The reason Man Seeking Woman is such a critically underrated show is because of how accurate it continues to be on a weekly basis. The show has such a simple premise but fails to get old because it accurately handles tough situations and keeps the ideas fun by twisting in the surreal but comparable variables. Clever is really the best way to describe Man Seeking Woman, because it hits the nail on the head when it comes to relationships; Josh has had an extremely tough journey since season one, but the character has truly grown and learned throughout the series. There have definitely been a few missteps and backtracks, but overall, this show always recognizes the perfect angle to tackle the subject it wants to cover.
What else helps is the show continues to keep a fun-loving attitude and has the ability to communicate to viewers that, in most situations, there are actually two sides to every story. “Popcorn,” tackles that aspect very nicely by sending Josh and Lucy on a journey to her parent’s house, so Josh can officially meet them. Of course in this situation, Josh is going to be wanting to make a positive lasting impression on Lucy’s parents because he cares about her so much that he wants their approval. While the majority of people will always say something like, “it doesn’t matter if they like you, because I like you,” it doesn’t match up to the importance of earning the respect of parents. Yet, this is where Man Seeking Woman excels, because it’s very easy for someone in Josh’s position to be solely focused on leaving that impression and ignore when the parents are being rude and mean to their daughter.
For Lucy, she feels pressured and insecure around her parents because of her job. They clearly don’t understand or fully support what she does, but they won’t ignore their daughter. At this point, “Popcorn” really takes off because a lot unfolds but it really isn’t anyones fault. Lucy is miserable the entire time because she can hear the condescending tones her parents use with her when they talk about work and all of the questions about life that they harp on her about. It’s tough to see otherwise because it comes across as nagging when they are really just trying to make sure she’s surviving and on the right track with everything she needs to continue a stable lifestyle. It happens to everyone, but it’s nothing unusual, Lucy just has been dealing with a lot of it lately and is hitting her breaking point now that she is temporarily under the same roof as them.
The episode begins to frame the story as a horror, where Lucy is seeing and hearing things and feels trapped inside of the old place she grew up. Everything takes a turn for the worst when she feels as though Josh has betrayed her and essentially been mind controlled by her parents as well. “Popcorn” all of a sudden has Lucy looking like the insane one, when really she is going crazy and feels alone in the situation. Josh just currently has no ability to see the situation for what it really is because he wants to leave that lasting impression. It’s a really tough situation to be in because it only has Lucy feeling more and more divided from the one person she is closest with in a situation when she needs his support the most.
Man Seeking Woman just really understands relationships though and the balance that is required for them to be successful. In this situations, neither Lucy nor Josh are wrong for acting the way they do, and although both do go a little overboard, it’s not the end of the world. Lucy is just looking for Josh to stand by her side a little more than he has been, which isn’t an unreasonable request. As “Popcorn” closes out, Josh finally snaps out of his trance and realizes that he has been somewhat wrong the entire time. Lucy’s visible sadness suddenly cuts through Josh’s self need for approval from Lucy’s parents and he knows that she should come first. It’s moments like this in Man Seeking Woman that display just how strong the show is, because there are clear signs that Josh and Lucy truly are in love. “Popcorn,” never relies on it’s dialogue to completely move the plot along, but utilizes strong acting and genuine realness to clearly communicate the growth that Josh and Lucy have accomplished with their relationship.
Other Thoughts:
* What will Josh do….. he will never know how they saved Mr. Banks… tragic.
* This show is incredible for how balanced it is with these situations. It just tells honest stories each week and doesn’t try to get too crazy or over dramatic.
* Really really love the Where The Wild Things Are connection. Just another great reference for the show to pull from.
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