(Ted wasn’t religious.) The “to-may-to, to-mah-to” of these two is clear when Judy points out that it was the last place Ted got to be alive, but Jen counters with the truth that it’s also the first place he got to be dead. Jen hates the entire roadside scene, especially the Cross. Of the many complicated relationship dynamics in Dead to Me, the most compelling remains this friendship between two people who see the world in fundamentally different ways. Admittedly, some of the beats feel forced, but the strong cast and clever writing bring it together, and it’s nice to get a glimpse of how grief is impacting people other than Jen and Judy.Īn opening scene set at a roadside shrine further clarifies the differences between Judy and Jen. Always the more distant of Charlie and Henry’s parents, Jen has been struggling to fill a role that seems like it came more naturally to her spouse. The start of the second half of the first season of Dead to Me opens with a solid episode that reveals how poorly Jen has been faring as a mother since her husband passed away … and takes a few digs at how she mothered when Ted was alive, too.
