Review: Birdgirl “Thirdgirl”

Overview:

Sebben & Sebben are stuck with budgetary issues that leave Judy in dire need to balance the books without fanning the flames of layoff rumors. This financial crisis spills over into Gillian, Judy’s assistant, when her worth is questioned and a second assistant for Judy gets proposed. Gillian’s ability to manage Judy and Birdgirl’s regular duties, as well as the new stress and obligations that have fallen on her plate, push the cordial assistant to enter a level of overtime that’s dangerous–both for Gillian’s health and the company’s checkbook. 

Our Take:

There are likely a lot of people that are still on the fence with Birdgirl or confused over its very existence, but “Thirdgirl” is the episode where everything clicks into place. This is the entry to sway the skeptical and it’s an appropriate example of what this animated comedy wants to be and the type of humor that it’s interested in. “Thirdgirl” does practically everything right and even though Birdgirl’s first two episodes are important for world building, I almost wish that this was the first episode that aired so audiences could experience Birdgirl at its most unhinged and unique.

Birdgirl continues to wisely lean into its supporting cast and “Thirdgirl” is an ode to assistants. Gillian faces unseen stresses as an assistant to both a CEO and a superhero. Gillian is often more stressed than Just and she’s left to be the gatekeeper to her secret identity and handles the grunt work to squash any rumors. This is an interesting premise that hasn’t necessarily been explored in superhero texts before where the superhero is so carefree that all of the stress and reality checks from the career instead fester in the ward. It’s easy to turn errands and Gillian into a punchline–the B-plot from the previous episode does exactly that–but “Thirdgirl’s” strength is in its empowering pro-assistant message that underscores Gillian’s worth.

Gillian’s essential nature to both Judy and Birdgirl’s ability to function turns into a budgetary conflict at Sebben & Sebben. This dilemma explores some surprisingly mature territory on the topic of Gillian cutting back on work and learning how to compartmentalize, something that Judy herself had to figure out in the series’ pilot. Gillian has good intentions when she attempts to slow down, but the execution is literal insanity as she loses herself in a Mrs. Doubtfire-esque Norma Bates riff. 

Birdgirl’s sense of humor has been a mixed bag so far and the previous episodes haven’t tapped into the same flurry of comedy that was Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. However, the humor throughout “Thirdgirl” is fantastic and this episode appropriately manages its 22-minute runtime and doesn’t feel padded. Certain gags like Gillian’s supply of energy oils or Judy’s presentation area filling up with exhaust fumes during her speech even feel like vintage Birdman. With the episode’s focus on Gillian, this also allows for Birdgirl’s madness to better pop since she shows up more in smaller doses throughout this episode. She’s able to freely swoop in and crabwalk out of scenes as Gillian deals with the consequences. 

“Thirdgirl” is the best installment of Birdgirl yet and it shows that each entry is working a little harder to establish this universe and its characters. This episode kind of turns Birdgirl into a supporting character, but it doesn’t suffer for it. Every element is starting to feel more natural and it’s only proof of how much this show deserves a second season to take all of this even further. Six episodes isn’t a lot of time to experiment, but if the second half of this season maintains the same energy and chaos as “Thirdgirl” then Birdgirl’s first season will end as a success.