The Comeback Recap: Communication Breakdown

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Let’s start with the good news: we finally got a glimpse of the Mrs. Hatt segment, and it was as charming as expected! Val playing the gardener-turned-detective and playfully suspecting guest star Paul Dooley of murder? That alone would make me want to watch! However, my overall impression of “Valerie’s Home Alone” isn’t as positive. It’s the weakest episode of the season so far, and it’s starting to feel like the third season of The Comeback isn’t working as well as the first two. It could be due to Michael Patrick King’s involvement, coming right after And Just Like That… Or maybe showing the entertainment industry struggling is just too depressing. Either way, the humor isn’t landing, and the emotional moments aren’t resonating either.

Despite its recent flaws, The Comeback is still a strong show, largely due to Valerie Cherish and Lisa Kudrow’s excellent performance. Even in a weaker episode, there are enjoyable moments – and it’s not just the Mrs. Hatt segment. The episode begins with Val preparing for a Zoom meeting when Mark unexpectedly announces he’s going to Burning Man. Her argument that “grandfathers don’t go to Burning Man” doesn’t deter him, but they share a touching goodbye (“don’t die, please, the show is doing well”) before her meeting starts. During the call, Arbor and Ridley are unimpressed with Val’s suggestions to get Evan into the WGA or her new ad campaign idea. When she proposes Beth as a waving flag on the B&B roof, the NuNet team’s silence is telling. Ridley then reveals the actual How’s That?! ad: an AI-generated image of Val’s head on Diane Lane’s body from Under the Tuscan Sun. Valerie’s enthusiastic reaction – “I don’t know why everyone’s so afraid of AI” – is a worrying sign of things to come.

Before getting to that, a bigger problem is brewing: Val and Billy’s relationship is falling apart, and he’s asked her to discuss their issues. But when Val goes to his office for a private conversation, she’s surprised to find cameras and a couples therapist, David Berkus, waiting for them. Billy is producing a pilot for David’s show, and he’s filming their conversation for the episode. He casually mentions how popular couples therapy content is right now. Honestly, it’s clear Billy is more interested in himself than in actually resolving things with Val, and I’m just waiting for her to end things. She’s reluctant to discuss their problems on camera for his pilot, pointing out his hypocrisy – he films everything else, but not when it would help her. While Billy complains, the camera conveniently focuses on some obviously fake artwork behind him. Val quickly shuts down the conversation, explaining she has a crucial color timing meeting that she needs to handle herself because Billy hasn’t been responding to emails or voicemails.

Val had to miss rehearsal to cover for Billy, and she apologized to the cast the next day. But that wasn’t the only thing bothering them. Walter voiced the feeling that something wasn’t being discussed about how the show was being made, hinting at a previous bad experience with a star trying to control things – a situation sparked by Val getting the showrunners and costumer fired. Then, Val casually asked if this was another show using AI, and the cast of How’s That?! realized their lines were written by artificial intelligence. Initially upset about being kept in the dark and worried about the association with AI, the conversation quickly turned into a bashing of writers. P.D.P. pointed out that the lack of writers was actually the reason the atmosphere had been so enjoyable, calling writers “dicks” and “bitter people,” a sentiment Walter echoed. It felt strangely quick for the cast to embrace this negativity – perhaps a commentary on actorly self-importance, though the show usually offers more depth. It was also ironic to hear them criticize writers on a season where more writing support could have been helpful. (Season three credits Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow as the sole writers, a departure from previous seasons.)

This episode reaches a critical point as Val and Billy attempt to resolve their problems with David Berkus during a recording of the “Cherish the Time” podcast. Their session is disrupted by Perry, Jane’s girlfriend, who is worried after not hearing from Jane for several days. Jane has also quit her job at Trader Joe’s to fully concentrate on her documentary. Perry confronts Jane about making poor choices, a sentiment that seems to apply to many characters this season. Val advises Jane to be honest with Perry, but Billy warns her against discussing the documentary’s AI focus due to a non-disclosure agreement. Jane then reveals she never actually signed an NDA. Billy, understandably worried about the show’s future, overreacts by having security escort Jane away from the studio, accusing her of betraying Valerie just like she did on “The Comeback.” Jane insists this isn’t about Valerie, but about exposing the dangers of AI. She argues that people deserve to know how AI threatens jobs, not just in traditional industries, but even in entertainment. The episode ends with a powerful warning about AI and leaves the audience wondering if this is the last they’ll see of Jane, a character whose growing connection with Valerie has been a highlight of the season, especially after Mickey’s departure.

Honestly, I’m a little shocked by how Tommy’s story seems to just…end. The whole episode was filled with him clearly crushing on Frank – all these unwanted shoulder rubs, getting way too close when he talked, and just awkward compliments. Then Frank asks Val to come on as an executive producer, and she has to gently tell Tommy to stop bothering Frank. He tries to play it off like he was just trying to help Frank relax, saying he’s been doing this for actors since WKRP in Cincinnati (which, Val rightly points out, ended decades ago!). Then, out of nowhere, Tommy quits! He tells Val it stopped being fun and became a job, and he’s too old for all the drama. It felt like a really clumsy way to write him off the show, if that’s what’s happening. Before he left, he had a total meltdown at Frank, saying it’s always the gays who bring people down, and that gays even hate other gays! I did get a chuckle out of his list of straight actors who apparently loved his shoulder rubs – John Stamos, Steven Weber, Mark Linn-Baker – but the scene mostly just felt unpleasant. It’s a pretty sad exit for a character who never really got to shine outside of being Mickey’s brother. The best part, though, was Val’s deadpan delivery of “So, I told him,” to a completely stunned Frank after Tommy stormed off.

Val is facing a major crisis, having lost both Jane and Tommy, and now news has leaked that her sitcom, How’s That?!, was written by AI. The revelation, sparked by an anonymous tip, has caused a huge backlash online, with many writers publicly blaming Val. One TikTok user, a struggling comedy writer, directly criticized her. NuNet, the company behind the show, remains silent, leaving Val to frantically reach out to Arbor, admitting things have gone terribly wrong. It’s putting viewers in a difficult position – should we sympathize with Val? While she did try to hire human writers and was told the show had WGA approval (though she likely ignored red flags), this is the first time it’s hard to support her. She’s right to question why she’s being seen as the villain, as NuNet is ultimately responsible. However, as the public face of the show, she enthusiastically adopted AI technology, knowing it could harm writers and the entertainment industry. If this were happening in real life, I wouldn’t be joining the online hate mob, but I’d likely be supporting the angry posts – and that feels wrong.

It’s clear the show is deliberately creating conflict, often by making us question characters we like. However, in this episode, that strategy undermines the emotional impact of a key scene. We see Val discover that someone leaked information about her AI sitcom, How’s That?!, and she quickly suspects Paulie G, who was upset about not getting a job. Even if Val is partly to blame for the leak, the consequences are serious. She dramatically tells her husband Mark in a voicemail that she was right about AI being the problem and that Hollywood is turning against her. While there’s truth to her feelings, it’s frustrating to see her in this situation. The episode ends with Mark returning home early from Burning Man to comfort Valerie, and he cries while holding her. This moment should be powerful, but Mark has been so difficult throughout the season that his support feels insincere. Ultimately, despite really liking Valerie and feeling bad for her, it’s hard to ignore that she created this mess herself.

Give Her Another Take

I haven’t been very complimentary about this episode, or the season overall, but everything hinges on how well the show wraps things up. I’m still optimistic, especially because Lisa Kudrow is involved!

Patience, similar to Tommy, doesn’t feel like a fully developed character, but I’m amused by the creative ways she gets hurt each episode. This time, she wonders, “I just don’t know how a bee got in my breakfast sandwich.”

A funny moment happens when Val is filming a scene where she’s meant to say “there’s a leak” to activate a water spray. She later uses the same line about the AI story becoming public, and actually gets sprayed in the face. It’s a lighthearted bit, reminiscent of the show Comeback, and provides a welcome break from the episode’s serious mood, even if it feels a little random.

Okay, so it turns out Mark isn’t just giving Valerie the cold shoulder. He’s also estranged from Francesca, and the reason is pretty judgmental – he doesn’t like her husband. Honestly, after seeing all of this, I’m really hoping the season wraps up with Mark getting some serious help – like, intensive therapy level help. He clearly needs it.

• Valerie keeps ordering Mulberry Street pizza. Taste!

• Do you think Reese Witherspoon is watching The Comeback? She might learn something.

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2026-04-27 07:56