WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Mr. Corman, now available on Apple TV+.
In Apple TV+'s Mr. Corman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Josh finds himself struggling as a fifth grade teacher in Los Angeles. He's quickly becoming depressed due to a life he never envisioned for himself, with his reclusive lifestyle causing massive panic attacks. Luckily, the totally broken Josh finds an unlikely cure in the weirdest of spaces.
Josh has taken hit after hit, not being able to recover after his girlfriend, Megan, dumped him. He's been stalking her online for months, and can't get over her -- akin to 500 Days of Summer -- breeding an unhealthy obsession. It gets toxic as he's also lashing out at friends, demanding they give him prescription pills to get over anxiety.
Throw in mounting bills, debt that his shady dad's incurring via credit cards in Josh's name, possible eviction and ungrateful kids at school, and it's understandable why Josh is losing it. He doesn't even enjoy dating anymore which leads to a bad sexual episode where a woman chides him for not being aroused. Clearly, Josh needs mental help but his health insurance is screwing him over and he doesn't seem interested in therapy.
But one thing calms his mind: music. Sure, he's a failed musician whose family ridiculed him for dreaming big, but he knows his instruments are always there for him. He's scared to go into his music room but as he sits with his piano, he remembers the awe of being on stage and the anticipation he breathed in before.
This -- and an awkward heavy blanket session with his roommate, Victor -- results in him deciding to join a breathing exercise class. It's pay-what-you-want, which leads to a hilarious exchange with the front desk as he doesn't know what the class is worth. Ultimately, Josh goes in, nervous and uncomfortable as ever, to a class that's akin to yoga. They all have mats and the session kicks off with people sharing their feelings and spilling their emotions. Josh is a bit rude, though, but this is a place of acceptance.
As they all stretch and begin breathing, Josh notices an old woman struggling and stretches his hand out to help her. In this moment, he feels her pain and angst, and their heartbeats and breaths sync up. Josh finally feels relieved, cracks a smile and hints that maybe this lady could be someone he relies on a lot more as classes continue.
It'd make sense, as his own mom has been dismissive of his problems in the past, and seeing as she wasn't supportive of his career or taste in women, Josh may well have found a substitute for her with this mysterious gal. More so, this meditation crew could well prove to be the comforting sense of family he never experienced before.
New episodes of Mr. Corman are available each Friday on Apple TV+.