Review: Birdgirl “Fli On Your Own Supply”
Overview:
Workplace positivity at Sebben & Sebben reaches an all-time high thanks to Meredith’s mind-taking inspired “Fl(i)” device. Unfortunately, this unprecedented positivity puts the whole company in jeopardy after its complex infrastructure becomes too much for Meredith to bear. Meredith tries to successfully steer this ship and improve her self-worth in Judy’s absence, all while Birdgirl is stuck with superhero duty that reflects her own insecurities.
And Brian learns the hard way that the classiest pastrami strip joints are cash only establishments.
Our Take:
Birdgirl is in its second season, but it’s still a series that’s aired less than ten episodes and continues to find it’s footing in some respects. Birdgirl has refined its formula since its earliest entries and the show’s sweet spot seems to be stories that are driven forward by the latest radical product/liability that Sebben & Sebben unleashes on the masses. This is a solid structure for Birdgirl that allows the storytelling a lot of freedom, especially when seasons are only six episodes. These past ideas have been successful to various degrees, but the revised timbre for season two finds strength in anchoring each of these perverse products to an emotional character arc. “Fli On Your Own Supply” is one of the smarter versions of this idea and it takes Meredith’s mind-taking powers and splinters them off into Sebben & Sebben’s latest luxury. There’s a lot of power in positive thinking, but “Fli On Your Own Supply” digs into deeper questions about mental manipulation, codependency, and corporate control.
“Fli On Your Own Supply” is a Meredith episode, first and foremost, and it’s the best showcase yet for her character. Admittedly, the recurring premise of how other Bird Team members learn the difficulties of Judy’s life while they fly a mile in her wings is beginning to feel repetitive. However, Meredith’s increased responsibilities quickly trigger fresh ideas. Meredith is forced to go solo with the “Fl(i)” agenda, which also helps her confront her fear of being in the spotlight. The Fl(i) is designed to compartmentalize and transform negativity, which quickly becomes another meditation on Brave New World, much like how most of Sebben & Sebben’s technological breakthroughs push them further into an Orwellian dystopia.
The writing in “Fli On Your Own Supply” shines especially bright and Amanda Lund’s first script for the show is easily one of Birdgirl’s best. Past adventures, like the whole Baltimo epidemic, receive appreciated callbacks and the series’ world-building is at its best and most natural in this episode. There’s a clever mix of running gags and bizarre non-sequiturs that all land. The Rube Goldbergian nature of Meredith’s “pen scheme” and how it’s executed is a highlight of the episode that perfectly nails the show’s sense of humor. The tongue-in-cheek hyperbole that the episode concludes on is even funnier considering that the writers’ room of Birdgirl is primarily female outside of creators Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter.
“Fli On Your Own Supply” is Birdgirl at its most natural and energized, with a storyline that plays to the series’ strengths. An emotional journey for self-improvement courses through every character, even if it’s not taken seriously by Brian, and the episode doesn’t feel like it’s spread thin. Meredith’s dilemma highlights the mad science that’s in play at Sebben & Sebben while Brian’s detour is Birdgirl at its silliest. The fact that this episode is also able to fit in some Bird Team chaos in a way that lovingly references superhero cinema, but also laughs in its face, is the baltimo on the cake (which you should not eat, by the way). “Fli On Your Own Supply” is such a satisfying episode of Birdgirl that it makes it harder to accept that the six-episode season has already reached its half-way point.
