‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ follows the story of Toby as his life takes a new turn once he gets divorced from his wife. The series is now streaming on Hulu.
Story
Toby Fleishman wakes up to a new start as he has finally divorced his wife, Rachel, after 15 years of marriage. He is now dating new people and reuniting with his old friends again.
Just when Toby had started enjoying this single life again, he receives a text from Rachel suggesting that she has left urgently for a yoga retreat and, therefore, has dropped their kids at his apartment.
Toby is furious that she didn’t give him a heads-up earlier, but he somehow manages for the day. When she stays absent for a very long time, he starts wondering what is up with her.
He imagines the worst, and during these times, his best friends, Libby and Seth, whom he has met after ages, help him while the show goes back in time to unravel how Rachel and Toby fell apart.
Performances
Jesse Eisenberg seems to be in his comfort zone as he plays Dr. Toby Fleishman. This is the kind of role that viewers have seen Eisenberg play before.
Nevertheless, the way Eisenberg expresses the angst and the feelings inside Toby, anyone would connect with him and empathize with him.
There are only a few scenes where Toby goes all savage, especially after going through a lot of trouble because of his wife. Eisenberg makes sure to live these savage moments, and viewers will themselves end up cheering for him.
Lizzy Caplan often takes the spotlight from Eisenberg as Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Slater-Epstein. Certainly, this show is just as much about Libby as it is about Toby.
Caplan shines in the final few episodes, where everything comes full circle for her character. She effectively captures Libby’s lost nature, and her expressions further address how Libby desperately wants to go back to her old life.
Claire Danes will initially get a lot of hate for her portrayal of Rachel. The show kind of paints her as the villain. Danes gets one episode dedicated to her, and she pours out the mess Rachel has been in, which is no less than Toby’s.
Positives
Though the show doesn’t really bring a new story and the plot feels like something heard before and done before, ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ is off to a great start as it wastes no time in turning Toby’s life around.
It’s more like: the worse things get for Toby, the more fun the show gets. Toward the end, the show retells how it’s important to form an opinion about someone only after hearing their side.
Overall, it connects these failed marriage stories of Rachel and Toby and of Libby and Adam, and all of this comes out quite naturally.
Negatives
‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ often jumps between the past and present. At times, it forgets to signal when a scenario is taking place. Thus, the viewers may sometimes find it hard to connect the dots.
The narration of the story is a bit over-expressive, leaving the viewers wondering what it really wants to suggest. The narration likes to hover around one thing to address a simple message.
Verdict
‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ shines owing to its impressive cast. When it comes to the story the show is telling, it has its ups and downs, but somehow it ends up being average at its best.
Also Read: Fleishman Is in Trouble season 1 episode 8 recap & review: The Liver
