But the manager, Mindy, quickly discovers her. Sam admits it’s been nine days since her last drink and that she hasn’t been sleeping well. Mindy also attends the AA meetings, though she won’t let Sam sit by her because of her lack of style. James shows her ways she can claim a seat to save her from future embarrassment. Sam thinks he might be flirting with her. At the supermarket, Sam experiences an awkward encounter with Brit and her ex, Joel. Brit tells her she owes $5,000 for the damage to the party bus. Sam tries and fails to get a promotion at work (for obvious reasons), so she seeks help from Olivia. Her sponsor essentially tells her that she needs to figure these kinds of things out as part of learning to be an adult. Dejected, Sam goes home only to discover that her mom is on a date with a man named Bob. She and her mom fight. Sam is angry because her mom has been eager to kick her out of the house, supposedly so she can spend more time with Bob. Carol insists that Bob isn’t the problem. Rather, she simply needs time to herself. After this fight, Sam stops outside a liquor store. She wants to go in, but she instead calls James to pick her up. They go to a café, where he encourages her. She suggests that they have sex again (sober this time), but he refuses. He says she is “untouchable” until she is sober for a year. The episode ends with Sam getting her first paycheck. Right after she sends her first down payment to Brit, she drops her phone, and the screen cracks.
The Episode Review
Episode 2 sheds a bit more light on Sam’s history with her mother, while building a foundation for her burgeoning relationships with Olivia and James. The 28-year-old fighting with her mother over dating is, let’s face it, banal. And the fallout over Sam’s needing to move out is predictable. More compelling are Sam’s scenes with Olivia and James. Both are obviously going to play significant parts in Sam’s development, and each fulfil a unique role in the show. As for the rest of the cast’s importance, time will tell. Will Brit and Sam ever make up? Did Sam ever get over Joel, and can the three of them all be friends again?
