Work In Progress - General Discussion

[Primetimer]

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Abby is a 45-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke whose misfortune and despair unexpectedly lead her to a vibrantly transformative relationship. Chicago improv mainstay Abby McEnany co-created and stars in this uniquely human comedy series, premiering Sunday December 8, 2019 on Showtime.

Primetimer's Mark Blankenship has this preview:

https://www.primetimer.com/features/work-in-progress-has-the-potential-to-be-must-watch-tv

[msrachelj]

Anyone else watch this? I liked it, it’s different. Hope they delve more into the living with depression aspect. 

[portergirl99]

Watched it. Loved it! Cannot wait for the next episode.  So refreshing and crazy and awesome and hilarious and dark and dear and thought provoking. Loved!

[msrachelj]

On 12/11/2019 at 3:03 PM, portergirl99 said:

Watched it. Loved it! Cannot wait for the next episode.  So refreshing and crazy and awesome and hilarious and dark and dear and thought provoking. Loved!

Wanna bet it doesn’t last? It’s much too good compared to most of the crap on tv.  😞

[sheetmoss]

I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Can't wait to see where it's going...

[Harvey]

Excuse me. Herpes IS a big deal!!!!

The moment when the driver shared he has it too was  genuinely sweet though. They had a real moment, even if it was short-lived.

[msrachelj]

I'm confused by the sex and identity stuff. Abby is a lesbian but she is seeing a man who was born a woman and is transitioning. I believe he now has a penis but hasn't had top surgery yet. So , Abby isn't a lesbian if she had sex  with a man? Sorry , it's just a lot to figure out in the last few years. Abby (shy?) just seems so out of her element with the new boyfriend who is opposite of shy and the people at that party. I'm all for what ever sex you are is fine, but the person with the ears, that makes me almost sad that they felt the need to do that. 

[lovett1979]

5 hours ago, msrachelj said:

I'm confused by the sex and identity stuff. Abby is a lesbian but she is seeing a man who was born a woman and is transitioning. I believe he now has a penis but hasn't had top surgery yet. So , Abby isn't a lesbian if she had sex  with a man? Sorry , it's just a lot to figure out in the last few years. Abby (shy?) just seems so out of her element with the new boyfriend who is opposite of shy and the people at that party. I'm all for what ever sex you are is fine, but the person with the ears, that makes me almost sad that they felt the need to do that. 

Regarding Abby's sexual orientation, she says she's a "queer dyke" and when one of her lesbian friends questions her dating a trans man, she reacts like his inclusion in her list of partners fits into her orientation without issue.

According to a 2011 survey, quoted in a Vox.com article, 72% of trans men said they don't ever want "bottom surgery." If Chris hasn't been able to afford top surgery yet (which is much simpler than bottom), it is highly unlikely that he has had, or even wants it. Also, in his text conversation with Abby while they were in the second Lyft, he says he prefers terms like "hole" rather than more gendered terms (like "p***y, " etc), which I think is pretty conclusive regarding what genitals he has.

Don't feel bad about asking questions. The gender/genital binary is so ingrained in our culture. It's the first thing said about us when we are born, it's one of the first things we learn and understand about people (girls have a..., boys have a...). It's very hard to unlearn that. I recently had 400 replies calling me an idiot when I commented on a FB article that some people who menstruate are not women (i.e. people like Chris).

[Harvey]

The scene between Abby and her asian co-worker was just hilarious. I wish we got to see more of her. The way they play off-of each other is amazing.

Abby's meltdown in the end of the episode was quite uncomfortable to watch, but the girl in the weelchair made a good point.

[Caseysgirl]

I have to admit, I find little to enjoy about Abby. If I knew her in real life she would be a little much to be with, just saying. Glad for her that she seems to have friends and a lover and now a television series.

[Harvey]

LoL. It was hilarious when the guy said he got a new tattoo and the woman instantly knew it was going to be a chinese symbol.

Abby needs to change her phone wallpaper it's weird that it's still her dead therapist staring at her.

[Jadzia]

So far my favorite episode was the one where Abby spent the entire episode bemoaning how people treat her like a man who doesn't belong in the women's restroom and then the first thing she does after passing out in one is to yell at her trans boyfriend: "This is the women's room! You don't belong here!"

Edited January 16, 2020 by Jadzia

[Harvey]

Chris's freakout when Abby finally told him about the dead name situation was so out of character and forced. It made me cringe.

I continue loving Abby's asian co-worker. She is such a bundle of sunshine. Can we get a spin-off starring her?

[Harvey]

Abby's unrelenting selfishness in this episode was really surprising. She kept acting like a pathetic wounded little puppy expecting people to pity her and give her what she wants, but everyone sees through the act already.

[Harvey]

This has been renewed for season 2, but unlike season 1, it will have 2 more episodes: 10!

https://deadline.com/2020/01/work-in-progress-renewed-season-2-showtime-abby-mcenany-1202828565/

 

[msrachelj]

Surprised it got renewed. She is such an unlikable character at this point she really needs to find another therapist.

[For Cereals]

I’m trying to be sympathetic, but she is exhausting.  Maybe they’ll eventually get to it, but I’d like to know where all the psychosis comes from.

[Harvey]

The first 2 episodes of season 2 are out now.

So far it's more ineresting than season 1 was, I like how they are exploring her childhood.

[hatchetgirl]

So good. I just love this show. I could watch it for hours.

[Glade]

Just watched ep 4 I'm really not liking season 2; I miss when Chris was one of the main characters, they brought something vital.  And I hate Campbell, and think she's a poor influence on Abby, who is really not growing on me either. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Glade

[AngieBee1]

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And I hate Campbell, and think she's a poor influence on Abby,

 I love Campbell and her friendship with Abby, though I do see that side of Campbell which is selfish and wants to keep Abby to herself and their circle.  S2 it seems fine because now what Abby is out of a relationship and Campbell is in her grief they're relying on each other. The real test will be with Abby gets back onto the dating scene or when she's ready to stand up to Campbell and put up perimeters for their friendship.

[BucFan]

The scene on the tour bus with the water guns literally made me laugh out loud 🤣🤣

[hatchetgirl]

Just watched episode 5. Oh wow! I do think Matty needs to be Abby's therapist. Lol I love that she didn't faint and pulled everyone's shit together. Seeing the murmuring of the pandemic took me right back to March 2020 and it definitely affected me more than I realized. 

[Glade]

I loved the dynamic between Abby and Matty so much!  I'm glad that "gender" (you don't see gender on an ultrasound, just a penis or no penis) reveal party crashed and burned, Abby's boss did not deserve better then that.  It was chilling to see the dawn of the pandemic playing out on screen.  Overall, this was great, and my fav episode of the season thus far.

[heatherchandler]

Detective Goren!

[heatherchandler]

Is anyone else watching?  I think the show is pretty good although I didn't love the last episode.

[hatchetgirl]

I just finished episode 8. So good. I cried when Abby had to leave Travis' apartment. That was heartbreaking. There is so much left unsettled about the pandemic and BLM. I feel like I survived but haven't faced any of it and that's exactly what I was watching.

Edited October 2, 2021 by hatchetgirl
Add stuff

[chediavolo]

I like this show a lot better last season. I don’t know why but it just seems so different now

I’m not enjoying it at all just gonna watch till the end. 

[Glade]

I liked the last episode; I was waiting all season for Chris to come back and for them to get closure, so that was rewarding, and it's great that Abby finally got a new therapist and Julia renounced Pat for good.  Overall, I strongly preferred the first season, and really disliked these last few episodes that focused on Abby's father/her family. 

[Corgi-ears]

Yeah, add me to the camp that much prefers Season 1, and even found Season 2 to be a different show. For much of this season, I felt rather guilty about feeling this way. Part of what made Season 1 so compelling for me was the season long arc, not just in terms of her relationship with Chris, but of Abby counting down her almonds. It was incredibly dark but funny. In Season 2, it was nice to see Abby mostly without strong suicide ideations, and generally doing better in terms of mental health. So I felt bad and wondered if my feelings boiled down to, "This show was more entertaining when Abby -- possibly both the character and the creator -- was...um...suffering?"

But I think it was also a matter of tone. Many of Season 2's early episodes seem to have a tone of forced joviality? There seemed like there were a lot of parties, gatherings, "adventures," etc. where Abby interacted with people like she was doing a Catskills routine. I can't speak to whether this would have been emotionally accurate, but it at least made the show feel like it was about a different character, or at least a character who should be more removed in time than the one we saw in Season 1. Indeed, at about the midway point of the season, I started to wonder if there was some twist coming, whereby it would be revealed that the Abby we saw at these gatherings was just Abby's imagination of how she should be behaving, or wished she was behaving, at parties, etc. (This wasn't completely crazy on my part, since the season had a lot of "Abby sees and talks to younger/alternative versions of herself.")

I'm still glad this show is on TV, and Abby is like no other character. But yeah, bumpy season.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Corgi-ears

[For Cereals]

I like this season much better than the first.  I like the change in tone and how Abby is working through everything. I’m sure there will be a setback at some point and it will be interesting to see how they navigate that. I loved the Matty episode and Hey Dad (‘cause dad issues).

[BetterButter]

Work In Progress and Black Monday both canceled at Showtime