Based on “Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up” by Alexandra Potter, “Not Dead Yet” (Season 2) premiered recently, bringing back our very own best friend, Nell Serrano, whose unintentional special power is to see ghosts of dead people. To be honest, I waited for Not Dead Yet Season 2 to premiere episode 1 (quite desperately), as Nell’s character always grounds its audience, focusing on what we have rather than what we don’t.
Gina Rodriguez plays Nell Serrano, who is in her 30s, trying to understand the nuances of growing up in the adult world. She is broke, single, and stays in rented accommodation with an obsessive neat freak, Edward. Her best friends, Sam and Dennis, are her two constants while she sails on her boat in the endless sea that is actually going nowhere.
What happened in Season 1 of Not Dead Yet?
Nell Serrano is a journalist working in SoCal Independent Newspapers as an obituary writer. After her wedding plans fell apart, she moved back to LA from London. Her life ever since has always been about comprehending what she wants. And to put it into words, she wants to be independent, finally stable, and have a jolly good life. Pretty much anyone in their 30s, right? However, Nell’s life is not simple; she has hurdles everywhere she looks. The only constant thing she has is that she sees the ghosts of the dead people she writes about, and her dear friends support her cause no matter how irrational it may be. She lives her life to the fullest despite having a few shortcomings here and there, and that’s what keeps her moving.
In this article, we dive into what happens in “Not Dead Yet” (Season 2) Episode 1 and whether Nell is able to succeed at something by the end of the day. Please note the article contains spoilers; hence, reader discretion is advised.
Not Dead Yet (Season 2 Premier) Episode 1 ‘Not Owning It Yet’ Recap:
As always, it is a new day in Nell’s life, being followed by a ghost of the day. This particular gentleman, aka Ghost, was a realtor selling luxury condos. However, his unfortunate demise makes him want to push Nell to be better in life when she has the time to. To Nell’s luck, she gets judged by the ghosts too in her life. The ghost tells her that Nell should definitely ask for a promotion; otherwise, she might be stuck in the mold-infected basement office all her life.
At the office, Lexi is ensuring that everyone appears organized and busy, as her father, Duncan Rhodes (played by Brad Garrett), is expected to visit. On the other hand, while Nell and Sam are discussing if our protagonist is depreciating her life values, Dennis brings in boxes full of his child’s photos to show around. Lexi walks in and assigns both Dennis and Sam the responsibility to look important in front of her father while she can present herself as the boss her father expects her to be. Nell suggests she could also be helpful, but like always, Lexi laughs at her suggestions.
In Season 1, we had only heard Lexi’s father’s voice, but in the Season 2 opener, we understand why Lexi is what she is. Duncan Rhodes enters the office with a clear agenda in mind. Before Lexi can even finish her greeting, Duncan is already aware that he plans to spend more time with Nell than with his own daughter. The next thing we know, Duncan and Nell are opening up to each other while Lexi tries her best to understand the situation.
It turns out Duncan wants Nell to write his obituary, but for that, Nell needs to know more about Duncan besides the business tycoon that he is. Ducan does not know anything besides planes and money, so Nell helps him connect with people and see and appreciate them for who they truly are. Although it is a new thing that Duncan has learned, getting kind words out of him is a task on its own.
Meanwhile, Edward visits Nell’s office to drop her leftover soup for lunch and meets Lexi in the hallway. This is when a funny banter between the two happens, where these two very uptight characters engage in a feisty back and forth. Lexi is already upset because she’s not getting the attention she wants from her father. To add to her frustration, seeing Nell hanging out with him makes her even more irritated, and she ends up kissing Edward.
Later, we see Nell and Duncan at Cricket’s bar, where Nell literally teaches Duncan how to compliment a person in order to establish some sort of human connection with them. Once back at the office, Duncan orders Lexi to clear everything in her office so that he and Nell can talk about Nell’s future.
So far, Nell thought her day was going fantastic until she realizes it is Duncan’s way of pushing Lexi to do better in her life. It turns out that Duncan always uses people whom Lexi despises and uses them as pawns to make Lexi feel challenged, which motivates her to push her horizon.
Not Dead Yet (Season 2 Premier) Episode 1 ‘Not Owning It Yet’ Ending Explained:
Does Nell help Duncan bond with Lexi?
Sad to realize that she was just a pawn used for selfish reasons, Nell starts to enter the abyss of irrational thought. The ghost of the day interrupts her train of thought by sharing his story: despite enjoying a life of luxury and owning a nice condo, he met his demise when struck by a bus. He explains that despite owning it all, the foundation of the things that he had was infected with termites and mold. He advises Nell that instead of seeking validation, it’s crucial to delve deep into a person’s core values and understand what truly strengthens them.
Throughout the day, Nell was with Duncan, believing that he would appreciate her presence. However, deep down, she realized she didn’t actually care whether he did or not. It wasn’t until the ghost reminded her that Duncan hadn’t read the obituary she was supposed to write that she snapped back to her original purpose.
During the ending of episode 1, the season 2 premiere of Not Dead Yet, Nell is shown writing a poignant obituary for Duncan. She highlights his success in raising a resilient daughter but notes his failure to impart the importance of kindness, which has left a lasting impact on those around him. We see both Duncan and Lexi reading the obituary, and as the long day comes to an end, Duncan makes an effort to connect with his daughter by complimenting her shoes.
The episode ends with Nell thanking the ghost for reminding her the work she does is important in brining people together.
