Photo: Adrian S. Burrows/SHOWTIME
Work in Progress, the excellent Showtime dramedy thats currently in its second season, has always been about trying to become a better person and accepting that mistakes will inevitably be made along the way.
The first season ended with Abby (Abby McEnany), the protagonist and self-described fat queer dyke who has depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, committing a grave sin. After getting dumped by her partner, Chris (Theo Germaine), a trans man, she yelled out Chriss dead name in a moment of anger. In the second season, she wrestles with guilt over that incident as well as other issues: her ongoing search for a new therapist (she stops going to one she likes after he says for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes); childhood memories that keep bubbling to the surface; and her relationship with Julia Sweeney, played by the actual Julia Sweeney, who keeps trying to atone for her insensitive Its Pat sketches on Saturday Night Live. The episodes are insightful, often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and always brimming with moments that look like they are happening in real life, rather than being staged for cameras.
In the second half of the current season, the tone has shifted as the realities of whats happening in the wider world the COVID pandemic, as well as the racial protests sparked by George Floyds death burst into Abbys Chicago bubble. The episodes, most notably the recent eighth one, titled FTP, become more experimental and reflective of the anxious, untethered headspace that Abby finds herself in as a mentally ill person who already found life overwhelming before 2020 started. A lot of series have tried to address the pandemic era, with varying degrees of success. Work in Progress does it more thoughtfully and effectively than most, in a way that captures the constant, swirling emotional confusion of it all.
That is ironic considering that McEnany, co-creator of this semi-autobiographical series, initially did not want to address Covid on the show at all. During a recent conversation over Zoom, McEnany told me that the Work in Progress writers room was up and running for six weeks when COVID shut it down, and eventually moved it to the virtual space. The arc for season twos ten episodes had been established, and first drafts of seven of those episodes had already been written.
We were having these conversations in April [of 2020] and I was like, I have no interest in writing about COVID, acting in a show about COVID, or watching a show about COVID, McEnany says. It was so early on and again, COVID is a nightmare and it certainly was very bad for everybody. Im not a snowflake. It was hard for everybody. But theres just something with OCD and all that depression and that isolation that makes it very difficult. Theres a germ out there thats going to kill you? McEnany starts to laugh. For somebody who worries about germs, its not ideal.
As the pandemic stretched on, though, McEnany came around to the idea, especially after the racial protests began and Covid shone a spotlight on the inequities in who gets care in America and who doesnt. Ultimately two and a half episodes got tossed and rewritten.
What was more important to Lilly and myself, McEnany says, referring to executive producer Lilly Wachowski, who has co-written several Work in Progress episodes and directed one this season, was the toll of the deaths of Black folks across America and police brutality and the inequity of the world and the inequity of America.
FTP an abbreviation for Fuck the Police was co-written by Wachowski and Samantha Irby, a writer for the series who is Black, and directed by Black transgender filmmaker Yance Ford, and touches on all of those issues. While the protests following the death of George Floyd are still unfolding, Abbys clueless boss Susan (Mary Sohn) asks her to write a solidarity statement for the company. We want our statement to show that were progressive, but not too progressive, Susan explains. Were not anarchists, you know.
That sends Abby on an odyssey in which she tries to figure out how she, a white woman, can possibly write a corporate statement that adequately addresses racial injustice. (Spoiler alert: She cant.) Following Abbys conflicted thoughts, FTP makes sharp turns between scenes. Sometimes, it quickly shoots random images onto the screen, from the This is fine meme to newspaper headlines about the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. Continuing with a device thats been used throughout the season, it features flashbacks in which current Abby sits with versions of her younger self in college and middle school, listening to presentations about safety that are rife with barely veiled racism. In a really poignant twist on those flashbacks, theres a scene where Abbys stepmother, Carol Lynn (Penelope Walker), who is Black, expresses concern when her two grown sons announce they are heading out to join the protests unfolding in Chicago. Carol Lynn and the audience dont see them as grown men; she and we see two little boys, whom their mother just wants to protect.
Abby has hallucinations during the episode, too. She sees the Grim Reaper, played by T.J. Jagodowski; listens to NPRs Audie Cornish read harrowing headlines while sitting on Abbys kitchen island; and, for the second episode in a row, has an imagined encounter with her TV crush, detective Robert Goren from Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed in a cameo by Vincent DOnofrio. But the most striking scene in FTP is one in which Abbys friend King (Armand Fields), a Black drag performer, stands on a platform in the middle of a downtown Chicago street, wearing a stunning red gown and reciting from the essay Caroline Randall Williams wrote last summer for the New York Times. (If there are those who want to remember the legacy of the Confederacy, if they want monuments, well, then, my body is a monument. My skin is a monument.) Abby just sits in her recliner, also in the street, listening as King speaks. Late in the episode, she also finds out that a Black neighbor and friend lost his mother to COVID. Knowing that they just visited their mother, Abby instinctively backs away, then feels terrible. At a time when she wants to be there for others, her anxiety makes her too afraid to offer reassurance.
If this all sounds like a lot like, a lot a lot thats because it is, by design. This episode is ambitious and takes big swings. It is messy, but messy on purpose, because that is how it feels to be alive and trying to make sense out of the moment that Abby is living through and that all of us experienced last year.
It shouldnt count as a spoiler to reveal that Abby does not come up with the perfectly worded solidarity statement for her boss. (What she does eventually email to Susan will definitely be interpreted as, um, too progressive.) The episode offers no pat answers and doesnt try to make it seem as though Abby has learned something important. Its just 30 minutes spent with a person who wants to be a better citizen, is trying to be one, but is also imperfect, which means shell have to keep trying. Its what the whole concept of Work in Progress, the series and the phrase itself, means.
It is so hard to be human, and I always lead everything like, I fuck up all the time. I want to be a better person. I want to do better. I want to learn, McEnany says. Its not anybody elses job to teach me, but I want to be open to hearing that and try not to react in defensiveness and all that business. I think our whole show is based on that.
Visit link:
Work In Progress Is Living Up to Its Title - Vulture
- Proof-of-Concept Exploit Released for Progress Software OpenEdge Vulnerability - The Hacker News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Progress being made on fire alarms, Oswego town supervisor says - oswegocountynewsnow.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Progress on the Boyertown Express featured at Dinner - Berks Weekly - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Fire Crews Stop Forward Progress of Two-Acre Brush Fire Near Vandenberg - Santa Barbara Edhat - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Hopewell plans to install speed cameras at three city schools - Progress Index - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- New numbers on progress of penny sales tax - The Post and Courier - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Long Island woman who survived acid attack continues to make progress in recovery - PIX11 New York News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Beam marks progress toward bringing 1st-ever MLS team to San Diego - NBC San Diego - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- McKone: Irish-American progress and paradoxes | Perspective | timesargus.com - Barre Montpelier Times Argus - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Big East reportedly making a lot of progress on media rights deals with CBS, Fox - Awful Announcing - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Berrien County farmers note slow progress on the new Farm Bill - News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- END OF SESSION: Sen. Crider and Rep. Cherry reflect on progress made during the legislative session - Greenfield Daily Reporter - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Vowles being patient with Sargeant but expects to see "progress" - RaceFans - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Inflation ticked up in February, reversing some prior progress - ABC News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Latest NEOM progress video of The Line is indicator of scale - Supercar Blondie - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Statewide Impact of Ohio Intel ProjectEvident in Initial Progress Report - Scioto Post - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX makes significant progress with third Starship orbital test flight - TechCrunch - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- UPDATE: Forward progress stopped on vegetation fire near Lompoc - KSBY News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Lady Rattlers and Diamondbacks ready to roll - Progresstimes - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX celebrates major progress on the third flight of Starship - Ars Technica - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Helldivers 2 Galactic War live map: Track status and progress with this Liberty-approved web app - Windows Central - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Pittsburgh police will only respond to calls of in-progress emergencies as part of new staffing plan - Police News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- A year of achievement, rebuilding and progress for utilities - Yoursun.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Trkiye: No Direct Dialogue with Damascus, No Progress in Normalization - Asharq Al-awsat - English - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- A WORK IN PROGRESS | News | shelbynews.com - Shelbynews - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- From recurrent networks to GPT-4: Measuring algorithmic progress in language models - Tech Xplore - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- U.S. Inability To Address Nuclear Waste Harms Environmental Progress - Newsweek - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Park Progress - Greater Wilmington Business Journal - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SF supervisor to hold hearing on homeless-shelter progress | Housing | sfexaminer.com - San Francisco Examiner - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- 'It's good to see progress being made on the site': Revised vision for Liberty Theater property in Libertyville - Daily Herald - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Diversity Among Emmy Winners Is a Result of Industry Progress - TheWrap - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- What would Dr. King say about progress and 2024? - The Chicago Cusader - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Police: Petersburg woman reportedly used hammer to hit her boyfriend - Progress Index - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Spokane County crews make great progress ahead of another storm system - AOL - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Lady Tigers Split Last Weeks Game's Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Lexington Police Investigate Shooting at Walmart Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Scotts Hill Lions Dominated Last Week Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Older Couple Rescued From Submerged Vehicle Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Fore-ward Progress | Bintelli's new River Ridge facility to focus on making electric golf carts - WDRB - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- VIDEO: Project manager gives update on Glenn McConnell Widening progress - Live 5 News WCSC - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Truck driver sentenced for trafficking cocaine to Prince George County - Progress Index - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- After decades of little progress, Milwaukee begins new approach to improve lives of Black men and boys - madison365.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Women are bored of waiting: Slow progress on shattering the glass ceiling on company boards - I by IMD - I by IMD - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Now Accepting Applications for the 2024 Progress Software Mary Szkely Scholarship for Women in STEM - GlobeNewswire - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- "Some progress made" at Onslow BOE meeting, according to number of parents - WCTI12.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Spokane County crews make great progress ahead of another storm system - Nonstop Local - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- DeSantis took credit for Florida's progress but Iowa may have sniffed out his bravado | Opinion - Yahoo News Canada - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Has the Israeli Military Made Progress in Its Goal of Destroying Hamas? : State of the World from NPR - NPR - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Jan. 19 Panel Examines 30-Year Progress of Women in Research - Mirage News - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Ducks' Midseason Check-in: Progress, Improvement Areas & More - The Hockey Writers - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Companies are hiding their climate progress. A new report explains why. - Grist - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Lou Leonatti With Progress Mexico Gives Hospital Bankruptcy Hearing Update On AM 1340 KXEO Am I Awake Morning Show - KXEO - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Seaside Heights Wants to See Progress From Developers, Will Investigate 'Bamboo' Property - Shorebeat - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Progress over perfection: Is Coach modelling a path for fashion transformation? - Vogue Business - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Watch the video of the Edmonds armed robbery in progress - MyNorthwest - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Albemarle County house burns to the ground in late night fire - The Daily Progress - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- GHDDI and Microsoft Research use AI technology to achieve significant progress in discovering new drugs to treat ... - Microsoft - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Henderson County Suspects Apprehended in Trenton Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- HCFD Reports Lowest Number of Residential Fires - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Unlocking The Future: CAGA's Progress In Web3 And Blockchain Innovation - Benzinga - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Underwhelming performance: Quarterbacks still a work in progress - Daily O'Collegian - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Governor Hochul Announces Progress in Increasing MTA Accessibility - ny.gov - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- A progress report: The columnist's garden in September - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- September 2023: Innovative researchers celebrate scientific ... - Environmental Factor Newsletter - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Progress over perfectionism - Lynn University - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Signs of progress on new Folsom Medical Office Building - UC Davis Health - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- LA District FUDS team makes progress on Nellis Remedial Action ... - spl.usace.army.mil - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- UFC Fight Night 226 winner Volkan Oezdemir pleased with progress after training with Khamzat Chimaev - Yahoo Sports - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Seeing signs of progress, Tigers take on White Sox - Deadspin - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Qualifications recognition: A door to collective progress - University World News - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Farm Progress Show opens on Tuesday in Decatur - Herald & Review - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- General Squier sculpture is in progress - The County Press - Thecountypress - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Antimalarial drug discovery: progress and approaches - Nature.com - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Seeing signs of progress, Tigers take on White Sox - The Albany Herald - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Commentary: Nurturing progress The evolution of the Annie ... - Standard-Examiner - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- World Cup kiss: feminist progress is always met with backlash, but ... - The Conversation - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Mapping Progress in Pancreatic Cancer Surgery: Looking to the ... - OncLive - September 1st, 2023 [September 1st, 2023]
- Review in progress: 'Starfield' takes the 'Skyrim' formula out into the ... - GeekWire - September 1st, 2023 [September 1st, 2023]
- Falmouth Water Quality Committee Making Progress On Ocean Outfall - CapeNews.net - September 1st, 2023 [September 1st, 2023]
- Youngstown schools, teachers make progress on negotiations ... - Youngstown Vindicator - September 1st, 2023 [September 1st, 2023]