TV Review: Mrs. Fletcher

October 22nd 2019, 8:46am

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Plot: Mrs. Fletcher is a dual coming-of-age story, chronicling the personal and sexual journeys of Eve Fletcher, an empty-nest mother, and her college freshman son.

Review: Mrs. Fletcher is being marketed as a comedy along the lines of HBO's Divorce. It is similar in that both series follow women in their 40s dealing with the fallout of an ended marriage while re-engaging with their sexual side. It is there that the similarities end as Mrs. Fletcher is closer to an indie drama with some comedic elements. This is by no means a bad thing as it is based on the novel by Tom Perotta who gave us LITTLE CHILDREN as well as HBO's excellent The Leftovers. This series also serves as a long overdue showcase for Kathryn Hahn, one of the most talented actresses working today. Helmed by all female directors, Mrs. Fletcher is a touching and sentimental series that doesn't go overboard in trying too hard.

Kathryn Hahn plays Eve Fletcher, a single mom whose son, Brendan (Jackson White), is headed off to college, leaving her alone for the first time in two decades. She is disatisfied with her job running an assisted living facility and decides to fill the new void in her life by signing up for a class at the local community college coupled with exploring her sexual desires through online porn. All the while, her son faces the world of college where he is no longer the popular kid and realizes that he lacks some of the interests and characteristics that make his classmates fun to be around. So, simply put, mom is having a mid-life crisis while her son is having a quarter-life crisis. Both are handled eloquently (and when appropriate, not so eloquently) but at the same time very realistically.

Mrs. Fletcher is a bit of a misnomer as this series really does tell the tales of multiple characters, with some having entire subplots independent of Eve or Brendan. In fact, I was a bit shocked to learn that this seven episode season was designed as an event series. So much character development and subplots are revealed over these episodes that there s more than enough material for a second season and beyond. In fact, the series ends in such a way that I was a bit underwhelmed as it leaves so much unresolved and open. Had this been a feature film, the ending would have been jarring, but it would have left it open to interpretation. As a series, so much is set up over six chapters that it was virtually impossible to tie it up neatly in one thirty minute finale.

But, what does work here greatly exceeds what doesn't. Kathryn Hahn is able to do everything here from playing vulnerable to angry while still putting her comedic timing to great effect. She is also nude quite often as there is a major sexual component to this story but it never plays as gratuitous. Hell, it isn't even always flattering, but it adds to the realistic feel of the series. Jackson White has the more challenging role as Brendan who is not a very likeable character and I am not sure he really earns any redemption by the series end.

The supporting cast are all very good, especially Owen Teague as Eve's classmate, Katie Kershaw as her coworker Amanda, Casey Wilson as her close friend, and Jen Richards as Margo, Eve's teacher and a transgender woman. The late Cameron Boyce and Jasmine Cephas Jones play college classmates of Brendan and both do a lot with their smaller roles. But, like everyone, they feel like they are given a lot more screen time in a series that has such a limited run. Author Tom Perotta, who penned two of the episodes, is great at developing characters but at the end of the day this feels like half of the story.

The all female directing team, led by Nicole Holofcenter (FRIENDS WITH MONEY), includes Liesel Tommy (RESPECT), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), and Gillian Robbespierre (OBVIOUS CHILD). All make great use of music and somehow manage to make porn seem less trashy than it actually is. All together, Mrs. Fletcher is a good story that could have been so much better had they added a few more episodes to properly wrap up the story. As it is, this works mainly as a showcase for Kathryn Hahn to get a lot more leading roles and that is about it. You will be entertained when you watch it and it hits the right emotional notes without getting cheesy, but it just feels like there should have been a bit more.

Mrs. Fletcher premieres October 27th on HBO.