Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce - "Rule 47: Always Take Advantage of "Me" Time" Retrospective. Pity Party.

Season 1, Episode 3

Air date: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 10/9c on Bravo

Rating: ★★★★★

“You lost your street cred in the mommy wars.” – Missy

Girlfriends always know how to cheer up a friend who’s down.

With Abby (Lisa Edelstein) and Jake (Paul Adelstein) headed for divorce court, they need to learn how to deal with their children, as well as the obvious fallout from such a drastic move. Getting divorced is never easy for anyone, especially the kids. Although young son Charlie (Dylan Schombling) throws one hell of a temper tantrum, daughter Lilly (Conner Dwelly) seems to be taking her parents’ separation the hardest. Then again, what teenager doesn’t when they have to change their plans to be with the displaced parent? All Jake wants is a great night with his kids at his new place, while Abby spends her evening having a pity party—until her friends Lyla (Janeane Garofalo) and Phoebe (Beau Garrett) show up.

Life Is About to Change

Jake and Abby try their best to get along but it’s easier said than done.

After Abby’s meltdown on national TV last week, the sales of her Girlfriends’ Guide books are way down, or as Abby’s editor Melissa (Shannon Chan-Kent), aka Missy, puts it, “On Amazon, you’re selling just below “Why Cats Paint.” I wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off Missy’s face when she tells Abby what “the team” came up with for her. It’s not exactly a topic Abby wants to write about but a girl’s gotta go what a girl’s gotta do. It’s not easy, though, to write about a stage of life you don’t have intimate knowledge of. This scenario sets up the basis for this week’s installment of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce (GG2D), “Rule 47: Take Advantage of “Me” Time” (“Rule 47”). Not only does Abby have to deal with her life crumbling around her, she must come to terms with the fact that Jake has moved on.

Learning How to Be a Divorced Dad

Jake has some pretty strange characters for neighbors at his new apartment complex. Living next door to him is a very loud couple who think nothing of running their lines for acting class so all can hear. Then, there’s Nick (Artine Brown); he professes to be the resident drug dealer—“cocaine, Cialis®,” etc. What a choice! Like all separated fathers, Jake is doing his best to provide all the creature comforts of home although I don’t think it’s necessary to replicate everything the kids have at Abby’s house. Having been through a divorce or two of my own, I know it’s not the material things that count when it comes to your children; it’s spending quality time together. Jake better get a handle on his TV star girlfriend Becca Riley (Julianna Guill), though. Jake and Abby agree the kids shouldn’t meet any of their parents’ dates just yet but I know Jake won’t stick to his part of the bargain, especially after Lilly insists on meeting Becca. Too often, parents make the mistake of giving into their kids out of guilt, or just to shut them up, which is what Jake does. He has a long way to go until he learns what being a divorced dad is all about.

Funny Moments

I wouldn’t mind partying with these ladies. Check out those outfits!

Watching Abby trying to come up with a title for her new book during “me time” is comical, although when she’s dancing around in her underwear, wine glass in hand, it is downright funny. To say nothing of how humorous it is watching Abby mark up her nearly naked, perfect body with a black sharpie the way a plastic surgeon would! But “me time” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when Abby starts sobbing while watching Bridget Jones’ Diary, and then tries to fix the broken window Jake didn’t fix before leaving. The situation Abby finds herself in is absolutely ridic! I think my biggest laugh in “Rule 47” comes from what’s inside the gift basket Phoebe sends Abby. Did you get a load of the size of that thing?! And it lights up! Then there’s the trip Abby, Lyla, and Phoebe—all stoned, by the way—take to Hollywood to replace the poster of Becca that hangs on Lilly’s bedroom wall after Abby defaces it.

Getting Involved

Deila comes through with a new poster of Becca.

Deila (Necar Zadegan) comes through with a new poster of Becca.

Abby isn’t the only one trying to have some quality ‘me time.’ Max and his husband Ford (J. August Richards) are out having a lovely dinner when a phone call from Jake interrupts them. Ford gives Max some good advice – “Look, right now, everyone is really raw. Nothing good can come from getting involved in this, not for Jake, not for your sister, not for you.” Jake may have been Max’s friend first, but it’s Max’s sister we’re talking about here. You don’t side with your sister’s soon-to-be ex! That’s the problem with divorce—who gets the friends, and in this case, the family?

What a “hypocrite” Ford turns out to be! He doesn’t want Max to get involved in Abby and Jake’s problems but it’s OK if it means he gets to meet Becca. Talk about star struck! Jake is going to be in deep doo-doo when Abby sees the photo Lilly posts on Instagram, which is why he and Max start concocting stories about how they all came together at the bowling alley by chance. Yeah, right; like Abby is going to buy any story they come up with!

Neener, neener, neener

I am such a fan of the way creator/writer Marti Noxon infuses subtle humor into “Rule 47.” In the morning when the kids return home, Abby confronts Jake about their agreement not to introduce “significant others to the kids until they become significant.” So when young Charlie starts running around the house with Abby’s new toy, or “cool light sabre” as he calls it, Jake immediately retorts, “I thought we weren’t going to introduce the kids to significant others.” Ouch!

Additional Thoughts

Garofalo never dials in her performance. The way Lilly tells off Principal Vicky Barrows (Carmen Moore) for chastising her about sending her nanny Juanita (Maria J. Cruz) to school for story time instead of being there herself is just perfect. I wanted to stand up and cheer for every “working mother.” Lilly doesn’t mince words. She is so much stronger than her ex-husband Dan (Michael Weaver), who just sits there like a lump.

Kids can be so mean to their parents when they don’t get their way. Lilly says some terribly hurtful things to Abby, and although I understand the pain Lilly is experiencing, she needs to remember who the parent is.

Overall

“Rule 47: Take Advantage of “Me” Time” is another hilarious episode of GG2D. Although, Noxon certainly is an expert at knowing exactly when and how to utilize the episode’s more serious moments to her advantage. I can’t wait to see where GG2D takes us next. Will Jake and Becca stay together? Will Abby conquer the topic of “menopause?” Will they both learn how to handle their kids?

What did you think of “Rule 47 Take Advantage of “Me” Time?” Hit me up on Twitter @SeasideTV or leave me a comment below to let me know what you think. Do you like it as much as I do?

Tune in to Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Tuesdays at 10/9c, only on Bravo.

For more on the show, visit GG2D’s official website at http://www.bravotv.com/girlfriends-guide-to-divorce.

LIKE GG2D on Facebook.

Follow GG2D on Twitter @BravoTV using hashtag #GG2D, as well as Lisa Edelstein @LisaEdelstein, Paul Adelstein @adelsteinPaul, J. August Richards @jaugustrichards, Beau Garrett @beaujgarrett, Necar Zadegan @zadeganand, and writer/creator Marti Noxon @martinoxon.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!