Oh, Mama! There’s no denying that Apple TV’s adaptation of Rufi Thorpe’s novel, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, hits the ground running with its three-episode premiere event.
Whether it’s running to distract from some problematic assumptions about the characters or barrelling towards something narratively innovative is a question yet to be answered.
Taken as a trio, the premiere event manages to introduce the main players, paint an immersive sense of Margo’s challenges, and offer a potentially lucrative, if unorthodox, solution.
The Hungry Ghost
Margo’s Got Money Troubles Episode 1, “The Hungry Ghost,” foreshadows Margo’s future online persona, rooting it in a love poem her college prof, Mark Gable, sends her at the onset of their affair.
The series premiere establishes a lot about Margo’s approach to life. Just as she writes about herself in the third person, she lives her life as a non-participant, making choices with a detached, narrow perspective, only to be surprised by the inevitable consequences.
Thinking ahead is clearly not her strong suit. Words pour out of her, but synecdoche and metaphor are ephemeral. There’s no piper to be paid for a well-turned phrase, or a poorly done one, for that matter.
Living through her pen, she distances herself from the grit and truth of her situation. When Gable recognizes her talent and, as she puts it, makes her fall in love with herself, it’s a new sensation, heady and intoxicating.
So when the realities of pregnancy and motherhood come home to roost, she discovers that real life is terribly sobering.
Ruined My Life So Pretty
Also sobering is how much of a loser Gable turns out to be. It’s fascinating how easily she lets go of the idea of “them,” realizing she’s never been that attached to — or in love with — him.
“The Hungry Ghost” turns out to be more apt than anyone thought or planned. In mythology, hungry ghosts are insatiable, constantly seeking something missing in their lives.
Despite her “fun” friendship with her mother, Shyanne, portrayed perfectly by Michelle Pfeiffer, we sense that Margo lacks a sense of connection in her life.
She sublimated that need into her writing, and, by some sort of transitive property, Mark.
But Baby Bodhi makes a connection for her, possibly for the first time. From the first ultrasound image and that whisper of a heartbeat, she wants him. It’s barely a choice.
Bodhi is 100% hers, and that’s the key.
All her life, Margo’s had to compete for attention. Both her father and Mark have legitimate first families. Her mother’s priority is herself. In Bodhi, Margo has someone who needs her as much as she needs him.
Homecoming
We learn more about Shyanne on Margo’s Got Money Troubles Episode 2, “Homecoming,” although it opens with Margo’s father, former professional wrestler Jinx, getting out of rehab.
Shyanne’s entire identity is a game of optics. She relies on her looks and style, and works hard to make and maintain the right impressions.
The only time we see her flustered or panicked is when her façade is threatened.
She worries that Kenny will judge her for Margo’s pregnancy. In Bloomingdale’s, she isn’t upset that Margo is upset; she’s furious that Margo is making a scene.
Margo: This is the world my baby deserves. The one I won’t come close to being able to afford.
Shyanne: Get up off the floor.
Margo: This is so wrong.
Shyanne: You are making a scene. Get yourself back off the floor, young lady. There are no victims in Bloomingdale’s
At yet, despite her superficial and self-centered nature, it’s clear that Shyanne wants to be better than she thinks she is.
All her skin creams and eyeliner finesses and various physical boosts compensate for some deep-rooted insecurities.
Even Kenny’s calm acceptance causes her anxiety. She doesn’t want to disappoint him, but can’t bring herself to be honest with him because she believes that he won’t love the real her.
After all, she believed Jinx was “the one” and, despite knowing the real her, he left her for his wife.
Huh, maybe Margo’s not the only hungry ghost around.
Jinxed
Of all the highly charged, emotional moments thrown at us throughout the three-episode premiere event, it’s the quiet hug on Margo’s Got Money Troubles Episode 3, “Jinxed,” that hit me hardest.
Nick Offerman‘s take on Jinx is a powerful mix of uber-masculinity and domestic mundanity. But his vulnerability in being honest about his rehab and recovery does me in.
Margo is understandably cautious about letting him into her and Bodhi’s lives. Equally understandably, Shyanne is livid.
But Margo’s way of navigating life is what drives this series. At every crossroads, she chooses the more chaotic option.
Her saving virtue is that her heart guides her at all times.
Even when making logical choices, like accepting a payout from Gable’s mother in the form of a trust fund for Bodhi that she’ll never be able to touch, she feels first and deals with reality later.
Definitely Fans
Billed as a comedy-drama series — seriously, what is that even? — Margo’s Got Money Troubles does that thing Apple TV does so well: present real-life as something extraordinary.
Parents will identify with the terror of bringing home a newborn, faced with the daunting task of keeping them alive. The show pulls no punches about the seemingly endless physical changes and exhausting obligations.
To be fair, despite some prolific presentation of body parts and bodily fluids, they still Hollywood-up a significant portion of parenting for narrative pacing.
I mean, no one puts a just-fed newborn down without a burp or a diaper change. No wonder he has colic.
Without having read the source material for Margo’s internal reasoning, I’m impressed with how quickly she pivots from in-office job interviews to offering Pokémon reviews of random penises.
Also, excellent pitch.
Targets a specific demographic, using nostalgic brand recognition and building on an established canon.
Also, fun and innovative. No notes.
Considering how worked up Shyanne got over how Kenny might feel about Margo’s unplanned pregnancy, her daughter’s new gig on OnlyFans might tip her over the edge.
Feed the Ghost
So what’s your take on Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Fanatics? Are you tuning in because you loved the novel? Or did the amazing cast catch your eye?
For fans of The Great, did you ever think Elle Fanning would star in two shows where peeing on stuff (on-screen) to see if she’s pregnant would be central?
Pin your thoughts to our comments section below! Who were your VIPs this round?
What’s the over-under on Gable or one of Kenny’s parishioners subscribing to @iamhungryghost?
Will OnlyFans prove to be her finishing move or just a sprawl?
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