrounds all of them with supporting actors who know how to play ball.

There’s a bunch of interesting dynamics at work. For one thing, the show doesn’t paint anyone in the lead foursome as the villain. Sol and Robert are finally being themselves after hiding their relationship for years, but their choices result in a lot of pain, not just for Grace and Frankie, but for their adult children. Grace and Frankie are not cast as pious martyrs, but as women who suddenly got a pile of shit they didn’t see coming. They get to be hurt, petty, and angry, and go through a whole range of emotions.

So, yes, while there’s relief and happiness on the part of Robert and Sol, this show is a depiction of the first law of thermodynamics: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Robert says in the pilot episode, “I’m done feeling guilty about who I am.” Which sure, that’s fine, but you can feel a bit guilty about the pain your actions and choices have caused the woman you shared your life with, and your daughters, and your partner’s wife and sons. There’s a way to be a person, Robert.

Robert: I honestly thought you’d be relieved.
Grace: Relieved? Really? I think relief is what you’re feeling. I’m feeling like the last forty years have been a fraud.
Robert: Now come on, only the last twenty years were a fraud…. That’s a joke.
Grace: No, you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to pretend that this is nothing.
Robert: No. You’re right. It is not nothing. And I should have told you a long time ago. But let’s be honest. Were you ever really happy with me?
Grace: I was happy enough. So we didn’t have the romance of the century. But I thought we were normal. I thought we were like everybody else. I thought this was life.
Robert: And I thought there was more.
Grace: Would have been easier if you’d died.

Gracie and Frankie are also a classic Odd Couple: Grace was the founder and CEO of a beauty products company (now run by her daughter) and Frankie is a classic hippie lady with a stash of peyote in the freezer, an art studio, and a whole host of various other cultural appropriations.

Grace hates Frankie; Frankie likes Grace in the way she likes all people. But circumstances result in the two of them living in the beach house that the four of them bought as a joint purchase (it was a “business decision” and also a little bit of a love nest for Robert and Sol). Watching them by turns annoy and support each other is a treat, until they look up and realize they’re a team… and annoying and supporting each other is something they’ll be doing the rest of their lives.

  

  

The writing is sharp and funny: the showrunner, Marta Kauffman, was one of the co-creators of Friends (which had it’s moments) (PIVOT).

Frankie: What brand would you smoke if your husband turned out to be gay?
Clerk: Uh, Newports?
Frankie: For 20 years?
Clerk: Lucky’s.

This show also gives two of our finest acting stateswomen the lead in their show (according to Lily, her agent called her up and asked if she and Jane were interested in doing a project together, and she said “Well, we are now”) which we all know are few and far between. They go through feeling irrelevant and invisible, dating as an older woman, and how to manage a divorce when your ex-husband is a divorce attorney.  They have a ridiculous amount of fun, and it’s so much fun to watch.

Season 2 drops on Netflix on May 6th, and you’ve got time to catch up.

Have you watched Grace & Frankie? Are you tuning in for the new season? What’s your take?

Comments are Closed

  1. Diane says:

    I loved this show & am so glad we get another season. Great opportunity to see some wonderful actors in a very funny comedy.

  2. Darlynne says:

    The best show by far, all the things you said above. What a great vehicle for these four actors, especially that they’re the same age, that it’s not a “left for a younger partner” story. I love watching the evolution of Frankie and Grace’s relationship and how everyone, including their grown children, must navigate the new reality. Plus, I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard.

  3. Heather T says:

    I initially didn’t gel with any of the characters, but I kept watching because Lily Tomlin. It grew on me and became a must-watch. May 6 you say?

  4. Zee says:

    This show sounds hilarious.

    Unrelated quibble: the first law of thermodynamics is conservation of energy; equal and opposite reaction is Newton’s third law.

  5. alyce says:

    Loved season one. Told my friends about it too. Thanks for the update. Liking forward to season 2.

  6. Karenmc says:

    That single line about the sand made the entire first season for me. Did NOT see it coming.

  7. Meg says:

    I am so on board for Season 2! This series is hilarious and heart-breaking. And as an older woman (56) going through a divorce that should have happened a LONG time ago, the show hits me in some really tender spots. I’m scheduling a binge-watch day right now!

  8. Molly says:

    I love this show SOOOOOO MUCH. My only quibble with the above trailer is that it shows Lily Tomlin’s comic genius but severely neglects Jane Fonda’s. (I think my single favorite line of the first season was “If anyone’s going to sit on Ryan Gosling’s face IT’S GOING TO BE ME!” Laughed for days.)

    Bring on Season 2!

  9. mel burns says:

    I just picked this up at the library!

    Thanks for the review.

  10. giddypony says:

    10 million times better than Transparent.

  11. elaanfaun says:

    I have been waiting for this to premiere it seems forever. It’s my West Wing-Law & Order fantasy show!

  12. JenM says:

    Thank you so much for bringing this show to my attention. I don’t watch much TV so I’m not up on all of the current shows. I binged on half of season 1 last night and will finish the rest this weekend. Jane and Lily are an absolute joy to watch.

  13. Germaine says:

    I loved the idea for this show, and Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, and Sam Waterston are terrific. It’s Jane Fonda that’s the problem. She’s wooden and completely sold on herself. It’s as if she really believes, “I’m Jane Fonda. I don’t have to do anything but walk across the screen. My botoxed face and iron hair-do will do all the work for me.” I watched three episodes and gave up. Even Lily Tomlin couldn’t redeem this mess for me. I can’t believe they made a second season.

  14. elaanfaun says:

    Season 2 Epi 2

    Frankie “Take a spoon so I know you’re cool.”

  15. SusanH says:

    I think the most amazing thing about this show for me was that, not only did Grace and Frankie get to date, they frequently dated younger men. While the characters they dated may have been meant to be the same age as the women, the actors were frequently younger then Tomlin and Fonda. After all these years of men pushing 60 being cast with women who are barely 30, I found that unbelievably refreshing.

    I didn’t find the show quite as funny as I thought it might be, but Lily Tomlin carried me through every episode. I liked the complexity of the relationships and characters, who were far more layered than most sitcom characters. I might have watched several episodes just to drool over the homes. That beach house is amazing.

  16. Julie says:

    I love this show. I hope for more episodes. The acting is tremendous and the two lead actresses get to express emotions that their generation is told should be suppressed at all costs.

    They’re not having it. Neither should any other woman.

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