My Stepmom Is 22 review

The setup

Kyle opens with the family news: his father remarried a month ago, and the bride is 22. Skye greets him by deciding he beats his photo, then apologizes for standing, since a brutal leg workout has ruled out sitting, and he responds with one cool syllable. Dad passes through on his way out, gone for the entire summer, and leaves Kyle in charge of looking after his wife. Kyle accepts with suspicious speed. As the length of that absence sinks in, Skye heads for the shower, noting helpfully that the bathroom door never quite closes.

Episode 2

Asked whether he missed her, Kyle claims the TV kept him busy; Skye points out it is switched off, then pulls rank as his stepmother with a straight face. A friend drops by for wine, meets the stepson and leaves before witnessing anything. Then the real business: she says he looked while she showered, he denies it, and she admits the door was a choice. The episode stops on an invitation to call it off that nobody accepts.

Who's who

• Skye: Dad's bride of one month, breezy, flirtatious and a careful planner where doors are concerned
• Kyle: her stepson, a man appointed her summer caretaker, and a hopeless liar
• Dad: newly remarried, out the door within the first minute, and trusting to a fault

Verdict: 6.1 out of 10

The title is the pitch, and episode 1 spends its minute laying track: the remarriage, Dad's exit, a summer alone, a door that will not latch. Functional more than funny. The second episode finds the sense of humor the first one lacked. Skye busting Kyle's TV excuse is the best gag in either episode, the friend hunting for wine adds a welcome outside eye, and the confession about the door turns a carpentry problem into a plan. Kyle remains furniture, but the paid episodes have a direction worth following.

Episode guide