'The Larkins' Episode 5 Recap: "In Which Ma's Sister Bertha Comes to Visit"

The basic concept of this week's episode of The Larkins is simple. Ma's sister Bertha - who is, naturally, her complete opposite in virtually every conceivable way - comes to visit the farm and friction ensues. And, as such things go, it's fine. I mean, there's a fully ridiculous car chase around the outskirts of the Larkin property that comes about almost solely because Ma gets tired of hearing her sister and brother-in-law go on about their fancy new Jaguar.

But, unfortunately, it ends up being an example of the limits of this show's cozy worldview. (Or at least how annoying it can become when it tries to be about anything other than a cozy worldview.) And that's because The Larkins seems utterly incapable of presenting an opinion or life choice that runs contrary to the family's love of their bucolic small-town lifestyle as anything other than a mistake. This is part and parcel of the show's reluctance to look too closely at the difficulties that should naturally be part of the way the family chooses to live, a sort of dark twin to its inability to admit that Pa's kindly grifting should in no way be able to keep food on the table for all of them.

Whether it's Bertha and her family's dislike of the outdoors, Hot Tom's campaign to bring more modern businesses and accommodations to Littlechurch, or Mariette's longing to see the world, The Larkins seems loath to acknowledge that anyone might want something different than they've already got or that change can - and often is - a good thing. (Would it be in this instance? I'm not sure. But no one seems to be interested in even contemplating that it might.)