Nolly Season 1 Episode 2 Review: A Ruthless Machine

Nolly’s headed towards her final days as Meg Mortimer on Crossroads. But she’s not leaving without figuring out why she’s been given the axe on the entertaining and touching Nolly Season 1 Episode 2.

Part 2 of the miniseries zeroes in on the reason Noele’s been given the boot and the effect she’s had on others around her after decades of portraying Meg Mortimer. With a more character-centered story and a semi-autobiographical one, there’s a lot to do that helps highlight who this pioneering woman was.

Nolly and the cast are dying to figure out how Meg gets written off and are willing to go to some hilarious lengths to find out how. However, the episode also sees Nolly wrestling with the why of her unceremonious firing.

The aftermath of Nolly’s impromptu press conference leads to massive media coverage for the actress and the show, much to Jack’s delight.

Leaning into the curiosity and hype from viewers and the media, he’s teasing the public with his reveal that only one end is currently sitting in a vault. Jack’s reference to “who shot J.R.” when talking about the mystery ending in Nolly’s final episode is a fun piece of television history to contextualize the events of the crossroads finale.

Nolly’s asking questions to make sense of what happens to her character Meg is comforting. Knowing that questionable story choices are also questioned from the inside and not just from a viewer’s perspective is nice to see.

I love the relationship Nolly and Tony have. They live only a building away from each other, and Tony is willing to hop out of the comfort of his apartment and walk across the street to talk or comfort Nolly, which is lovely.

I like that we get to see the continuous building of that dynamic throughout the hour and more as we see more support and appreciation come in from other avenues for Nolly, especially in the final act of the hour as she and Tom board the bus to go shopping “the old way.”

Nolly’s dressing down of the obnoxious man on the bus is one of the more satisfying moments of the hour. She’s unafraid to speak truth to the power, and the bus is just another notable example of how she is willing to respond in the face of some very misogynistic criticism of the people around her.

Natalie was the first woman to be seen on a color TV from the first episode, so to see her be the first woman to interview a Prime Minister helps bolster the ongoing thread in the miniseries of how much of a trailblazer Noel Gordon was in television.

By the hour’s end, we see another old friend of Nolly’s, Larry Grayson. Among the more emotional moments in the hour, where Nolly gets to shed the bravado a bit, her moment with Larry strikes quite a chord.

Sharing that despite her attempts to move on to her next significant chapter, her luck has run out.

It’s an interesting moment, and Helena Bonham Carter plays that vulnerability well.

What did you think of this episode of Nolly? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Nolly airs Sunday at 8/7c on PBS.

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