“Anouk” was an interesting episode of The Slap. Since the title character didn’t actually see Hugo get hit, the episode spent almost no time talking about the fallout from the barbecue. It was a great showcase for Uma Thurman, who was in every scene and had to do a lot of emotional heavy lifting. I think between this and her small role in Nymphomaniac, she’s very underrated as an actress.
Honestly, Anouk is kind of awesome. She has her flaws and imperfections, but she’s confident in who she is and what she wants. Her relationship with Jamie (Penn Badgley) is much deeper than I thought back in “Hector” – she seems to be falling for him, and he is absolutely crazy about her. It’s weird to see a stock character like “good-looking young actor on a soapy drama for teens” given such depth and maturity, and Badgley handles himself nicely. In most shows Jamie would be used as comic relief.
So a day in the life of Anouk: she goes to brunch with Aisha and Rosie, the latter of whom continues to be the worst. If she gets her own episode, it better be a series highlight, because I am locked and loaded with complaints. Sure, Rosie loves her son, but her son is terrible. Anyway, Anouk dresses Rosie down, which is awesome, then goes to spend time with her mom, which is…less awesome.
Her mother Virgina, played by Blythe Danner, is a bit of a stock character. The overbearing, ridiculously accomplished mother disappointed in her daughter’s life choices (although she has nothing but praise for Anouk’s first play). But Anouk and Virginia’s relationship is more cordial than familial; Anouk even calls her mother by her first name. Danner and Thurman play well off of each other, especially in scenes where Virginia has to show some actual human warmth. (I bet being the mother of noted ice queen Gwyneth Paltrow has given Danner plenty of practice playing frigid.)
The one stumbling block of “Anouk” is that it can, in a meta twist, get really fucking soapy. There are no less than three huge revelations here – Virginia has a brain tumor, Anouk is pregnant, and Jamie proposes. (I love Jamie.) These plot points land with varying degrees of success; after finding out about the tumor, Anouk and Virginia have a very sweet scene together that addresses the issue without ever speaking about it.
But, when Anouk finds out she’s pregnant, she breaks up with Jamie and goes to Aisha for an abortion referral. Um, that’s 100% unnecessary. You live in Brooklyn, Anouk, are you telling me there isn’t a Planned Parenthood around? Oh wait, here’s one I found after literally one second of Googling. This scene bugs me more and more, because I’m positive it only exists to give Anouk and Aisha a chance to have a heart to heart, because neither one of them will shut up about being best friends. But Aisha doesn’t come off very well in this scene; she’s basically trying to bully and guilt Anouk into keeping the baby. “It’s your choice, honey, as long as it’s the exact choice I made.”
Overall, though, “Anouk” was the most successful episode of The Slap to date. By focusing on a character only tangentially related to the actual incident, the show allowed itself some breathing room wherein it could expand its world. Nicely done.
A Few Thoughts
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Jamie’s band was some Temper Trap bullshit
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Jon Robin Blatz, who wrote the script, has no idea how to write stoners. “This cartoon makes me believe in God,” says Jamie. “HAHA NOPE,” says the audience
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Anouk knows about Hector’s affair. Nice scene with the two of them in the kitchen
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Anouk takes Jamie on the worst dates
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