My Best Friend's Mom Has One Rule review

The setup

Jake has agreed to look in on his friend Tyler's place while Tyler is out of town, and he assumes the house is empty. It is not. Tyler's mother is home, startled to find a stranger inside and entirely unsurprised that her son forgot to mention him. She lays down a single condition for the visit: her bedroom is off limits. Jake agrees with perfect manners, then spends the closing seconds privately admitting she is gorgeous and that he should not be thinking about her the way he is.

Episode 2

Naturally, the rule breaks almost immediately, and she reminds him of it with the patience of someone who expected nothing else. He gets as far as calling her Mrs. Massie and confessing his attraction before she tells him to use her first name, Margot. The whole episode exists for its punchline, which is a decent one: the rule only ever covered her room, and she never promised to stay out of his.

Who's who

• Jake: a house-sitter with good manners and no talent for hiding what he is thinking
• Margot: Tyler's mother, composed and dry, who sets one rule and then enjoys watching it bend

Verdict: 5.5 out of 10

Minimalism has its limits. The first episode is mostly a misunderstanding at the front door and a rule delivered like a dare, and Jake's narration never gets further than admiring her. The second is short too, but it lands a clever reversal that gives Margot a personality in a single line. That flicker of wit is the best argument for continuing; on dialogue alone, this is the thinnest version of a very familiar setup.

Episode guide