It's a Week of Firsts on 'Funny Woman's Third Episode
This week on Funny Woman, a slew of firsts for Sophie: her first live recording of a sitcom before a live studio audience (an episode that then airs on tv! And is approved for an entire six-episode run!), first tampon use, first chat show appearance and groovy nightclub visit, first prominent magazine profile, first deli visit and purchase, aaaaand first ill-advised falling for a costar. Look, these experiences can’t all be winners, but they’re all happening against the backdrops of her dad being the best, her coworkers adoring her, and her friendship with Diane continuing to develop, which is pretty great.
The scenes where the Jim and Barbara team work together are my favorites. I love the shagginess around the edges that come from seeing creative work in progress (a bit of meta-ness that suggests some on-set improvisation of Funny Woman as well as Jim and Barbara), and while those very broad, slapsticky jokes wouldn’t fly on a sitcom now, it’s easy to see how effective they are at both being very silly and meeting Dennis, Tony, and Bill’s goal of smuggling in more progressive commentary on gender, class, and sexuality. On shooting night, there are some bumps along the way – Sophie’s period arrives a week or two early, necessitating a wardrobe change and a quick lesson on tampon insertion, and she bumps into a camera, sending Bert into a fit of rage — but none of that matters, because the pilot is enough of a hit with both its studio and broadcast audiences that Ted Sargeant approves a full 6-episode run.
Barbara races back to Blackpool after shooting the pilot to be with her Dad and Auntie Marie. He’s newly home from the hospital following his stroke and on the mend, but there’s no medicine like fully justified fatherly pride. Seeing Barbara do her thing in prime time is a balm for his soul, and even Auntie Marie, who respectfully donned a fancy hat for the special viewing occasion, allows that it was good, although she’s “not sure about all the kissing & cuddling at the end.” That’s the nicest thing she’s said to Barbara so far – I’ll take it!
