Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Episode 4.10 "Kimmy Finds a Liar!"
Kimmy discovers that Fran Dodd is posing as the author of her book. Jacqueline sets Titus up in a fake relationship with a celebrity.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. Premieres and finales may feature longer reviews. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
"Kimmy Finds a Liar!" was written by Grace Edwards & Leila Strachan and directed by Maggie Carey
Are people capable of change? That's the question that Kimmy is asking here. The people in her life have certainly changed because of her friendship. Of course, Titus and Jacqueline are still very self-involved while Lillian is still a kooky individual. However, they have much more care and consideration for the world. Plus, they have made serious advances in improving their lives. Kimmy is even trying to make the world a better place with her children's book. And now, it seems like her book has made an impact. She just doesn't know whether to believe it or not. Fran Dodd was a men's rights activist she has run into previously in this season. And now, she doesn't believe he has changed simply because he has found love. That would be too simple. Plus, it would seem like he is only becoming a decent guy because of this woman. He has to be good and decent when no one is really watching or caring about him. And yet, he absolutely is on the path towards self-improvement. Kimmy accepts that in the end because she realizes that despite all of the progress she has made over the years she is still struggling to be a better person as well. She is still traumatized by flashbacks to the bunker which seem to control some of her actions. It's absolutely ridiculous to watch her go to the bathroom in a plastic pumpkin. It's even more hilarious that the audience doesn't even see the memory that haunts her because of it. But that's a very telling moment as well because it keeps everyone in the moment of how much things have changed right now. Kimmy tries to resist the impulse only to succumb to that temptation once more. As such, she is very forgiving and understanding of Fran and his desire to change. He wants to be better even when he is being ridiculed for having a woman's name. That no longer bothers him even though he is still terrified that Kimmy will punch him whenever she shows up. He didn't even steal her book on purpose. This was all just an innocent mistake. Kimmy can maintain complete ownership over this story. This is the path she wishes to pursue moving forward. She wants to hire Jacqueline as her agent. But she also comes to realize that that isn't enough. There is still so much she wants to do. She shouldn't hold herself back anymore. Now, this feels like the characters also knowing that the series is coming to an end and should no longer feel the need to be set in a certain status quo. As such, Kimmy can entertain the thought of quitting her job and traveling around the world. She is only given the suggestion to wait a week before doing so. All of this also nicely ties into the story between Lillian and Artie's daughter, Sheba. It holds so much emotional resonance because Lillian is trying to pass down the lesson that Sheba isn't so different from her father after all. She just has to stop blaming the world for her problems. As soon as she starts taking some responsibility over her life, things will drastically improve for her. That's exactly what occurs here as well even though it's delightful to see both of them hire people just to prove a point. And finally, Titus has yet to learn his lesson about trying to win Mikey back by deceiving him. That's not going to work out for him. Sure, it's still inevitable that the show will end with the two of them together again. As such, there isn't a whole lot of tension and uncertainty regarding this proposal. However, it's still devastating to Titus because he never thought it would be difficult to beat Andrew for Mikey's love. He does come him Blandrew after all.
