‘SMILF’: Frankie Shaw Explains Why Woody Allen Quote Opened Season 1 Finale

Last night’s Season 1 finale of Showtime’s “SMILF” started with the Woody Allen quote, “The heart wants what it wants. There’s no logic to these things.” While there’s truth to that statement, series creator Frankie Shaw said that she decided to put that quote at the beginning of the episode to present an irony.

“I just thought it was so funny, the irony of that statement,” Shaw told Entertainment Weekly of using that quote for the finale, noting the accusations of sexual abuse against Allen from his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. “It seemed so fitting to me.”

On Aug. 4, 1992, Allen’s former partner Mia Farrow said that Dylan, then aged seven, told her that she was sexually abused by Allen in their Connecticut home earlier that day. But because of Allen’s heavyweight status in Hollywood at the time, a lot of people didn’t believe Dylan’s claims.

“It’s one thing to harass and abuse adults — I mean, they’re all bad — but when you’re abusing children [it’s a whole other level],” Shaw told IndieWire. “So, Woody Allen, I guess there’s this controversy because he’s a beloved, or formerly beloved, filmmaker. … But for me [making this episode] was like, ‘Dylan [Farrow], we believe you. Hi, Dylan. Other people believe you, even though it seems like the masses and popular culture dismiss your story.’”

Bridgette, Shaw’s character on “SMILF,” was sexually abused by her father when she was a child. But like Allen, Bridgette’s father didn’t admit it. So when Bridgette matched with a man who she thought was her estranged father on Tinder, she agreed to go on a date with him. When they met, Bridgette tried to make him admit what she did to her several years back. Although the man turned out to be not Bridgette’s real dad, the almost-confrontation did further the relationship between her and her mom Tutu (Rosie O’Donnell), who showed up last minute for support at the bar where Bridgette was supposed to meet her dad.

Showtime has yet to set a premiere date for Season 2 but Variety reported that writers of the show will go back to work on Feb. 5.