Life Lessons from Maron: "A Real Woman"

Left to right: Marc Maron and Gina Gershon

Welcome to a new recap series on the IFC series Maron in which comedian/podcaster Marc Maron lives life and tries to learn how to be a better person. To pay homage to the series, these recaps will be released on Tuesdays and chronicle the various life lessons that are presented in the 30 minute format on a weekly basis as well as a meter that determines just how angry our protagonist seems to be. Join us as we tackle the psyche of the popular angry man and pray that he doesn't lose it entirely.

Plot: Marc meets an older woman named Alexia (Gina Gershon), who he starts a relationship with, only to discover that she is married and is wanting him to help her son Zach (Harrison Boxley) with his podcast.

Harrison Boxley

A Line That Sums Up the Episode: "I was just trying to be real like you." - Zach 

Mark Duplass

Guests Review: The biggest name of the week would have to be Mark Duplass, whose brief encounter on Maron may not be the most elaborate, but helps him on his quest to be on every comedy show on every network. He is like most of the other guests that have been on the podcast to date, mostly pointing out how Maron is going to screw things up. Otherwise, we have Gina Gershon as the mother, who starts off interesting, but the more awkward that the plot gets, the harder it is to enjoy the story. 

Anger Meter: 3 (out of 10)

Another mild encounter with a taboo subject. It seems like the weirder that Maron's dating life gets, the harder it is to see him get angry. While he has to deal with an annoying kid and a woman who just was using him, he seems to be the victim. He does get a little angry towards the end of the episode, but this is mostly sidetracked by him helping Zach get through some emotional problems. He feels like he relates to him, and thus everything is rationalized.

Brea Grant

We good?: I wish that this show would finally stop just feeling like an average sitcom with a protagonist who is somewhat of a jerk. As much as I enjoy Maron's podcast, the episodes so far have been lackluster at giving him a distinctive presence on TV. While this isn't necessarily a terribly written episode, the general concept is just too much. A woman sleeping with Maron for the sake of helping her son? That is too off the wall, especially as we now are suggesting that Maron can get any woman he wants, a gesture that doesn't really help to distinguish him as having too many problems. Also, I am aware of why Zach doesn't have any friends. His brief time in this episode makes him probably the most annoying character that this show has produced so far and then tried to sympathize.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5