This one has a little bit of everything you can imagine, and some things you probably can't even imagine. The whole family travels to merry olde England, visits Abbey Road, walks across the street at the famous crosswalk, spends time in a pub, buys some souvenirs (or has them foisted upon them), and so forth. As usual, they get to know themselves (especially Duke) and each other, especially the characters of Sam and her mom Phil, a little bit better. A few surprising decisions are made, and even a little bit of potty humor (OK, portapotty humor) is shared. This show is such a genuine, heartfelt slice of life, it's nearly impossible to explain to others why it's so great. But over time, if you're anything like me, you have/will grow to really care about all the members of this extended family, even though they are characters written for the (small) screen they seem more real to me then some people IRL do. "Better Things" concludes with the next episode. It'll be hard to beat this one, but read my review of Season 4's last episode (which was thought at the time to probably be the last one) and you'll see how literally anything is possible!
7 Reviews
Could have been a perfect episode, except...
pjbenney4 May 2022
...all of the Liverpool scenes were filmed in London and several characters make reference to being in London. So they were never actually in Liverpool, despite the fact that Phyllis's family were supposed to be from Liverpool. Massive, unforgivable blunder. Once you get over that though, it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Where was the Frankie character???
louisville6229 May 2022
Breath of fresh English Air
zenbeing1921 April 2022
This show made me nostalgic for England. It was the perfect episode that would have made a great season finale.
Everything seemed to come together.
Glad there's another show coming up...but following this one will be a hard act.
Everything seemed to come together.
Glad there's another show coming up...but following this one will be a hard act.
Wonderful Episode of a magnificent Series
mugsyagain17 August 2022
Brilliant brilliant episode with wonderful acting and a beautiful song in Head Of Roses by Flock Of Dimes
Pamela Adlon throughout this whole series is utterly brilliant but the scene in this episode featuring Duke (Olivia Edward) and Phyllis (Celia Imrie) and the aforementioned song moved me to tears!!!
I enjoyed the show up until this episode
zhxgpbyvw26 July 2022
When I heard Phil came from liverpool I was hoping that this would lead them to actually show some good rep for the city. When it came to the episode they were supposed to visit; it was clear that from the start they were in london, as well as all the characters commenting on "here in london" frequently even though it was stated that it was supposed to be Liverpool. It was clear that they didn't take the time or effort to get this clear part of Phil's history accurate or correct. Rather disappointing for a show I love.
Bad ep, so now I have Better Things to do
MDawn26 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Right, this show used to be great, but something somewhere changed. I found this episode to be predictable, derivative, and suddenly the character of Sam Fox became an annoying, one-note character that I literally had to mute the episode halfway through for. I liked the Sam Fox character before, but what happened? When Max and her were dealing with Max's impending move to London at the bar, there was literally a 5-minute bit of Sam just making sounds ("ooof, wince, groan, umph, ooof, ugh, wow, um, groan, ooof..."). Unlike Sam Fox's fans, I am not fascinated to watch her make cranky character noises instead of drama. I'm guessing words weren't available? This uninteresting, annoying scene was quite a waste of time considering this 48-minute ep could shaved at least 10 minutes off if all of Sam's noises were deleted. All this is besides the other annoyances of the ep like the derivative Beatles street crossing, the of-course-Max-is-going-to-take-that-spot-in-her-cousin's-flat, the Phil bumping into a rando friend from the old neighbor in a London park who recognizes her instantly from over 60 years ago, and the fact that the entire family has the most pristine, perfectly pressed glamour clothes on in every scene despite sloppy packing and a 12-hour flight. I was so happy this was the last episode of the season, but I see another one just aired to round it out to 10. Great. I will finish the season, but then if the show comes back next year I promise I won't watch because I will have Better Things to do.
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