Showtime's Web Therapy: (#15, #16)

Woman to Woman

Have you noticed that Fiona Wallice is sparring with other women a lot lately. She’s had run-ins with her mother, her sister, her husband’s almost tryst partner, her husband’s therapist, her book editor, and in the last few episodes, Kiristen Nobel, a writer, Allegra Farreau, an actress, and Gina, a young, oversexed, somewhat addled woman who worked at the same firm as Fiona when she worked for a Wall Street company which was investigated by SEC.

One thing you need to know about Fiona. You don’t want to tangle with Fiona.  If you do, you will almost certainly lose. You will lose badly. You won’t see it coming until BAM, the knock-out punch. Fiona is the master at revenge.

Kirsten Noble (played by Molly Shannon) is a lot like Fiona, but with a lot less class. She lost her job, she is desperately scrambling to make some money, and she doesn’t care whom she hurts in the process. Fiona meets Kirsten (via webcam, of course) because she wants to promote her husband’s campaign for Congress (and herself, of course) and Kirsten pitches some subtle digs Fiona’s way. Kirsten Is supposed to do a feature story about Fiona for a national magazine. But it turns out that Kirsten is not a magazine writer, instead she has a successful blog called “Neurotic Cornucopia” that deals in scandalous fantasy.

Kirsten posts a story about Fiona being a lesbian. As you might imagine Fiona is none to happy about this. At their next meeting Fiona expresses her displeasure, but Kirsten is undaunted. She’s undaunted until she discovers that her blog is gone from the web.  Fiona’s has gotten her very rich lover, Austen, who just happens to own the company that publishes the blog to shut her out. Fiona gives a jaunty wave and signs off. Kirsten should never have acted derisively towards Fiona.

Allegra Favreau (played by Minnie Driver) happens to find a manuscript of Fiona’s autobiographical book that was left behind on a plane. The publication of Fiona’s book is being postponed until after the election, but Allegra is a famous actress owing to her days as a child star on a T.V. series, and she wants to turn the book into a Lifetime movie in which she would play Fiona. Fiona flies to L.A. to take a few meetings.  Fiona and Allegra attend a party; Fiona knowing that Allegra is an alcoholic, urges Allegra to have a drink. Allegra get totally wasted, behaves disgracefully, and her career is over.  Don’t worry about Fiona. Lifetime still wants to do the movie, but with a different actress.  Allegra never should never have mocked Fiona for being uptight.

Finally, Gina, a sweet girl, with no skills, except , as she freely admits, “bedroom skills.” Gina has been going on job interviews, and during those interviews she talks about Fiona.  Fiona is none to happy to have Gina blabbing about her all over town so she tells Gina to stop looking for a job; she Fiona will get her a job.  Once again she turns to Austen and he provides her with a list of about a dozen jobs at his companies for Gina.  Does Fiona tell Gina about these jobs?  She does not.  Instead she tells Gina that there are no job openings except for one in Nome Alaska.  Gina does not want to go to Nome Alaska.  Fiona tells her that she will be the only woman in the whole town.  Gina now very much wants this job and is ready to leave immediately. Problem solved. For Fiona.  Gina’s problems might just be beginning. Gina should never have been blabbing Fiona’s secrets.

If you’re a woman, you don’t want to get entangled with Fiona.  And you definitely don’t want to go woman to woman with Fiona.

 

[This review covers two episodes from Season 2, “National Exposure” and “Adaption.” I entitled this review "Woman to Woman" because Kirsten Noble says those words to Fiona and that suggested the theme of this review.]

Picture Credit:  http://i4.ytimg.com/sh/wEkAE_CA0f8/showposter.jpg?v=4fe9d1e7