ABC

‘Not Dead Yet’ 1×04 & 1×05 Review: ‘Not Dating Yet’ & ‘Not Moving On Yet’

Sometimes we find a show that gets to us, even when we didn’t think that it would. The truth is, I didn’t think that I would have anything nice to say when it came to Not Dead Yet. Sure, it’s not perfect, but what I have learned with this show is that it doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to take you out of life and give you something.

And what that is – well that can change with every person.

For me, I am not sure what it is, because it’s forever changing. But what I also know is that this show is something that I now find myself looking forward to every week. And yes, I am a little bit behind, but I also know that happens for a reason.

Nell.

Yes, I am blaming Nell. Not for a bad thing, because I do think that what I needed to do was sit for a second a realize who she is and why she sees the dead. One has to wonder if other obituary writers did or do or if she’s seeing them in order to deal with something with herself.

And I think it’s pieces of it all.

THE EX HAS MOVED ON

When your ex moves on, it’s definitely not easy. It’s a hard moment in life. It’s one that can either make or break you.

Nell tries to act as though her ex moving on and meeting someone that is drop dead gorgeous, and posting it on Instagram is a hard hit. It’s something that would hurt anyone. And well, Nell is definitely hurt.

The team at work tries to set her up with someone, but dates aren’t going as she planned. Everyone is complicated. That’s everyone, everywhere. Sam, Dennis, and Lexi have decided that Nell needs to move on. The thing is – you can’t tell someone to move on. They have to be ready.

Her ex’s new girlfriends sounds perfect. The people that they are trying to set her up with are horrible or not compatible.

Nell heads to where she always goes when she needs a break – the wine bar. One can’t blame her – Cricket gives good advice.

DATING THE DEAD

I wouldn’t want to be Nell, because how do you tell if someone is dead or alive? It’s a lot for anyone to deal with. But when you meet the perfect guy, you hope that he’s alive and you hope that he’s as perfect as he seems. Though, everything that happens is for a reason, I would be pissed if I was her.

Why?

Because after having the worst luck in relationships turns out that the perfect guy is your latest assignment and had you all met in real life, there would have been potential. There would have been joy.

Nell takes walks with this guy, is out all night, feels a comfort that she never has.

And its these scenes that make me have a new appreciation for Gina Rodriguez. She can make you laugh, but also cry, but also make you feel deeply for her character. That’s part of what I love about this show – the actors. Sometimes I may miss a joke, not get it, or find myself wondering what a writer was trying to say, but it’s the actors in this show that keep me engrossed. I am always paying attention to the show because the actors make you believe in the characters.

BREADSTICKS BOGO

Nell and Sam have a tradition. They wait every year for a coupon that is a BOGO at their favorite Italian place. It’s like The Olive Garden for their world. They go with their big purses, open stomachs, and can’t loose attitude. They’ve even asked for time off work so that they can head there.

Sam and Nell haven’t had the easiest time since Nell has been back. Not to say that they haven’t been trying to reconnect. Nell’s jealous of Lexi. She’s jealous of the relationship that the two share. Nell and Sam are wanting to pick up where they left off, but what they’ve done is stopped communicating.

The excitement for BOGO is there, but Nell gets caught up. She gets caught up and when Sam calls her, she says that she can’t make it. She’s on a date.

Of course Sam is excited for her. Hell, I was excited for her. It was nice to see Nell putting herself out there, but sad to see that the guy that she was falling for was a ghost. But then again, maybe it’s what she was ready for. Maybe it was something that she needed to go through in order to know that she was worthy of love.

And loving.

Sam is of course pissed when she finds out that Nell wasn’t on a date. Or hey, at least one that she can see. She and Nell fight and they go kinda for the jugular.

Personally, I do believe that fights are healthy. I believe that people need to have arguments from time to time. It’s their friendship that gets them through and sometimes they have to fight through the bad times to get to the good ones.

THE BIG SECRET

Nell knows that she needs to make up for missing BOGO, but that means letting her best friend in on her grief.

Now, I have said it before and I will say it again, Not Dead Yet is Gina Rodriguez and Hannah Simone’s show. The two light up the screen when they are together. But it’s the moment that they had when Nell went to apologize that killed me.

I know that when shows are comedies, a lot of the time they won’t take on subjects that can be controversial, but when they do they take them on in a way that really doesn’t get to me. Like I know something serious is there, but I don’t ever understand the gravity of their pain.

Here, I cried my eyes out. See, Nell admitted to Sam that she had a miscarriage and that’s part of what led to her and the ex breaking up. Nell hasn’t been able to move on and she shouldn’t have to. But you see this look in her eyes that is just filled with anguish.

And I wanted to crawl through my television and hold her and tell her that it would be okay.

The way that these two have a tried and true friendship and the way that they are there for each other – it’s the friendship that I want in my life. It’s that unconditional love.

Now, I feel like with Nell admitting her secret, she also can admit that she needs to move forward. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Some friendships are unconditional and these two have that.