Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
It still doesn’t feel quite real that Carrie Fisher is no longer walking this Earth, providing her wit and charm and calling BS as only she could. Her passing in December was a gut punch to fans as much as it was to the entertainment industry. Luckily, her brilliant work will live on and be cherished for generations to come.
The third season of Catastrophe hits Prime Video today, one of Fisher’s last on-screen acting projects, and is a bittersweet reminder of just how consistently fantastic she was. As Rob’s (Rob Delaney) mother Mia, Fisher reliably brings the funny to the Amazon comedy. Season one found Fisher making long-distance phone calls to her son, with season two bringing her into the comedic action in person. Season three saves the best for last, with Fisher making a splash in the last episode of the season. Her character arrives across the pond for a funeral, which would be a bit eerie if she weren’t so utterly magnetic.
At the start of the first season, stars and creators Delaney and Sharon Horgan explained how positively “giddy” they were that she even signed on to the show, and that sentiment never ceased over the three seasons. Catastrophe remained a modern showcase for Fisher who was able to sprinkle her magic throughout each appearance. Each joke, each stare, each moment on screen, she knew how to make it count.
Even in her role as a mother-in-law to Sharon, her performance made her the most delightful pain in the ass anyone could ever want around. Her character Mia had traits of Fisher woven throughout: she said and did what she wanted and didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought. She was as funny and spirited as ever in the episode, delivering her signature quips and doses of tough love, which is what makes the fact that she filmed her scenes for the show just days before suffering a heart attack on a flight from London back to LA, that much more heartbreaking.
In one scene of her final episode, Sharon’s mom on the show, played by Frances Tomelty, fittingly says of Mia, “She makes me laugh, and she does the dishes after every meal. If she wants to be here, then I want her here.” As the two women hug and wave goodbye to Sharon and Rob as they drive away, it’s a full-on challenge to not get teary eyed.
While it’s impossible not to miss her, it makes perfect sense that a show like Catastrophe served as one of her last acting projects. It’s a place that truly celebrated, appreciated and once again demonstrated her unique talents. Star Wars made us want to be her, When Harry Met Sally… made us want to be BFFs with her, and Catastrophe made us wish she was our very own mother — and considering the spirit and the lessons she’s passed onto millions, she really was.
