Bargaining
The White Stuff
Episode 5 of I Hate Suzie begins with Cob meeting his contact in a nod toward noir thrillers. With Cob serving as a crime detective, he sits on the edge of a bed and notices cocaine in the scene involving his wife’s affair. All of this is, of course, a fantasy but it also reflects Cob’s keen eye for detail in the photos. Back in the present, Cob confronts Suzie about her drug taking that night. As the duo talk, Frank heads downstairs and puts the radio on. The pair intentionally hide their mouths and discuss the implications of her Disney gig with this new twist in the tale. Naomi heads to the doctors and receives some bad news about her chances of having children. However, this doesn’t stop her dealing with Suzie’s issues, as she greets her at a playground. Through a series of really well-shot sequences, Suzie learns her evening with Cob on Friday may be compromised as she also has to attend a producer’s meeting. She’s put in a really tough position, forced to choose between her career and her marriage. Killing two birds with one stone, she decides to invite Cob along. On the way though, he encourages her to take some pills before heading to the meal.
A Very Awkward Dinner
Cob messes things up in a darkly comedic way as he immediately brings attention to the photos. Unfortunately Carter shows up and this causes a whole world of problems at the table. Suzie has heard enough and as things continue to escalate, she takes herself to the bathroom and asks for a sign. That sign comes from Disney confirming she’s got a place. During Suzie’s elated outburst though, she mentions white powder in the picture. There’s a long pause – uncomfortably long – and they tell her they’ll be in touch. Back at the table, Suzie makes her decision and decides to leave the show. Cob is ecstatic and it eventually leads to the duo kissing and getting busy in the taxi on the way home. Meanwhile, Naomi drowns her sorrows in unfulfilling sex with a random hook-up. In the morning, Suzie’s outburst on the phone causes massive issues for her career. Disney withdraw their offer and even worse, her decision to leave the show means her career is going down the pan. Her death scene is filmed and she sells it really well. As the camera pans up, the cast and crew leave her on the ground.
The Episode Review
Once again I Hate Suzie switches things up both tonally and thematically. With a small glimmer of hope for Suzie, all of this comes crashing down in the worst possible way. Unlike the rest of the episodes, this one plays much closer to a simple drama but with more dark comedy. The scenes at the dinner table in particular are incredibly funny but also a great manifestation of the issues Suzie has had to deal with throughout this season. It’s obvious that Cob is not concerned with her career and almost sabotages everything for her. This really plays into the finale scene of the episode too. This symbolic gesture of these zombies clawing Suzie’s insides while she screams and struggles represents the press and media acting as vultures. The consume every morsel they can from an open wound and walk away afterwards to let the fallen fend for themselves. It’s a really compelling visual scene and one that backs up the imagery that works so well through this series.
