Fleishman Is in Trouble (TV Mini Series) Me-Time (2022) User Reviews

Emmy

[brian_spence_ni · 10/10 · 22 December 2022]

This was excoriating viewing. I was riveted to every second of this episode. They'd under-utilised Claire Danes 'til this episode.

This one episode immediately made her feel over-utilised. I've never seen a single episode of any tv show ever feel this raw or real. We just took almost a villainous character and flipped them so hard that it was almost a complete u-turn. I don't think I'll ever forget this episode because it simply showed how you can strip-away your perspective on a person, on a situation and really appreciate the awfulness that is going on in their life.

Watch it with caution. It's almost painful. Beautiful and painful and truly one of the most memorable things I've ever seen. Claire Danes reminded me how acting should be.

Amazing performance!

[bbq-33451 · 10/10 · 24 December 2022]

Claire Danes' performance in this episode was phenomenal. I'd been in the fence about this show because I was feeling like there were no characters to like - there was no one I was rooting for because they were both self-involved jerks. While I understand Toby is dealing with a lot (including the weight of his kids' emotions) I find it grating that he seems to be willfully ignorant of what Rachel is dealing with because having to dig in would have been inconvenient for him. On the flip side, I often felt Rachel behaved in a shrewish and abrasive manner, and could understand why Toby was seeking a divorce. But this episode...wow. Claire Danes brought the full force of Rachel's profound loneliness and pain to the surface - she had lost herself entirely. Layer on the invasion perpetrated by the doctor - for Rachel, who so carefully tries to curate her life, it's the impossible situation. It really flipped the table for me. Really looking forward to the next episode now.

Give Claire an Emmy

[scotthemphill-61141 · 10/10 · 15 January 2023]

Give Claire Danes an Emmy right this minute. What a POWERHOUSE performance. Think what you want of the show overall, the story, etc. Her acting is beyond - BEYOND - the realm of what we consider to be the best acting. The scene where she is asked to share but cries...her cry, her wails, her face, her movements...I had an unreal moment where I cried along with her. It triggered some out of body empathetic response where I went from watching apathetically to having tears and feeling her pain, 0 to 60.

Also shout out to Lizzy Caplan, who has carried the whole show thus far, being consistently compelling in all of her scenes. What great television this episode is!

Outstanding

[timmyhollywood · 10/10 · 24 December 2022]

Amazing episode. Claire Danes is a powerhouse. Reminds me of her incredible work in Homeland - she just does "psychotic break" so well.

I'm sure a lot of people will be blown away with this episode for it being the "twist" - but did anyone really ever think this show was going to be all about a guy who had a horrible wife who worked all the time and cheated on him?

The genius of this show is still its structure, though. Not because it's a twist or a gimmick, but simply because this is how life is. Toby Fleishman is seeing things from his perspective, given the information he has. He's sympathetic in ways, flawed in ways, just like Rachel. And then there's Libby, bearing witness to it all.

What a great show with such fully formed characters. Rachel's story in this episode was heart wrenching, riveting, brilliant.

Bravo to the author (her name is too unique for me to remember it, lol) and all who adapted this for the small screen. It's just gotten better and better with each episode.

Wow! The twist here is that we did not expect this despite the big fat hints!!!

[novgreen_c · 10/10 · 4 January 2023]

This epic episode was coming, the writers dangled it right in front of us, yet nobody (at least not me) saw it coming. And Claire Danes DELIVERED!

Remember, just a few episodes ago, when Libby talked about that colleague (Archer Sylvan) that wrote a book (Decoupling) about his perspective on divorce and totally dismissed the perspective on divorce of the woman!? If that did not give you pause and question why a show would do the exact same thing, show only Toby's perspective so many episodes long, I don't know what would make you pay attention. I almost turned this off due to hypocrisy.

And yes, I should have seen this coming. The writers and producers had this gem in the queue and turned this hypocrisy on us! Why did we simply accept this and not saw this episode coming from a mile away? Why did we not demand this episode? I am sure some of us did, not enough of us did though. I LOVE IT!

I agree with what a lot of others have said. Claire Danes deserves awards for this (and so does Jesse, but he got more episodes to deliver material that is worthy). She is at her best here and I disagree with some: This episode was not a minute too long or too short. There is lots of TV out there that you run on the side. Lots of stuff where you watch TV, it's entertaining, sure, but the screen is still just an object in the room. But this episode and performance blurred everything around the dimensions of the screen, and I was totally immersed in this superb performance of acting, writing and producing!

The episode I've been waiting for!

[gutterbaby · 10/10 · 28 December 2022]

I've been enjoying the season just fine, but was dying to find out what Rachel's deal was... this episode showed us her experiences and perspective, and unpacked some of the trauma she's endured that makes her that way she is.

Friends of mine gave up a few episodes ago, but if you're at all interested in the characters or storyline, hold on and give this episode a chance to show you what's been missing! It feels like the show just really came to life.

I've seen a couple of reviews saying Claire Danes is miscast - I could understand feeling that way almost all the way up until this ep. I'd even believe they cast her purely for this episode! Here, she's finally given the space to show the range she's capable of bringing to any role, and honestly, idk how anyone could watch her pain and not cry with her.

I reckon this is a kinda weird show, but in a great way. At first glance it seems like nothing new, but to me, there's something about it that has me quietly thinking about it throughout the week... None of the characters are broadly relatable to me, but a lot of their smaller moments of pain, joy, confusion, and detachment are-there's something very endearingly human in the writing & dialogue.

Keen to see where it's all going!

give claire danes an emmy & a lesson in trauma and mental health

[rais14 · 9/10 · 29 December 2022]

Wow! This whole time I was asking myself, "Where is this show taking me? I feel like I don't have the full picture." And here we have it... Rachel's story.

Firstly, I want to respond to a negative review on here - if you lack empathy then I pity you and worry for your loved ones who have endured hardships.

Moving forward - That early scene with Rachel and the doctor was the catalyst for why she did the things she did. Was it right of her to abandon her family? No. But it was human. Because Rachel is human. And there are many humans out there like Rachel. (I've read about similar stories on Humans of New York).

Claire Danes won me over in this episode. From her painful scream in the hospital to her cathartic scream in group therapy, and another cathartic scream at the resort. Rachel's trauma is real and this particular type of trauma is not talked about, so I'm glad this show gave it a voice. I hope it continues the conversation.

It's nice to see Rachel's side and see Toby as the asshole from her perspective. He said some pretty harsh things, which also makes me understand her behavior. They are both two people who were married and in pain. She was in pain from her trauma, and he was in pain because of her trauma. Tragic.

Best episode

[adriennedaly · 10/10 · 25 January 2023]

I have really enjoyed this show so far. Some of the things people haven't liked is what I have liked. I've enjoyed the uncertainty of the genre, I've enjoyed the uncomfortable moments, the weird, the funny. Maybe because I'm the same age as these characters, and gone through a separation, I find it very relatable. I also liked how they used the same actors in flashbacks to their younger years. When we look back, we don't see younger versions of ourselves, we are just us. Sometimes I get a surprise when I look in the mirror now!

Back to this episode though. We are well aware for the first 6 episodes that we were only seeing one side of the story, as a mother though I couldn't understand how a mother could disappear like that! Of course we didn't like Rachel at this stage, we weren't meant to. This episode was brilliant in doing a 'slap in the face' 180 turn. The writing, directing, filming, performances just everything was superb. I forgot how much a crying Claire Danes can just rip your heart out. She is outstanding in this episode. I've gone on long enough though. Just an amazing episode.

We come to the pivotal episode of the series...

[dfloro · 9/10 · 29 December 2022]

It's pretty unusual for me to miss a key, central tenet of a show-and then have it hit me in the face. "Fleishman is in Trouble" refers to Rachel! Claire Danes gives us a performance that's next level here, and despite her character's major flaws, generates empathy in us for how much pain and loss she feels. Of course, Eisenberg's Toby is no less sympathetic: his wife, who was having an affair, one day just up & disappeared without a word to her husband or children. Who does that? And what excuse could there be? And finally, there's Toby's best friend, Libby, who is the omniscient narrator throughout the series, and is played just brilliantly by the perpetually underrated Lizzy Caplan. The following episode, the show's finale, mostly is centered around her and is equally excellent. Perhaps some earlier episodes could've stood to be briefer, but all in all, the series is worth your time investment to see all of it. Overall, a solid 8.5/10 rating!

Me-Time

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 25 December 2022]

I am really torn on how to review this episode. Overall I think it was good, but it was just too long. Usually that shouldn't knock four points off a score, but it was painfully long and this was by design.

But for the most part Claire Danes' acting was really strong here and Lizzy Caplan compleneted her well when needed. From the moments in the beginning where Rachel completely broke down, to seeing her evolution and regression in real time. The repeating beef lo mein bit was quality.

This show is always a mixed bag. I liked a lot of this, but there's only 25 minutes of content here and not an hour like they gave us.

She sucks

[berkelpatience · 3/10 · 24 December 2022]

The character of Rachel is so full of s*** that it's unbearable. Anyone who cheats deserves everything terrible that happens to them.

She didn't deserve Toby or the kids. She's so horrible! I hope she disappears forever and they can move on without her. Everything will be happier that way.

If there's a way to end the season, I hope Rachel loses custody and Toby gets the kids full time. Go to LA and never come back. How can anyone support her?

I cried a little and felt for her during her trauma scenes, but once she cheated I lost any morsel of pity. She absolutely sucks.

Side note: excellent performance from Clare Danes because if I'm this unhappy, she has done an amazing job. Every star for her, zero stars for her character.