'The Larkins' Episode 3 Recap: "In Which Ma and Pa Go on Holiday"

The Larkins' third episode, "In Which Ma and Pa Go on Holiday," is basically exactly what it says on the tin, and no one is likely at all surprised, or even remotely upset, by that fact. Part of the appeal of this show is its quiet straightforwardness, which sees its characters navigate the sort of small, domestic adventures that are easily solvable in a forty-five-minute runtime. As you may have guessed, this installment involves the Larkin parents going away for the weekend, which allows us, as viewers, a chance to see the pair of them in a new light, even as it creates the opportunity for shenanigans of all sorts during their absence from the family farm.

The relationship between Ma and Pa Larkin is one of the best things about this show - most couples of a certain age on television are lucky to be seen as anything beyond basic wallpaper, let alone imagined as beings that still have rich inner lives or do anything as openly human as flirt with their longtime partners or (gasp!) experience sexual attraction. But The Larkins embraces Ma and Pa's relationship, casting it as the engine which powers literally everything around them, from the family they're raising to the village they live in and even random gatherings of strangers they encounter on vacation. It's also unafraid to show them being both loving toward and attracted to each other. (Ma makes a sex joke in this episode! I cannot!)

Yet, both Pa and Ma are good-hearted people and kind, but more importantly, they are open to adventure - even fun - in a way characters in their particular age bracket are often not allowed to be, and even when they inevitably mention how much their miss their quiet life in Kent while on holiday, both affirm that taking time for themselves and their relationship should be an important part of their lives together.