'Dispatches from Elsewhere' Episode 3 Review: Janice's backstory is woven in a wistful tale of loneliness
Spoiler alert for Episode 3 'Janice'
At first glance, Sally Fields' Janice on'Dispatches from Elsewhere' comes off as the mom friend — the over apologetic, significantly older person in the group who just wants the best for everyone and can't fathom the idea of leaving anybody behind.
At times fumbling, and at other times overbearing, Janice's care and concern for the littlest of things trying to imagine the worst-case scenario is rivaled by her quest for a new meaning in life — be it through a bunch of younger people's company, or be it through the mere feeling that she belongs somewhere — with people who care about her.
However, as we delve into the third episode of the Jason Segel created series and navigate through Janice's backstory, everything becomes much clearer in terms of why she possesses this persistent need to feel like she belongs. And the truth couldn't be sadder.
On this week's Episode 3, we meet the titular "Janice" as she, Peter (Segel) and Simone (Eve Lindley) are freaking out in the aftermath of their fourth musketeer — Fredwyn (Andre 3000) jumping into the trunk of a car that's departing for the Shareholder's seminar arranged by Jejune Institute, spearheaded by the ominous and seemingly sinister, Octavio.
Among the three remaining puppets of Octavio's big, bad game, Janice is obviously the first one to panic and come borderline unraveled as she tries to dig into the possible truth behind Fredwyn's idea that this scavenger hunt type game of sorts could surmount to something gigantic in all the negative ways.
Luckily, this also is where Fields' expertise as a veteran in the field is parlayed to perfection with the nuanced fumbling and layered panic she portrays through a character, who, at its core, is terrified of being alone.
We learn that through Octavio's signature narrative peeks into the backstory of each character, and this time - for the quirky, comical, yet fidgety Janice — he chooses to showcase the tale via cartoons.
Janice, as it turns out, is someone who inherently relies on a sense of belonging that comes from sticking to routines, thereby challenged by the prospect to change. She had a typical love story and married the one man she heavily invested in, even though their relationship wasn't spared the trauma of fights and conflicts.
However, they always came around each other, spend birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries together, until the very end of her husband's life, following which she was left stranded, haunted by the idea of having to navigate life all by herself after he dies.
Emotional and relatable in equal parts, Janice's desperate craving to feel like she belongs is amplified by her recent participation in a game where she is just happy to have found both company and something worthwhile to look forward to.
So the moment Fredwyn is separated from the group, Janice's mama bear panic kicks in, as she assumes he is dead — or soon going to be so — and doesn't waste time trying to come up with a plan to retrieve Fredwyn from the predicament he has landed himself in.
Janice goes to the extent of chasing the car all the way to the Jejune seminar and even though she requests Peter and Simone to take the lead in caving their way into the seminar, she ends up doing so herself when an unforeseen opportunity presents itself.
Janice weaves impromptu lies to get the trio to the garage at the location, where she believes the car Fredwyn hid in, is parked. And even when they locate the car and open the trunk to the disappointing revelation of no Fredwyn, Janice's single-most piece of determination is derived from the one phone call she receives from Fredwyn, informing her that the whole game might be a big ruse for something way worse.
She fumbles through the facade but her persistence is worth commending - thereby proving once again why she is the biggest delight on a show that tries to be too edgy at times with its experimental TV tropes.
Even when the trio comes face to face with Octavio, Janice's stance remains unaltered. While she explicitly voices how much she doesn't want to be alone, she doesn't hesitate to dive headfirst into Octavio's whims and engage in the seminar as the audience, first, and later on stage with Octavio for demonstration purposes.
In short, Janice is the ride or die everyone deserves and could prove to be more than crucial for a show that relies on a privileged but morose white male's pivotal arc.
In that, when Peter's dreary life as a coder and Fredwyn's done and dusted curiosity as a conspiracy theorist might fail to strike a chord, it is Simone's rebellious aura and Janice's quirky but impassionate need to feel involved that could help the series from flopping in the long run. And we can't wait to witness the rest of her journey!
'Dispatches from Elsewhere' airs on Mondays at 10 pm on AMC.