Don't let the title fool you: Man Seeking Woman is about much more than one man's pursuit of a partner. Over the course of its three seasons, the FXX series has shown the nuances of friendships, familial relationships, and every stage of dating. And thanks to Britt Lower's Liz, Man Seeking Woman has explored what dating can be like for women. But in the latest Liz-centric, or Woman Seeking Man, episode airing on Feb. 22, the series will explore a facet of Liz's life it hasn't before — and Lower tells Bustle that it's only the beginning.
"Dolphin" evolves from focusing on Liz's career to her relationship with her parents, including her and Josh's previously unseen father, played by Peter Gallagher. "I absolutely love the direction the writers took Liz in this episode because it’s kind of a rare departure for the show," Lower says. "It’s not about romantic love, but rather about, first of all, Liz’s love for her career, but also the validation that you seek from your parents."
Even amidst the multiple ridiculous, hilarious bits that you'd expect from Man Seeking Woman, viewers learn a lot about Liz in "Dolphin." Sure, we knew that she was incredibly successful and devoted to her career, but until now, we didn't realize just how important it was for her to make her parents proud. "There is that kind of vulnerability when you achieve something that your parents don’t think is as exciting as you think it is, that’s kind of like a bigger deal than falling in love sometimes," Lower says. And there's much more about Liz for Man Seeking Woman to explore — including something that may require another temporary title change.
"I’ll just go ahead and reveal this," Lower says, "Liz has had relationships with women." She's hoping that the series will dedicate a future episode to those relationships in a Woman Seeking Woman edition. "I think the show is due for it," she says. She's absolutely right, as one of the few aspects of dating that Man Seeking Woman hasn't explored is same-sex relationships, so this would be a great way to add that representation while bringing even more depth to Liz.
Romantic relationships aside, the actor also wants to meet the other women who Liz spends time with. "I'm really interested in her relationship to her female friends," she says. "I’m not sure who they are in her life, but I’m curious about them and if she has them and she if she wants more of them, because we don’t get to see Liz with any of her friends, really."
As fun as it's been to watch Josh hang out with his own best friend and flail his way through dating, now that he's settled down with Lucy, it may be time for Liz to take the spotlight. "Dolphin" suggests that their parents will be preoccupied with his upcoming wedding, but once all of that is over, maybe Man Seeking Woman can give us an entire arc of Woman Seeking... Someone.
