Through season 3 of Man Seeking Woman, Josh has been in completely unfamiliar territory when it comes to his relationship with Lucy. Although the show has seen Josh cycle through various girlfriend types in the past seasons, Lucy is the only legitimate long-term relationship that the character has been involved with that has a legitimate, positive outlook. As mentioned in previous reviews, a lot of the struggle for Josh and Lucy is going to be finding out the best balance that works for them. Serious relationships become complicated pretty quickly, but if couples can make it through some tough times or situations, it will only make them stronger and more comfortable in the long-run.
One of the biggest adjustments with a serious relationship is the balance of schedules. It gets really tough when one of the people has more going on than the other, especially with topics like work. “Shrimp,” takes a look at how Josh handles tagging along to all of Lucy’s work events and continues to expand on different areas where the couple needs to get on the same page. “Shrimp” becomes almost the reverse of last week’s episode, “Popcorn,” where one member of the relationship feels forgotten and alone when they shouldn’t be. While viewers experienced what it was like for Lucy to feel insecure and distant from Josh as he tried to buddy up with her parents, now Josh finds himself in the same type of a position. Lucy’s new job has taken off and she is finally getting to do what she loves with success. It’s a new and exciting world for her, and one that she really wants to make an impression in. It’s completely understandable as she adjusts to having a new job that requires the majority of her attention; but with that is going to come some sacrifice. In this case, it is the amount of attention she can give Josh.
For Josh, he begins to immediately feel ignored and insignificant because he doesn’t have a good job and is not as financially stable and Lucy now is. It’s tough because no matter what it will put an immediate bruise onto his ego, but then feeling neglected will only amplify his feelings. The initial corporate party is a tough situation because Josh, as a good boyfriend, really does have to suck it up and at least let his girlfriend shine for these first couple of events. Despite it being awkward and everyone knowing Josh is out of his element, Lucy didn’t even have to incorporate him into joining her, but it shows that she does truly want him there for comfort. There will always be pretentious people at foreign work events, but Josh just needs to not let it get to him and recognize that he’s doing this for Lucy, not himself.
What doesn’t help is Josh’s uncertainty in how to handle the situation, because the character recognizes that he can’t overstep on this topic but also has reasonable concerns of his own. This is why Man Seeking Woman is so well-done and well-planned; because of the representation of the relationship at it’s most complicated points. Lucy is a little blind right now similarly to Josh in “Popcorn,” where she’s caught up in trying to make a lasting impression that she ignores the reality of certain situations. Josh’s financial insecurity pops up when Lucy wants to attend the dinner with her co-workers at a super expensive restaurant. Josh is smart enough and respectful enough to not assume or outright ask for Lucy to cover his portion of the bill, but it’s also unfair to allow money to block her from attending the dinner with him. It gets pretty bad when Josh makes a scene by worrying about the cost of the check and how much he will owe, because he looses sight that he is representing both himself and his girlfriend in this situation. It stings even more when Lucy tells him she will cover it, but is already completely embarrassed.
In the end, the two are able to work it out and explain their sides, which is what caring couples have and want to do. It gets very nerve wracking when one person has to be financially cautious and others either don’t understand it or don’t consider the full situation. Once again, Josh finds himself in a situation where he acts a little selfishly, but his concerns are understandable ones to have. Despite Lucy not being wrong either, the two just need to maintain communication and be up front about their situations. Josh isn’t experienced with long-term relationships, so he just isn’t used to always having someone who has his back. Between the party and the dinner, Josh really does feel like a shrimp compared to everyone else around him, ignored because there are a plethora of bigger fish surrounding him. Lucy loves him though, and eventually that should become enough to make Josh feel confident, secure and happy.
Other Thoughts:
* I love Mike’s immediate willingness to go to the restaurant because it has $$$$ on Yelp. It gets even better when he dodges paying.
* The sixth sense kid was amazing…. “He says he’s a masseuse, but he’s probably just giving handys!”
* The oncoming hurricane comparison to anticipating the cost of the bill is another great connection for the show to make.
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