Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Solidify Their Legacy in New Season of ‘Grace and Frankie’

Alex Aronson

By the conclusion of season 3 of “Grace and Frankie,” the titular characters (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, respectively) have embarked on their mission to make a line of sex toys geared towards older women. The duo attempt to cobble together the money needed to start their new business venture but find it difficult to balance family, business and personal conflictions.

While the dynamics between Grace and Frankie themselves is consistent with previous seasons, the new business venture storyline gets pushed to the wayside mid-season. As the show puts less focus on Fonda and Tomlin, it tends to center more attention on the rest of the cast.

In season three, there’s a more inclusive look at some of the show’s other characters: Grace’s daughters Mallory (Brooklyn Decker) and Brianna (June Diane Raphael) struggle with their shifting, sibling dynamics as one family-focused sister grapples with her man-eating, career-focused counterpart. The relationship between the two grows stronger as Mallory discovers her life might not be as perfect as she makes it out to be.

By the same token, sons Coyote (Ethan Embry) and Bud (Baron Vaughn) fall short alongside their sisters. Less energy is focused on the duo as they take a fairly distant back seat in season three. Bud, a recovering drug addict, is trying to hone his newly found sober-life – but the show still makes little time for him. While Bud’s new girlfriend does provide a few comedic bits throughout the season, she’s quickly outshined by the character arcs of her cast-mates.

On the other hand, the ex-husbands of the main characters – Robert (Martin Sheen) and Sol (Sam Waterston) – have their own spin-off show within the series. When the season opens, they are just moving into their new house together. The couple faces their own problems as Robert gets cast as a lead in the local community play, while Sol doesn’t even manage to get a minor part. This causes tension between the two – which is further punctuated by Robert’s struggle to come out to his conservative older mother.

Most of the husband’s storylines take place within their own house and interaction between the two titular characters is at an all-time minimum. Unfortunately, as the two become more irrelevant to Grace and Frankie, they become equally irrelevant in the overall structure of the show.

With so much focus put on other characters, Grace and Frankie are still the central anchors to all of the chaos. Minor subplots lasting several episodes – involving guns, pitching their sex product to a bible group, and a home invasion – deepen the atypical connection between the two. Fonda’s stern demeanor in contrast to Tomlin’s irreverence proves to remain as captivating and hilarious as it was when the show originally began. By season three, the dynamic could easily have been stale, but the two veteran actresses manage to keep things fresh. Grace and Frankie hasn’t aged.

‘Grace and Frankie’ season 3 premiered March 24 on Netflix.