At the next AA meeting, friends celebrate Sam’s six-month mark of staying sober. There, she opens up to Olivia about her jealousy that her mom is having sex and she isn’t. Olivia says that’s natural. She’s been sober for six months and is starting to feel her body again. She invites Sam to her “sober dance party,” but Sam declines. Staring at James across the room, she declares she has other plans. Sam and James go on a jog the next day, and Sam decides to make a move. So, she kisses him. James immediately takes a step back. He says they are on “different timelines” when it comes to their sobriety. He implies that things could work between them under different circumstances. But when she implores him not to send her mixed signals, he insists they remain just friends. Nursing rejection, Sam vents her problem to Felicia, who decides to help her get laid via dating apps. Meanwhile, Carol runs into Brit and chats with her about the upcoming wedding. But she ends up passively insulting Joel for not being intellectual. Brit lets Carol’s remarks get to her. She makes an uncalled-for dig at Joel for his “basic” taste in wedding decisions, even though Joel has been working overtime to plan everything so Brit doesn’t have to. She does end up apologizing and thanking him for picking up her slack. When he asks her for advice on how to deal with the seating chart, Brit suggests they seat Carol in between the two unsavoury guests. Sam, in the meantime, goes on a coffee date with Brian. They go back to his place afterward, but things between them are awkward and lacking chemistry, so she has Felicia come pick her up early. Not wanting to waste the night, they decide to go to Olivia’s party when James invites them. When they get there, however, Sam can barely look at James. But she does bump into a cute girl named Chloe. They dance, kiss, and make their way to the bathroom to have sex. The episode ends with Sam and Chloe leaving the bathroom and kissing on the dance floor. James catches sight of them, and it’s obvious from his facial expression that he doesn’t like what he sees.
The Episode Review
I like the way this episode approaches Sam’s foray into dating. Rather than a cliché montage of repeated mishaps, it utilizes a singular, encapsulating experience. The way it presents her desire for sex as becoming in tune with her body again was well done too. I thought it a great way of tying in the overarching theme of her recovery without making the episode solely about sobriety. Brit’s storyline is a bit more sloppy, however. It felt as if the writers simply needed to fill space, so they decided to throw some insecurities Brit’s and Joel’s way (and, for some inexplicable reason, have Carol play a big part in that). What did you think about that ending? Do you think James is fighting feelings for Sam? And have Brit and Joel seen the last of their hardships before the wedding?
