Alex is a 50-year-old divorced literary agent in London who is trying to make room for love while caring about aging parents and a son who should be living independently. Sharon Horgan plays her as capable, funny and restless, with none of those qualities protecting her from the changes arriving at once.
The character is not searching for a dramatic reinvention. She wants ordinary adult pleasures and some control over her time, but family, work and health repeatedly reclaim the space she tries to reserve. Ruari’s unexpected return from university makes that struggle visible inside her own home.
- Release date: September 20, 2026
- Episode: Season 1, Episode 1
- Title: Lockjaw
- Genre: Comedy
- Streaming on: HBO Max in the US
Alex is built around competing responsibilities
Professionally, Alex is used to reading people and turning language into leverage. A literary agent must manage personalities, expectations and deadlines, which suits her quick mind. That competence also encourages the belief that any personal problem can be handled if she finds the right words quickly enough.
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Her relationships challenge that method. Patrick is not a project, and a renewed romance requires Alex to reveal uncertainty rather than simply direct the conversation. Ruari is even less manageable because he needs support while withholding the full account of why he left university.
Her body interrupts the performance of control
Episode 1 gives Alex a locked jaw after her phone strikes her mouth. The doctor’s arthritis diagnosis converts a broad fear of aging into a specific physical limit. It is especially pointed for a character whose voice is both her professional instrument and her preferred defense.
The condition does not erase Alex’s sexuality, humor or authority. Instead, it prevents the series from pretending that self-confidence makes the body negotiable. She can reject stereotypes about middle age while still accepting that pain and recovery deserve attention.
Sharon Horgan makes contradiction the point
Horgan also gives Alex an interesting selfish streak without making her cold. She genuinely wants to be there for Ruari, but she resents how quickly his needs occupy her plans. That frustration is honest, and it allows parenting to appear as a relationship between imperfect adults rather than automatic sacrifice.
Alex’s best scenes sit between those impulses. She can comfort her son and still want him to leave the bed, pursue Patrick and still fear being trapped, or laugh about the jaw problem while hearing the warning inside it. The contradictions create character rather than a neat lesson.
The opening episodes make Alex someone fighting for a life that includes responsibility without being consumed by it. Which part of her story feels most compelling to you: the romance, the family pressure or the physical comedy? Share your answer below.
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