If you’ve ever sat in your car in the driveway for twenty minutes just to avoid walking into your own house, you get it. Pamela Adlon gets it. When Better Things season 2 aired, it didn't just return to the screen; it basically kicked the door down and sighed with the exhaustion of a woman who hasn't slept since 2005.
It’s messy.
Sam Fox, played by Adlon, is an actress raising three daughters—Max, Frankie, and Duke—as a single mom in Los Angeles. But that’s the "TV logline" version. The real version is a frantic, beautiful, often painful look at what happens when you’re the sun and everyone else in your life is a planet demanding more light. Most shows about parenting feel like they were written by someone who read a book about kids. This season feels like it was written by someone who just found a half-eaten grilled cheese in her purse.
The Evolution of the Fox Household in Better Things Season 2
The second season took a massive leap in confidence. In the first year, the show was figuring out its rhythm, but by the time we hit "September," the season 2 premiere, Adlon—who directed every single episode this year—knew exactly what she wanted to say. She wasn't just telling jokes; she was capturing a mood.
Take the "eulogy" scene. It’s legendary for a reason. Sam’s daughters are being particularly bratty, so she makes them throw her a funeral while she's still alive. She lies on the floor and makes them say nice things about her because she’s tired of waiting for them to appreciate her when she’s gone. It’s hilarious. It’s also deeply, profoundly sad. That’s the magic of Better Things season 2. It lives in that middle ground where you’re laughing and then suddenly you realize you’re holding your breath.
The season explores the shifting dynamics of the three girls. Max is nearing the end of high school, dealing with the terrifying realization that she might actually have to become an adult. Frankie is in the throes of a middle-child identity crisis, pushing boundaries and testing Sam’s patience with a precision that feels like a surgical strike. Then there’s Duke, the youngest, who is losing that magical childhood innocence and starting to see the cracks in the world.
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Why the Direction Matters
Because Adlon directed the whole season, there is a visual consistency that feels intimate. You see the dust motes in the air. You see the clutter on the kitchen counters. It’s not "TV clean." It’s "lived-in." She uses long takes where the camera just sits back and watches a conversation happen.
In the episode "Arnold Hall," we see Sam dealing with a guy she’s dating who isn't quite right for her. The pacing is slow. It’s deliberate. You feel the awkwardness of a middle-aged woman trying to figure out if she even has room in her life for another person.
Phil and the Weight of Aging
We have to talk about Phil. Celia Imrie plays Sam’s mother, who lives across the street, and in Better Things season 2, her storyline becomes one of the most haunting elements of the series.
Phil is eccentric. She’s charming. But she’s also starting to slip.
The show handles the onset of dementia or cognitive decline (it’s kept somewhat vague and realistic) with a terrifying lack of sentimentality. Sam is already raising three children, and now she is effectively raising her mother, too. There’s a specific scene where Phil gets lost or makes a mistake, and the look on Sam’s face isn't just "Oh, poor Mom." It’s "I cannot carry one more thing."
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That’s the reality of the "sandwich generation." You’re squeezed from both sides. You’re the provider, the protector, and the emotional trash can for everyone you love. Adlon doesn't make Sam a saint for doing it. She makes her a person who swears, yells, and occasionally hides in her room with a glass of wine.
The White Goldfish and Sensory Storytelling
One of the standout episodes, "White Goldfish," focuses on Sam being sick. It sounds boring on paper. A woman has the flu? Who cares?
But anyone who has been a primary caregiver knows that when the "boss" of the house gets sick, the whole ecosystem collapses. The house becomes a fever dream. The girls are hovering, or they’re being selfish, or they’re actually stepping up in weird, unexpected ways. The episode uses sound design and tight framing to make you feel as claustrophobic and delirious as Sam feels. It’s a masterclass in "show, don't tell."
Dissecting the Finale: Graduation and Eulogies
The season ends with "Graduation," and honestly, if you didn't cry during the dance sequence, are you even human?
Max is graduating. Sam and the girls perform a choreographed dance to Fleetwood Mac’s "Tusk" as a gift. It’s weird, it’s loud, and it’s perfect. It captures the essence of their family—unconventional, slightly chaotic, but fiercely loyal to one another.
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But the episode isn't just a happy celebration. It’s a transition. It’s the realization that the "Better Things" Sam is striving for aren't in the future; they are the messy moments happening right now. The show argues that there is no "destination" where parenting gets easy or life gets sorted out. There is just the next day, the next meal, and the next argument.
Key Takeaways from Better Things Season 2
- The Mother-Daughter Bond is Multidimensional: It’s not just love; it’s resentment, mimicry, and a constant negotiation of space.
- The "Village" is Real: Sam relies on her friends (like Rich, played by Diedrich Bader) in a way that shows how vital platonic love is for survival.
- Authenticity Over Glamour: The show refuses to give Sam a "makeover" or a "happily ever after" romance because that’s not what her life is about.
- Aging is Not Invisible: By focusing on Phil, the show forces the audience to look at the parts of aging that society usually hides away in nursing homes.
How to Apply the "Sam Fox" Philosophy to Real Life
If you’re looking to find the "Better Things" in your own life after watching the season, start by embracing the "good enough."
First, stop apologizing for the state of your home. The Fox house is a mess because people live there. If your living room looks like a bomb went off, it means things happened there today.
Second, demand your "eulogy" moments. You don't have to lie on the floor, but you should tell the people who rely on you that you need to hear "thank you" every once in a while.
Finally, watch the show again, but pay attention to the silence. Notice how Sam reacts when she’s alone. It’s a reminder that even when you are the center of everyone else's world, you still need to find a way to exist for yourself.
The most actionable thing you can do is find your "Tusk." Find that one weird, loud thing that your family or your friends do together that makes no sense to anyone else, and do it more often. That’s where the actual "better things" are buried.
Rewatch Better Things season 2 not as a sitcom, but as a blueprint for how to survive being a human being in the 21st century without losing your mind entirely. Focus on the episodes "September," "White Goldfish," and "Graduation" to see the tightest thematic arc the series ever produced.