I Feel Bad
“I’m Vain A.F.” (Episode 105)
October 18, 2018
If you aren’t caught up on the latest episode of I Feel Bad, you can read my recap here. SPOILERS AHEAD!
This episode starts off with Emet and her mother in the kitchen. Emet is cooking dinner and in a voiceover explains that it is hard to feel good about how you look after three kids and a stressful job. Not making the situation any better, Maya gives Emet anti-aging cream. She tells Emet that her face is starting to look like her father’s elbows and walks away.
David comes home from work and thanks Maya for taking care of Jake as she is leaving. Surprisingly, Maya hugs him. As he walks into the kitchen to see his wife, he tells her that her mother is not so bad. She turns with a knife in her hand, “What did you just say to me?” He explains that Maya just gave him a hug. In a voiceover, Emet explains that it was a “fat pat” from Maya, because that’s how she checks if someone has been gaining weight. She won’t tell David this, because he is too sensitive. She checks him out with a “fat pat” hug of her own and realizes he has gained some weight. Between that and her wrinkles, it’s time to be “body positive”!
Title Sequence.
In a conference room, Emet’s co-workers have an unattractive photo of her and David up on the screen. Her company used the photo on their Launch Party invitations.
When she gets home from work, David is cooking lasagna. Emet suggests letting the kids eat the lasagna and they will eat salad, but David says no. Maya tells Emet that David is gaining weight and she tells her that she has to train her man. Sonny goes over to the lasagna. Maya yells at him and he stops and eats the salad instead. David starts to put Parmesan cheese on the lasagna and when he turns to get plates, Emet sees his belly popping out of his shirt. She “accidentally” slides the lasagna tray off the table.
“That is so controlling and not who I am.”
Commercials.
At work the guys see Emet sitting on a yoga ball and using hemorrhoid crème and wonder what is going on. Emet explains that the ball is for her core and the crème is for her puffy eyes. Norman reminds her that she is giving a speech to his mentees at the launch party. Encouraging young women who want to work in the tech field is exciting for Emet. She asks her coworkers how she should go about telling her husband that he is putting on weight. They tell her that is a no win situation. If she doesn’t tell him, he’ll waddle along and if she does tell him, he’ll recoil when she touches him. Griff suggests his “6 to 9” plan, where she can turn that 6 into a 9 without him ever knowing it.
Emet’s first trick is throwing kettle balls into the trash when he has to take it out. She also pays the kids to help her out with plan. Louie fakes an injury so David has to carry him home, and Lilly gets him to dance with her.
When David gets home from work, he is carrying his bike helmet and explains to Sonny that Emet’s car needs to be fixed. Sonny laughs and says that he prefers the direct approach from his wife to keep the jelly off his belly. Sonny tells him about the hug. Emet gets home from work and immediately realizes that she has been caught.
“Your hug was a lie!”
Commercials.
Not happy that she was lying to him, David says it’s not fair to be judged by his looks. Emet explains that she was just trying to spare his feelings and knows exactly how it feels to be judged based on looks.
“I know how awful it is to have someone point out your flaws.”
Emet shows David the picture and he is horrified. He tells her that he is going to get her that good picture.
Completely going overboard, they are working out together, using facial mask cleansers, and teeth whiteners.
David goes into the bathroom to use an apricot scrub, and walks in on Sonny eating a slice of cake. Just wanting to find a balance, Sonny eats healthy for Maya, but has the occasional slice of cake.
The time for the party has arrived. Emet is wearing a skin-tight dress and David has bronzer on. They arrive at the office and everyone there is dressed casually.
“Is it possible we overshot it?”
Emet wants to leave before anyone notices, but Norman reminds her again that she has to do her speech for his mentees and they are waiting. She wants to use this as a lesson for the girls.
Commercials.
She walks into the room and tells the girls that they don’t have to dress like her to get ahead. One of the girls says she already knows that. Clearly blowing the speech, Emet admits that she just wanted to get a good picture. The girls get up to hug Emet and tell her that they know what she is going through.
“I don’t think I should have to feel bad about that.”
The reporter covering the party asks Emet if someone made her feel like she had to dress the way she did. Emet points to Griff. Admitting that it wasn’t him in a voiceover, Emet doesn’t regret blaming him. The girls go over and yell at him. Griff looks at that as his contribution to inspiring the girls.
“Men like you are the reason we’re changing the world.”
Back at the house, Emet and David are looking at pictures of when they were young. They agree to be honest with each other and not have any fat pats, or toilet cake in their future like her parents.
When Emet arrives at work the next day, her picture is up on the screen again. Regardless of how well they felt she dressed, the picture was still unappealing in the poses she and David were in.
The show ends back at the house, with David giving Maya a hug and she pats him on the head. Emet says, “She thinks you’re going bald.”
End credits.
Thoughts.
One of the best things about this show is how relatable it is. There are always those unattractive pictures we’d rather not see of ourselves and the thought of how we are getting judged by them. While we still had the theme of “I went about solving this the wrong way,” the contrast of a teaching point to this episode (where we shouldn’t matter how we look) was a great touch.
I still enjoy watching this cast together and they truly make the show. My only complaint in this episode is that I felt a little bit like a ping-pong ball, bouncing back and forth between work and home.
Episode Score: I give this a 4 out of 5 Casey’s. I really enjoy the laugh out loud moments and the way they approach topics.