Episode 2 begins with Margo’s father, Jinx (played by Nick Offerman), blowing off all his steam on a punching bag. The episode then shifts to Margo, newly released from the hospital with her newborn son, Bodhi. During the drive home, Shyanne awkwardly tries to comfort her, insisting that motherhood will come naturally. Margo shares that she had a vivid dream the night before in which her father was present during the birth. When they arrive at Margo’s apartment, Shyanne quickly heads off to work, leaving Margo alone with Bodhi. Susie eagerly answers the door, and the roommates gather to meet the baby for the first time—though a couple of them feign excitement.
As the days pass, Margo finds herself overwhelmed by motherhood. She navigates the challenges of breastfeeding and diaper changes while Bodhi cries relentlessly day and night. During a FaceTime call with her friend, Becca, she breaks down, venting her frustration about how Bodhi struggles to latch properly and that the pain has left her breasts sore.
The episode then shifts to Jinx, newly released from rehab. He checks his phone and finds a string of messages from Margo sent over the past few months, in which she tells him she’s pregnant and plans to keep the baby.
One night, as Margo struggles to get Bodhi to breastfeed, she gets into an argument with her roommates who are unable to sleep through his constant crying. They insist she take the baby outside. Once she does, Bodhi finally settles down. Margo then calls Shyanne, explaining that she needs to return to work to earn money—which means finding a babysitter. Sensing what Margo is about to ask, Shyanne quickly tries to dissuade her, but Margo goes ahead and asks anyway.
Meanwhile, the Greyhound bus Jinx is on pulls over, and he steps off to enter a roadside diner. Inside, a fan named Boomer recognizes him, and Jinx casually tells the waitress he used to be a pro wrestler. He pulls out his phone and rereads the messages Margo had sent him. Just as he’s about to get back on the bus, he changes his mind, heading back into the diner to bribe Boomer with wrestling memorabilia in exchange for his motorcycle. We cut to Jinx, soaring down the road on the motorcycle.
Margo drops Bodhi off at Shyanne’s place just as she’s about to leave for work. Shyanne mentions that Kenny wants to take Margo out to dinner and encourages her to find a babysitter. Confused, Margo asks why she can’t just bring Bodhi along, and it suddenly hits her—Shyanne hasn’t told Kenny about the baby. Margo says she’ll agree to the dinner, but only if Shyanne is honest with him about her having a baby.
Midway through her shift, Margo’s manager, Tess, lets her know someone is outside asking for her. Margo hurries out to find Shyanne there with Bodhi. Overwhelmed, Shyanne panics, insisting she’s not cut out to be a grandmother. She breaks down and Margo steps in to comfort her. At the end of her shift, Tess fires Margo, explaining she needs reliable employees and can’t count on her while she’s focused on Bodhi. When Margo returns home, she learns that two of her roommates are moving out the following week, now leaving just her and Susie responsible for a larger portion of the rent.
The next day, Margo brings Bodhi to Mark’s office at Fullerton College, where she explains her situation and angrily gives him no choice but to give her $3,000 to help support her. That night, Margo joins Shyanne and Kenny for dinner at Applebee’s, while Susie stays home to babysit Bodhi. During the meal, Margo steps away to take a call from an unknown number. On the line is Elizabeth Gable, Mark’s mother, who wants to arrange a meeting with Margo about the $3,000 she demanded. When Margo returns to the table, Kenny asks for her blessing, revealing that he wants to marry Shyanne. Once Margo agrees to give him her blessing, Kenny gets down on one knee and proposes to Shyanne right in the middle of the restaurant. Shyanne happily accepts, beaming with joy.
The episode concludes with Margo back at home, explaining to Susie about what happened at dinner. Susie then reveals that she’s a cosplayer and suggests Margo could be a good fit for modeling costumes. After Susie returns to her room, there’s a knock at the door. Margo opens it to find Jinx standing there. Taken aback, she tells him: “I thought you might be dead.”
Episode 2 of Margo’s Got Money Troubles offers a candid portrayal of Margo’s early struggles with motherhood and the toll it takes on her. Elle Fanning delivers a strong performance, skillfully capturing Margo’s physical exhaustion while still conveying her underlying warmth and determination. The episode also introduces Jinx, Margo’s father and former pro wrestler, for the first time. Additionally, there’s a recurring focus on breastfeeding in the episode that emphasizes the physical strain motherhood places on her body. That said, the episode largely sticks to conventional narrative beats, which keeps it from taking significant risks. Nonetheless, the stakes continue to rise heading into the next episode, as viewers anticipate what Mark’s mother might have planned for Margo in addition to how she will navigate her relationship with Jinx now that he’s back in her life.
Rating: 7.5/10