When Angie Han, a critic, declared, “If you are into a certain Type of Guy, Nick Offerman has never been hotter,” I was yet to watch the concluding episode of the three-part premiere of Margo’s Got Money Trouble. However, her words proved prescient. Nick Offerman indeed steals the show with his portrayal of Jinx, a rugged ex-wrestler. Offerman combines a classic masculine presence with a surprisingly tender vulnerability, showcasing a new dimension to his talent. His biker-inspired wardrobe only adds to his allure. In scenes with stars like Michelle Pfeiffer and Elle Fanning, it’s Offerman who commands the viewer’s attention.
This aligns with the established trend in Margo’s: whenever David E. Kelley’s writing veers into familiar territory, the captivating performances from the star-studded cast pull it back to excellence. Elle Fanning, as Margo, perfectly captures the overwhelming pressure of juggling capitalism’s demands with the challenge of maintaining healthy relationships. Her portrayal is a vibrant mix of fatigue, resilience, dark humor, and an appreciation for life’s fleeting joys—an experience that resonates with the working class, the true focus of the series.
Michelle Pfeiffer, on the other hand, convincingly plays a character younger than her actual age, a role that fits into the timeline by making her the mother of Elle Fanning’s character at a young age. This dynamic is balanced by Offerman’s portrayal of Jinx, who is supposed to be her contemporary yet is played by a slightly younger actor known for seeming older. The authenticity of Pfeiffer’s performance as a woman who had a child too early, swept away by a youthful Offerman, is compelling. She also nails the role of a woman seeking steadiness with someone like Greg Kinnear’s character. Their sincerity and allure keep viewers engrossed without questioning the age dynamics.
This episode centers on the protagonists handling Jinx’s return after his voluntary rehab for opioid addiction, a common plight among wrestlers due to chronic pain. Now sober, Jinx actively supports Margo in ways Shyanne never did. His eagerness to bond with baby Bodhi contrasts with Shyanne’s distance, as he takes on household chores with enthusiasm.
Jinx, dressed in a cutoff t-shirt and yellow gloves, explains that keeping busy with chores like scrubbing the bathroom and cleaning the stove helps maintain his sobriety. His therapist cautions against idle time or strained family interactions that might lead to relapse. Thus, Jinx finds purpose in being there for Margo, someone to “perform sanity for,” as he reintegrates into their lives.
So Jinx moves in with Margo and Bodhi — and Susie, who is beyond starstruck to learn that her favorite wrestler is her roommate’s dad. Though money remains a real problem, Margo now has a pretty solid support structure in place. Shyanne, however, warns Margo that Jinx always had a tendency to show up, do something nice for her, play the hero, and disappear again. She blows up at Margo over it during a fitting for her wedding gown, tells Jinx that moving in with Margo is a mistake, and badmouths him to her fiancé Kenny, who remains the most judgmental Episcopalian I’ve ever seen.
For now, though, so far so good with our friend from the squared circle. Jinx gets along great with all three of his new roommates, the infant included. And again, he looks great.
But his biggest contribution to Margo’s life is a surprising one. Catching a wrestling match Susie’s watching on TV, Jinx notes that one of the wrestlers, Arabella (real-life grappler Penelope Ford, shown defeating Willow Nightingale), was forced out of WWE and joined their real-life rival company AEW because they disapproved of her OnlyFans, where she made more in a month than she did in a year of wrestling.
Naturally, Margo’s ears perk up. Arabella is proof you don’t need to do actual porn to make money on the platform. Susie additionally informs her that cosplayers can make a killing there too. Even on the porn end of things, guys will pay cash money just to have their penises insulted. Nice work if you can get it! By the end of the episode, Margo’s got her page set up, with some sexy topless photos and a cleverly written come-on to bring in the customers. Her phone begins lighting up with notifications in no time.
The show’s weaknesses are still evident in a variety of scenes, in which you can still count on characters to be as rude as possible as a substitute for real comedy or conflict. A condescending job interviewer (Kerri Kenney) refers to Margo’s baby as a ditch she dug for herself Her patronizing best friend Becca (Sasha Diamond) suggests she give the kid up to foster care. Her babydaddy’s mother Elizabeth sets up a meeting with a lawyer to call off the blackmail and establish a trust in the kid’s name instead, but she spend the whole meeting issuing threats of her own. Even her lawyer (Geoff Pierson) can’t figure out why she’s acting like this. I can’t either! None of this, by the way, is laugh-out-loud funny even once.
But with the addition of Offerman, the charm of the cast is just too powerful to ignore. Without genuine laughs Margo seems destined to struggle as a comedy, but as a showcase for some immensely likeable performers, its pleasures, though limited, are undeniable.
Sean T. Collins (@seantcollins.com on Bluesky and theseantcollins on Patreon) has written about television for The New York Times, Vulture, Rolling Stone, and elsewhere. He is the author of Pain Don’t Hurt: Meditations on Road House. He lives with his family on Long Island.
