The Comeback Recap: Rome Is Burning

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Many shows might have made Valerie Cherish, the character in The Comeback, into an over-the-top villain. But the show does something more realistic: it portrays her as someone deeply flawed, but relatable, who often lets her insecurity get in the way. In the first two seasons, her self-focus caused her to overlook the feelings of those she cared about. However, she showed real growth with a selfless act at the end of season two. This season, we’re seeing a more mature Val. Now, the obstacles she faces are less about her own mistakes and more about the problems caused by the people around her. This change in direction makes the new episodes of The Comeback really engaging, even if the overall story isn’t always clear.

The filming of the How’s That?! pilot in the episode “Valerie Does It All” highlights a problem I have with the season’s portrayal of AI. The audience is shown a cold open where Beth’s comment about feeling unstable after a small accident is met with silence. The writers then try to punch up the joke, but Josh, the human writer, stubbornly defends his line and resists changes. Even suggestions to improve it fall flat. Ultimately, they use a line generated by AI – “Well, I guess those ants were termites.” While not hilarious, it’s noticeably better than what Josh came up with. I understand The Comeback isn’t trying to prove AI can write good sitcoms, and I don’t need the show to agree with my own feelings about the technology. However, I’m unclear what we’re supposed to conclude from this scene, especially considering the previous week showed Val and Jimmy liking an AI-written scene that Josh found too sappy. The show seems unsure whether AI is dangerous because it’s too good, or because it’s simply not good enough.

The show finally hits on a key issue with AI in a particularly strong scene. After finishing reshoots, Jimmy tells Val he’s quitting as director. He believes the show can’t be truly great without human writers. He admits the AI is quick and easy to work with, but points out that both he and Val could predict every joke it generated. Real surprises, he argues, come from the messy, collaborative process of writers pushing each other to create better material. The experienced director explains that brilliant, unexpected work comes from the unique perspective of writers who channel their own struggles into their art. While the episode as a whole satirizes the limits of AI, Jimmy’s sincere farewell perfectly captures the show’s point: flawed humanity will always be superior to machines. Lisa Kudrow delivers a stunning performance, reacting with visible pain to Jimmy’s words, especially given her respect for him. When Jimmy explains he leaves projects he doesn’t enjoy, Val jokingly asks if she’s not fun, and it’s a genuinely emotional moment. Jimmy clarifies the problem isn’t her, but the show itself, adding that it could have been a career-defining role for her. It’s a painful realization, and Kudrow deserves an Emmy for her portrayal.

Watching the show within a show is getting tough! While Val was doing reshoots, Mark was out getting drunk with a doorman he’s trying to be friends with, and then he came home and… wow, it was painful to watch him try to get Val’s attention. He kept calling her ‘Mrs. Berman,’ which was just weird and seemed like him trying to act like he’s still in charge. He even admitted he didn’t like this new phase of things, and honestly, same! Val wasn’t having it, though – she was too busy reading the script for the next episode of How’s That?! and realizing how messed up it was. At the table read, she immediately called out all the problems: barely any of the main cast, a random new character named Nathan Drake, and the biggest mystery – why is Beth in jail?! The new director, Brian, was completely unhelpful, suggesting they just build the jail set and see what happens! Val was right to freak out – it made no sense to spend money on a set for a plot point that didn’t exist, and as executive producer, she needed to say something. There was this really clever shot of crew members carrying a piece of the jail set, and it briefly looked like Val was actually in the jail – it was a perfect visual metaphor! It’s like, by letting things go forward despite all the warning signs, she’s trapped herself in a mess of her own making.

Val meets Evan, the tech expert trying to fix issues with the AI, Al. He explains the current problem is an ‘AI hallucination’ – basically, the program got confused and invented things. In this case, Al misinterpreted a joke Beth made in the first episode about her brother and ended up putting the character in jail, then bizarrely added Nathan Drake, a character from the Uncharted video game series (played by Tom Holland in the recent film, which, despite its success, feels strangely unreal). Val realizes the system glitch has created an episode that’s impossible to film, and she’s also dealing with complaints from the other actors. P.D.P. points out his only scene involves baking a file into a cake, jokingly asking if the show has become a cartoon. The AI storyline feels like a stretch, not because Al would create something so silly, but because no one except Val seems to recognize it as a serious problem. The show seems to be highlighting how all the responsibility is falling on Val, and this is reinforced when she tries to get Billy’s help, only to find he’s busy with a Variety photoshoot. Now, it’s entirely up to Val to get a new script from the writers.

Valerie was disappointed with the meeting at the writers’ office. Mary admitted that she and Josh were only there to supervise Al and give the project a bit of legitimacy – they weren’t actually going to write anything. While it seemed likely, Valerie hadn’t realized that, and it still left the problem of a flawed second episode unsolved. No one who could help was available or interested. Frustrated, Valerie threatened to contact the studio, but Mary refused to help. She bluntly stated she wouldn’t help Al improve, explaining she didn’t want to contribute to something that could harm her profession. They took the job for the potential long-term income, but now she didn’t even care if the show succeeded. In fact, Mary seemed to want the show to fail, ending the conversation with a dramatic wish for complete disaster. Abbi Jacobson’s performance was impressively harsh, and her sarcastic delivery of “How’s that?!” to Valerie was particularly unsettling.

Okay, things are seriously bad. I found Billy at this shoot for older actors and told him it’s way worse than we thought – apparently, this woman isn’t here to help us, she’s actively rooting for the show to fail! Billy pretended to be concerned, but honestly, it felt pretty half-hearted. I asked him to call the studio, but he just wanted me to explain everything perfectly so he didn’t have to lift a finger. Turns out, he just recorded me ranting and sent it to NuNet to get them involved instead! I’m so frustrated with Billy – he gets more awful every week, and the worst I could even say to him was that he’s letting me down and not being a team player. Jane said it best: “That was completely disturbing. What is his problem?” But Valerie, ever the pro, is already trying to stay positive. She’s realizing she’s going to have to do everything herself to save this show, and she’s saying things like, “Sometimes it just falls to me, and that’s okay. I love a challenge!” Honestly, she’s going to need that attitude, because I really don’t think Brandon Wollack is going to come through for us.

Give Her Another Take

This week’s episode wasn’t packed with laughs, but Billy had a really funny line about how nobody checks voicemails anymore – he said to just send him a voice memo instead, and it actually made me laugh out loud.

• I also love that Mary is writing Inside Out 6: Riley Loses Her Virginity.

I might be a bit childish, but I couldn’t help laughing at Josh’s prosthetic leg being so noticeable when he wore those short shorts, and Val’s reaction to it. It also made me wonder if there’s something going on between Josh and his trainer – Mary seemed uncomfortable when her husband’s workout partner was brought up.

One joke that fell flat in the writers’ room involved the assistant filming a TikTok video. It felt like an easy and uninspired stereotype about Gen Z, similar to the way Patience pretended to be sick to avoid work.

I enjoyed the storyline where Mark makes friends with the building staff because he’s in a tough spot. However, I didn’t think it was very funny when Fernando tried to pick a fight with the opening act during the show’s recording.

Will we ever get a new episode of Finance Dudes? This week, the show reveals Mark might lose his job, leading Valerie to propose filming with him. She also tells Billy to avoid criticizing Mark – hopefully, she isn’t reading these summaries!

What really stood out to me was the scene with the overhead camera showing Val repeatedly practicing a line, and getting sidetracked by snacks. It’s exactly the kind of relatable, lighthearted moment I want to unwind with after a tiring day.

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2026-04-13 06:56