‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’ Recap: ‘Living the Dream’ & ‘New Tricks’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘Living the Dream’

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’.
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Whenever times of great strife arrive in our lives, we find ourselves extremely worried and rightfully so. Because we know that our emotions are going to be on a rollercoaster while we deal with our problems and if they become overwhelming… well there is a chance that we might collapse emotionally and mentally and what will become of us then? Because then we will miss work, and we won't be able to pay our bills or our mortgage/rent and putting food on the table will be a difficult venture as well. But thankfully during times of strife, the primal instincts that we carry within us from days gone by, kick in and something quite amazing happens. In that, our brains shift into an ‘automatic’ mode of sorts, one where our emotions are quickly turned off so that we can function with minimal fuss.

Which really is manna from heaven, since we can do what we must in order to keep the cash rolling in and perhaps the best part about this survival mode, is that when the time comes for our disaster to end… our brains know to turn ‘auto pilot’ off so we can process and deal with the pain and trauma we just experienced, allowing for us to heal and grow. But while that is how the end of difficult times occurs for most of us, it is important to recognize that not everyone gets that bittersweet ending. Because for some, their lives are filled with struggle and strife on a consistent basis and that does leave one to wonder… what the human mind does when it is forced to keep survival mode going and it just so happens, that the brand-new AMC series, Kevin Can F**k Himself, takes the time to explore that unfortunate aspect of life in the most unique manner possible.

For this particular show, introduces us to Allison McRoberts and well, she lives in quite the unique world. Because it would seem that Allison is a character in an unnamed sitcom, one where she has to constantly deal with the idiotic machinations of her irritating sitcom husband, Kevin. And while that’s nothing groundbreaking in the slightest, it is what happens when Kevin is not on the room that makes this series and its opening two chapters of note. Because ‘Living the Dream’ and ‘New Tricks’ shows us what life is like for the characters when the cameras and laugh tracks aren’t present and well, life is not good for Allison once that happens. Because she is simply miserable through and through and can’t stand her husband or her life in the slightest and well… that really is quite the original and unique twist to inject into his tale. 

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‘New Tricks’

Largely because it serves as satire, the kind that frequently reminds the viewer that sitcoms don’t have a lot of depth or growth to them, especially for anyone that isn’t the main character or a woman for that matter as well. But what truly makes this twist so special… is that it leaves the viewer guessing. Because a whole world surrounds Allison, her hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts… to be exact, and that world is just as sour as her one-sided relationship. For it is filled with people struggling to get by and the vapidness and shallowness that we sometimes lament in this world and that really does leave one to wonder, if by chance there is no sitcom. And that Allison is so unhappy with her world and her life that her coping mechanism/survival mode is for her mind to shift gears and view any time she spends with her husband as a vapid sitcom.
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Which in turn would allow for her to see her sour situation as nothing more than a grand joke, allowing for her to sleep better at night and function throughout the day and if that is indeed the case, well that is downright brilliant. Because that would be a new way to explore how we cope and deal with tough times in life and well, what’s truly amazing about the opening chapters of this series… is that there is one more important twist to be found within its framework. Because by the end of this two-episode run, Allison believes that the death of her husband at her hands is the only way to be free of this waking nightmare. Which is a dire and dark direction to take this plot in, but it makes total sense and fits in with the escapism theme. Since it would indicate that Allison has genuinely had enough of her situation and is so desperate to be free of it, that murder seems like her only avenue out and well… that is a powerful revelation for certain. One that leaves the viewer eager to see if there is another way out for Allison since she is a good person that doesn't deserve having to stoop that low.

Yet oddly enough, that twist and everything this series has to offer, makes this a much-see series for certain. Simply because, this is about as original and unique a story as it gets, and this reviewer is hard pressed to think of any other series that resembles the structure of this one. But what truly makes it so powerful and worthwhile… is its humanity. Because Allison’s plight is painfully relatable on so many levels since we’ve all been stuck in toxic relationships from where there is seemingly no escape, and we’ve also found ourselves daydreaming of better scenarios when we’re mired in darkness. And well, now that we have reached the end of this leg of the journey… we will undoubtedly be counting down the minutes until next Sunday’s chapter in this adventure. So, we can see where Allison’s plans will take her next and to uncover the truth as to whether or not she’s actually trapped in a television sitcom, or if her mind has gone to extremes to help her cope with a life that offers her zero fulfillment.

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