‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’ Recap: ‘The Way We Were’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’. To revisit the season two premiere, click here.
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While modern television shows work hard to be as realistic as possible these days and truly provide their audience with an immersive experience unlike any other, there are some aspects of everyday life that T.V. tends to still shy away from or not focus on hard enough. For instance, big and life changing moments in shows… are often glossed over and that can be problematic. Because those types of moments have a lasting impact, the kind that absolutely stay with us for longer than one might expect and to see it fade away from a character’s mind in record time, removes the wonder and realism of a particular show. Simply because the audience is smart, and they tuned for that perfectly real experience, and it is tough to see a show not follow through. 
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But these are nothing more than growing pains really. For there are shows that are coming to understand the importance of sticking with realism and taking every journey to its logical conclusion, and one show that understand this and executes it to a tee is Kevin Can F**k Himself on AMC. Because this series has never shied away from the consequences of our actions or the emotional impact of the good and bad decisions we make and that was never more evident than during last night’s tale. For ‘The Way We Were’ is a story that spent a lot of time examining the emotional fallout of the whole mess with Kevin, and Neil’s actions as well, and that made for a powerfully realistic story. One that truly reminded us of the fact that life just doesn’t magically return to normal after ugly and traumatic moments. As evidenced by Neil’s journey in this tale.

Because despite getting the business from both Allison and Patty, in a manner that made it clear that anything he said regarding their plans would blow up in his face… Neil couldn’t let it go. In fact, coming to understand this whole mess, put Neil in quite the conflicted place. One that forced him to try and reconcile his own dark actions, and he struggled mightily with that. Because despite his reticence, he knew he was in the wrong for going after Allison, and that she was in the wrong for trying to harm Kevin. And Neil’s attempts to figure out the why behind all of this, and Kevin’s aloof nature to the truth about what Allison was up to, and his actions toward him… gave him perspective and made him wonder where his life is at and if he is indeed aligning with the right people here or if he is just a pawn. A complex journey that basically made it clear that ugly moments sometimes force us to ponder upon the reality of the situation and move us toward a sense of perspective. 

Yet that wasn’t the only storyline that further explored how hard it is to just magically move forward when tough times find their way into our lives, since Patty also struggled to get back to her everyday life. For she really thought she could easily toss Allison and her behavior aside and just move forward without giving it a second thought. But the reality of the situation, and that she basically just agreed to commit to murder... hung heavy here. As did her inability to figure out her feelings for Tammy and what she wants out of that relationship and that left her in a cold place in this tale. One where she couldn’t open her emotions to Tammy when an opportunity arose to do so. Mainly because there were undertones of guilt present here for Patty. The kind that related to her actions and to not seeing things through with Allison, since she genuinely cares for her and wants to see her happy. But what mattered more here, is that her journey reminds of us how quickly we become lost and closed off when a life changing moment hits, especially when they force us to look in the mirror.

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However, while this episode was incredibly introspective for Patty and Neil, Allison’s journey here spoke to some measure of positivity regarding when we are faced with a reckoning or life changing moment. In that… sometimes that moment just motivates us to keep going and take further action. Because while Allison could have collapsed here and slipped into darker territory over her failed plans to end Kevin in every way imaginable, she instead started looking at said failure as a second chance. As though she didn’t really approach escaping her life from the right angle. Which in turn motivated her to spend more time with Diane and work to help her with her problems in an effort to get close to a private investigator that might give her tips on being free from this nightmare and to get her hands on anything and everything she could sell from Kevin’s sports collection.
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All because she wanted out and she knew that she would need cash to start that process in any capacity, and sadly… that part of her plan went about as well as one might expect. Simply because one of Kevin’s prized sports possessions, was stolen long ago and reported as such. Which meant there was no chance to pawn it, putting Allison back at square one and in a sorrowful place. Since she once again wondered if she would be able to escape Kevin and his madness. But a conversation about the past, with a local reporter and old acquaintance that dropped by the house to interview the Worcester Wild Dude, and a reunion with Patty… motivated Allison to pick up the mantle and try again and make a full-on sacrifice. By pawning family pearls to get the money to talk with that investigator and see if by chance, she can fulfill her plan of starting a new life on her own terms.

If anything, this was just… a brilliant episode through and through. One that featured a lot of moments that would be seen as taboo writing wise. Since Neil and Patty really didn’t find resolution to their concerns or worries. They just floated about or went back to old habits and haunts and that is… painfully realistic. Because so many of us do that to keep a sense of normalcy or peace while we sort out our mess and kudos to the show for informing us that sometimes dealing with trauma requires that so we can properly heal and process, and it will be interesting to see what comes out of this for Patty and Neil. Mainly because Allison does give Patty purpose and Neil, showed hints of growth here with his defense of his sister. Giving rise to the reality that these characters are indeed silently working it out in their heads, seeing unfinished business to its conclusion, and growing before our eyes.

Speaking of growth, we also saw that from Allison here as well. Since she finally made a positive change by not using revenge or vindictive acts to gain agency for her future in this tale. Because making a sacrifice speaks to how much she wants to be free on her own terms… in a healthy manner. Granted her plan is still quite wild and unhealthy in nature since faking one’s death is about as extreme a manner as one can get when it comes to wanting to be free of a bad relationship. But growth is growth, and we will take it here and it will be fascinating to see what this new plan will entail as this bold new season of storytelling continues along. And of course, it will be equally as fascinating to see if Allison will get her wish and find freedom from the man that torments her soul. Until next time.

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