Somebody Somewhere: BFD

January 20, 2022 7:05 AM - Season 1, Episode 1

Summary: "When the devastation of her sister Holly’s death trickles into her workplace, Sam finds an unexpected connection with her coworker Joel."

I was blown away by this first episode and I hope the show continues at this level. Fantastic writing, terrific acting -- just great all around. I highly recommend people check this out.

posted by dobbs (16 comments total)

I believe it's HBO. I watched it in Canada on Crave.
posted by dobbs at 7:05 AM on January 20, 2022 [1 favorite]

Bridget Everett has been one of the very best performers in basically everything she's ever been in. I'm glad she's getting a chance to play center stage. This was a good pilot and I will be watching more.

And yep: it's on HBO/HBO Max in the US.

I liked that she was good, but she wasn't Susan Boyle or anything. The point wasn't Ordinary Person Is a Secret Star! It was about Sam remembering she was good at something and finding a place to belong.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:07 AM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]

"I was blown away by this first episode..."

Me, too. I found myself grinning happily by the end.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 8:11 AM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]

Yeah this was great. I just hit play with no info or expectations besides “hey that’s that actor I’ve seen in a few things” and was instantly drawn in. I was a bit wary it would go the route of someone’s life being sad in a way that is humorous or entertaining for the audience but it quickly surprised me by not doing that, and instead it was about someone finding their people at a difficult time in a meaningful way. It felt sort of gentle and kind but authentic.
Glad to hear others felt similarly.
posted by chococat at 7:34 AM on January 21, 2022 [5 favorites]

Feeling compelled to share this just because I know Jeff and he's an amazing guy: Jeff Hiller a noteworthy contributor to ‘Somebody Somewhere’
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:28 PM on January 21, 2022 [10 favorites]

I know Jeff and he's an amazing guy

I don't know him and have never heard of him so please tell him for me that he's fucking awesome in the show. I loved his character from the second he appeared on screen.
posted by dobbs at 2:59 PM on January 21, 2022 [8 favorites]

I loved his character from the second he appeared on screen
Totally second this.
posted by chococat at 3:30 PM on January 21, 2022 [3 favorites]

Duplas bros! This feels like a return to the excellence of Togetherness.
posted by joeyh at 10:08 AM on January 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

Just picked up for Season 2!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:24 PM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

"Just picked up for Season 2!"

Be sure to tell your friend that people on MetaFilter love his character and performance!

I've actually been a bit fascinated by some aspects of his performance. One thing I think I've noticed is that sometimes he'll take a tick before responding — I feel like the audience is strongly motivated to wonder what exactly he's thinking.

His character doesn't always reveal what he's feeling: when Sam goes off on that horribly insensitive diatribe about his vision board, you could say he had a shocked look on his face... but to me it was more like he went blank, as if a wall had suddenly gone up. The character reads to me as someone who is exquisitely sensitive and easily hurt who has made a very determined decision to be emotionally open and experience the world despite the fact that it can be hurtful.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:29 PM on February 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

I perhaps ill-advisedly decided, out of FOMO, to drop AppleTV and Disney+ for a while and try HBOMax, and have subsequently been struggling to find shows/movies on it that I really want to watch. I opened up the app last night and scrolled through the lousy interface and stumbled on this one and decided to give it a try, with no expectations. There was Twitter thing going around a few months ago asking about the first time you felt "seen" in a show or film, and I think I need to revise my answer, because I felt an instant connection on a lot of levels with Sam. I even did show choir! I'm excited to work my way through the episodes that are available so far and learn more of her backstore and milieu, and I also want to know where I can get the inside scoop on my own local Choir Practice.
posted by drlith at 9:07 AM on February 8, 2022

And also, it took me about 1/3 of the way into the episode to get drawn in but by the end I was totally hooked, and then I saw Jay Duplass's name pop up on the credits and I was, like, "ah-hah!"
posted by drlith at 9:11 AM on February 8, 2022

Love this show. The episodes seem short and leave me wanting more Sam but give me something to look forward to on Monday nights, so that’s something. Favourite throwaway line tonight was Joel talking to Roger while they are taking shelter in the culvert during the tornado, “I can’t get rabies again!”
posted by fundip at 6:00 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

I don't know why this show doesn't get more attention, especially one MeFi. For this community it is a perfect tonic.

And yes, Joel and Roger bonding in the culvert was wonderful.
posted by Ber at 2:42 PM on February 15, 2022

I love love this show! I’ve been telling everyone about it. And to ThePink Superhero, please tell Jeff Hiller that if I had a friend like Joel, my life would be improved ten-fold. Is Joel much like Jeff IRL?

And not to forget the heroine Sam/Bridget Everett. She reminds me so much of a dear friend (who is sadly lost to me). Just amazing, real characters.

Thank you to whoever greenlit S2!
posted by Gusaroo at 8:52 PM on February 20, 2022

Mrs Ber and I spent a long time serving in the Cubicle Wars. We found Sam walking out during her review with that bitch to be particularly cathartic.
posted by Ber at 8:25 AM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]