Malika has her sights set on someone else. Her ex-boyfriend Damien, a former NFL player, is back in Brooklyn and running a soul food bagel café. Phoebe is worried that Malika is going to lose herself with him again, but she’s convinced they’ve both changed. Damien asks Malika out for coffee, which turns into a string of dates. She’s charmed by how often he gushes about how amazing she is. Meanwhile, Phoebe freaks out over the possibility of having feelings for Michael. She confesses to him that she wonders if they’re supposed to be together–like in the rom coms. Michael is all for giving things a shot. But when they try to have sex, everything that could go wrong does go wrong–and they end up laughing over it in the morning. Both of them realize they’re meant to be just friends. After Malika and Damien have been dating for a while, Damien tells her she has a place in his café. He says that, if she applied her mind to his business, she’d be like his secret ingredient–something that adds to the recipe, but doesn’t overpower it. This immediately puts Malika off. And when Damien tells her he doesn’t think podcasting is using all her abilities, she insists he doesn’t know her at all. Malika says she’s figured out her dreams, and she’s happy. She wishes Damien luck, then walks out of his café. Later, Malika admits to Phoebe that things didn’t turn out the way she wanted. However, it did feel nice getting back onto the dating scene again. Maybe she’s ready for Phoebe to set her up with someone new.
The Episode Review
I’m glad to finally get an episode about Malika, undoubtedly the best character in the series (and the least cringeworthy). Even more than that, I’m happy to see the show isn’t pushing Malika and Michael together, despite all of Malika’s previous indicators that she’s not at all interested. A sudden realization on her part would fall into “rom com logic,” which this episode comically debunks. Hopefully, we’ll soon see Malika find love that affirms and supports her dreams, and Phoebe confronting actual unresolved feelings for a certain someone.
