Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 3 Episode 5 Kimmy Steps on a Crack!
-
8.3 (644)
Kimmy Schmidt, the titular character of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, has had a rough go of it. She was kidnapped and held captive for 15 years in an underground bunker by a cult leader, and now that she's free, she's trying to start a new life in New York City. In season 3, episode 5, "Kimmy Steps on a Crack!", she continues to navigate her new world, dealing with both the lingering effects of her trauma and the everyday challenges of being an adult.
As the episode begins, Kimmy is walking down the street with her landlady, Lillian, when they come upon a crack in the sidewalk. Lillian warns Kimmy not to step on it, saying that it's bad luck. Kimmy scoffs at the idea, but as they continue to walk, she becomes increasingly aware of all the other cracks in the pavement. Everywhere she looks, there are cracks. She starts to see them as a sign that something bad is going to happen.
Meanwhile, Kimmy's roommate, Titus, is dealing with his own problems. He's trying to get a job as a singing waiter at a restaurant, but he's having trouble nailing the audition. Titus is convinced that the restaurant owner, Coriolanus Burt, is racist because he keeps mispronouncing Titus's name. Titus decides to confront him about it, and things quickly spiral out of control.
Back at the apartment, Kimmy is obsessively avoiding cracks in the floor. She's so focused on it that she's not paying attention to anything else, including her job at a startup where she's supposed to be writing limericks. Her boss, Zach, is frustrated with her lack of progress and threatens to fire her. Kimmy is devastated, and decides that the only way to fix things is to find a crack in the sidewalk and step on it.
At the restaurant, Titus has managed to land the job as a singing waiter, but he's not happy about it. He's convinced that the other waiters are making fun of him and that he's being discriminated against because he's black and gay. Things come to a head when he tries to stage a protest and accidentally knocks over a tray of food. Coriolanus is furious and fires him on the spot.
Back at the apartment, Kimmy is still looking for a crack to step on. She's so obsessed with it that she can't concentrate on anything else. Lillian tries to snap her out of it by telling her about a time when she herself stepped on a crack and nothing bad happened. Kimmy is skeptical, but eventually decides to give it a try. She finds a crack, takes a deep breath, and steps on it.
...And that's all we'll say about what happens next! "Kimmy Steps on a Crack!" is a wacky and wonderful episode that explores the characters' neuroses in a way that's both funny and poignant. Kimmy's trauma is never far from the surface, but the show manages to find the humor in it without ever trivializing it. And Titus's struggles with discrimination are all too real, but the show manages to find a way to make them hilarious as well. Overall, it's a delightful installment in one of Netflix's most charming and unconventional comedies.