Kidding season 2, episode 3 recap: I’m Listening

In episode 203 of Showtime’s Kidding, Jeff and Seb clash over his new doll concept, Will gets a magic book, and Deirdre’s divorce has her huffing.

Previously on Kidding, Jeff (Jim Carrey) saved Pete (Justin Kirk) by donating his liver, having some neat hallucinations in the process. Did it make up for semi-intentionally hitting him with a car? Probably not, but it was a start. Also, Jeff fired his father and manager, Seb (Frank Langella), for being too domineering.

Episode 203 begins with a blind kid named James (Luca Bleu Darnell) who misses Jeff Pickles. We also see that, while in the hospital, Jeff was bombarded with fan mail from kids who want him back. Coincidentally, her hospital bed roommate is Tara Lipinski, who speaks to him through a robot-voice from a Pickles-related ice-skating accident.

Meanwhile, Deirdre (or “Didi,” played by Catherine Keener), is struggling with her divorce. Not only does Scott (Bernard White) want full custody of Maddy (Juliet Morris), he’s also going after Deirdre’s fake charity, the Indica School for Girls (which was only somewhat mentioned last season). So, basically, Jeff will also have to deal with her problems.

Although Seb says he’s not angry that Jeff fired him, Seb’s admission that he’s been a neglectful father won’t stop him from critiquing Jeff’s latest idea: The Listen-To-Me Pickles doll. Seb also wants Jeff to stay with Didi, knowing she too may be on the verge of a breakdown. Sure enough, she throws a bunch of stuff onto the floor and, while down there, starts inhaling some glue fumes (yes, Didi may become a huffer). Seb also asks her to take over the

Deus Mathematica

Kidding has its share of eccentricities, including the hint that Jeff’s imaginary world spills over into the real one. Jeff’s son, Will (Cole Allen) doesn’t seem entirely different. Will finds a present, the “Deus Mathematica,” which promises to be a magic book of sorts.

Will quickly finds a strange time travel magic trick. It calls for surrounding himself with objects from the past. In Jeff’s secret house next to his, Will finds “Thank you” envelopes for all of his brother Phil’s body parts that were donated after the traffic accident. Shortly after this, Jeff meets with Joanne, the realtor (Kelly Coffield Park), about selling the house, comparing it to a melancholy coffin. He also visits Jill (Judy Greer) and Peter to wrangle with divorce papers.

Seb is resilient/Didi is probably a huffer

In an about-face, Seb tries to manage Jeff again, considering the Listen-To-Me Pickles doll a bad idea. He also believes the “Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time” TV show is never coming back. On top of that, he says he’s in charge as long as he’s alive. On that note, Jeff reminds him of when he shot Seb in the face with a BB gun, reiterating his desire for him to retire. Kidding then shifts back to Didi’s fracturing life.

Maddy seems aware of her mom’s glue problem (though Maddy regularly drags her ax across the floor). Didi does come clean to Jeff about the fake orphanage in Belize, adding that she has six weeks actually to start the school, or she’ll lose custody. Though she initially rejects being in charge, she gains confidence by making a big decision to cut Jeff’s hair. She then says, with confidence, that she’s going to get his show back on the air!

Time travel?

This final part of the episode gets a little tricky to pin down. Will sees how the house number “10946” matches a date written in the strange “Deus Mathematica” textbook (10/9/46). After Will sees James (who is no longer blind), Will almost gets hit by a car.  Luckily, though, he meets Havana (Jenna Z. Alvarez), and they strike up a relationship.

Surprisingly, Kidding flashes forward to 4 months later. A kid named Judy (Aria Renee Kenney) has her Listen-To-Me Pickles doll. Through the doll, the real Jeff sings a lullaby to her. We see that Seb actually is retired. However, an angry parent yells at Jeff through the doll, much as Seb predicted.

What are your thoughts on Kidding? Let us know in the comments!