Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
In season one, Mindy asks the office if she’s too picky and Beverly says: “you wouldn’t go out with my son just because he was MY son.”
The show largely blew past this comment, the same way that it blew past the fact that Bev always wears Mindy’s old clothes, or that time Beverly got recognized in the jail as Susan, implying a shady past and possibly witness protection.
In last week’s episode, we got to finally meet Beverly’s son! Not the one she wanted to set up with Mindy in the first season though, another one. This son comes in the form of a fantastic guest spot from Yassir Lester (RIP Making History), who she abandoned when he was a baby at a jazzercise studio and left with nothing but a cassette tape of her voice.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
Mindy is the first to spot Beverly’s son Adam outside their building. She and Jeremy ask if they can help him because he’s so handsome and it all snowballs into a lunch invite from Mindy that he accepts. Min think this is a date but for Adam it’s just a reckon mission into finding Beverly. He keeps asking about everyone at her office, not just the doctors but the nurses or the receptionists. Mindy doesn’t get why he’s asking about anyone but her so she invites him to Anna & Jeremy’s party that night so he can meet everyone.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
This is the first of Jeremy’s parties that everyone is attending. He’s so not used to this support from his coworkers that when he sees they all RSVPd yes, he assumed they’re about to prank him and yells at them a little bit. They literally have to reassure him that everyone loves Meryl and they’re all excited about he & Anna’s housewarming.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
At the party, everyone has brought their costume A game. Karen is dressed as Devil Wears Prada Meryl, Collette came as Doubt Meryl, Anna is Out Of Africa, Tamra is smokin’ as Death Becomes Her, Morgan came as his favourite movie, Ricki & The Flash, Jeremy is Florence Foster Jenkins (and has 2 more costume changes), and Mindy is Julia Child Meryl. The costumes are just so good you guys, Sal Perez really outdid himself here by putting everyone’s outfit together perfectly!
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
So at this party, David goes up to Beverly, reveals that he’s her son, and plays the cassette tape she left for him. See this is the reason we all keep our old walkman around, for when we need to play a tape for our estranged mom who abandoned us as a baby. Anyway, Bev hears this and freaks out and runs out of the party, overshadowing Jeremy’s first costume change. Still thinking that she and Adam are dating, Mindy consoles him and tells him to come back to the office the next day, to sort things out with Beverly.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
At Shulman, they all confront Beverly, telling her to be cool and meet this guy whose her flesh and blood. She finally agrees because she’d rather have kin smother her with a pillow on her death bed than any rando. Mindy and Jeremy give her a makeover and coach her on safe subjects before sending her into the room with David. The meeting goes extremely well. Jer & Min are spying from outside the door (and Jeremy is ignoring his patient in labour) and they see them hug and get hella proud of themselves. On his way out though, David realizes his wallet is missing.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
Now this, this is where Beth Grant gets to flex her incredible acting muscles and deliver an incredible performance. Mindy finds Beverly in the courtyard looking at David’s wallet. They have a real heart to heart, Mindy reminding Bev that she’s a good person, she’s the one that gave her advice when she was scared of leaving Danny, the one that took her keys at the Christmas party, and the one who hung out with her on her birthday back in season 1 when her friends got her terrible presents. Beverly doesn’t usually get to say more than one line or serve as comic relief but in this scene with Mindy, it’s incredible to see what Beth Grant can do and lovely to see the layers there are to Beverly. She shows such vulnerability and softness, the parts of her usually hidden away.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
After this pep-talk from Mindy, Beverly returns David’s wallet and they say a lovely heartfelt goodbye, He even gives her a picture of him so she doesn’t have to steal his stuff anymore. Bev promises to visit him, his wife, and his two kids in Long Island, and Mindy realizes that he’s hella married and they were never dating. It ends with Beverly stealing Mindy’s purse, because she may have brushed her hair, wore bright colours and talked about Christmas, but she’s still Beverly.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
While all this is happening, Jody and Morgan are off in the B plot, showing some real growth. It all starts when one of Jody’s patients (Beth Grant’s IRL daughter & Star Trek star Mary Chieffo) leaves him because he gave her a patronizing lecture when she asked about an IUD. Jody tracks down this “cool downtown doctor” that she left him for and finds Dr. Mary Hernandez (hiiiiii Ana Ortiz!) at the downtown free clinic (ranked best women’s healthcare in the city!) Jody starts out being annoying and racist, as per usual. When he sees Anna at the costume party (she went to Harvard with Dr. Z) and gets rejected by her because he sucks, Jody decides to whip out the old mobile medical unit and show her up.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
THE VAN IS BACK! With Mindy’s sneezing face and ill it’s glory. Morgan and Jody drive it down to the clinic and start giving out free healthcare to those women, including birth control, IUD’s, antibiotics, pap smears, and more. By the end of the day, Jody actually feels great for having helped all those women and asks Dr. Hernandez if he can come back every week! She appreciated the help – her clinic is waaaay busy all the time – so of course she accepts, if Morgan promises to use their bathroom less.
There you have it, Jody Kimball Kinney may become less gross by the end of the season, but honestly Dr. Hernandez deserves better so let’s not make that a thing.
Vivian Zink / Universal Television / Hulu
There are only 5 episodes left after this one, 4 if you exclude the one already streaming on Hulu, so savour them and check back here next week for more fangirling.
Who played Beverly’s son?