In the first episode of Margo’s Got Money Troubles, college student Margo Millet (played by Elle Fanning) writes an English paper about her life story, explaining that being an only child helped shape her vivid imagination.
After class one day, Margo’s English professor, Mark (played by Michael Angarano), asks her to remain behind. He praises her paper, saying it’s excellent, and wonders why she’s at Fullerton College when she could be studying anywhere–even Harvard. He returns her paper with an A+ marked on it.
Margo calls her friend to say she’s going out for coffee with Mark because he considers her writing to be brilliant. She insists she won’t sleep with him, but the episode cuts to the two of them in bed together, fully naked. He asks what inspired her to become a writer, and she says it was likely her father, who read to her as a baby, though he is no longer part of her life. Mark shares a poem he wrote for her titled “The Hungry Ghost.” Even after her friend advises against it, Margo continues meeting him for sex more frequently.
We cut to Margo’s mother, Shyanne Millet (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), meeting her partner, Kenny (played by Greg Kinnear), at a church, where he gives her a cross necklace and encourages her to become more involved in the church. She later tells Margo that she has joined the church choir to please him. Margo, in turn, excitedly talks about her professor, and her mother picks up on Margo’s expression that something deeper may be going on. Then, it suddenly hits her: Margo’s having sex with her professor.
As Margo heads out to work, she walks past her roommate, Susie (played by Thaddea Graham), in the living room, who is excitedly watching wrestling on TV. Margo identifies that the wrestler on the screen has already retired, surprising Susie, who didn’t expect her to be familiar with wrestling. Margo brushes it off and leaves. Later at work, she feels sick and suddenly vomits. A coworker then suggests she take a pregnancy test.
Margo takes several pregnancy tests, all of which come back positive. She tells Mark, who suggests she consider getting an abortion. Margo is conflicted and believes terminating a life is something to think about, while Mark claims that she shouldn’t so readily abort her future.
Margo goes in for an ultrasound, where she hears the fetus’s heartbeat for the first time and becomes emotional. She later tells Shyanne about the pregnancy. She reacts strongly, insisting that Margo was on her way “to be somebody,” and worries about how she will explain the situation to Kenny, given his religious beliefs. Margo reassures her that she isn’t in love with Mark, but says that, for reasons she can’t fully explain, she wants to keep the baby.
Margo ultimately decides to keep the baby. Behind her back, her roommates gossip about her choice and remain skeptical. Margo explains that Mark has stopped contacting her ever since she told him she was planning on keeping the baby. A baby shower is later held for Margo. Shyanne watches with affection, though there’s a subtle hint of uncertainty in her expression.
As time passes, Margo’s pregnancy becomes more visible. One night, while lying in bed, she has a flashback to the first time she slept with Mark. He had asked why she writes about herself in the third person, and she explained that it helps her feel more compassion for her own character and makes it easier to like herself. Later, Margo tells Susie that she thinks she never truly loved Mark—rather, he allowed her to feel more important about herself.
After shopping for a stroller at Bloomingdale’s with Shyanne, Margo unexpectedly runs into Mark and his family in the parking lot. She bravely decides to approach him. Speaking in the third person, she tells Mark that she was unhappy with her final grade and felt she had been treated unfairly. Mark sends his wife and children inside the store first so they can go ahead without him. Once alone with Margo, he questions her motives, saying he did his part by encouraging her to consider an abortion, and even wonders whether the baby is his. As Shyanne walks by, Mark checks her out. Upset by this, Margo walks away.
Back in the car, Margo vents her frustration at Shyanne. Margo’s hurt that her own mother doesn’t seem to be celebrating her pregnancy, and Shyanne confirms that she isn’t because it feels like the life Margo never got to know is already over. Overwhelmed, Margo gets out of the car and lets out a scream.
The episode ends in the delivery room, where Margo continues to scream through labor. With Shyanne by her side, she eventually gives birth. With a smile, Shyanne looks at her and softly says, “You did it.”
Episode 1 of Margo’s Got Money Trouble opens on a somewhat safe, conventional note, but gradually builds toward something more emotionally grounded in its characters. Adapted from Rufi Thorpe’s novel of the same name, the episode portrays Margo’s journey as both difficult and quietly honest. At one point, she confides in her roommate, Susie, reflecting that she was drawn to her professor because she believes he made her like herself more. It’s a revealing glimpse into Margo’s own insecurities. Michelle Pfeiffer also delivers a standout performance as Margo’s mother, Shyanne, a former Hooters waitress who now works at Bloomingdale’s. There’s a playful energy in her portrayal that hints at Shyanne’s lively younger years. She also excellently conveys an implicit motherly understanding of Margo’s situation, shaped by her own experience of becoming pregnant after a one-night encounter. With Margo now having given birth, the episode raises the stakes moving forward as audiences get to see how she will navigate life with a newborn.
Rating: 7.5/10