Before Sam goes in for her interview, Olivia texts her words of encouragement. Stephanie thinks Olivia treats her sponsees too much like a job and wishes she would focus more on picking out a sperm donor with her. In New York, Nathaniel invites Sam up to his office at Smug Media. He tells her that her sample piece was “brilliant,” if a little too smart for the company. He thinks she would be a great fit for the job which, as he puts it, would be covering local cultural events. When Nathaniel asks Sam if he was her rock bottom, she becomes somewhat vulnerable with him about a bunch of other stuff she was going through at the time of her breakdown. However, she realizes he’s not enjoying her reality, so she tells a funny story about throwing up. This, Nathaniel laughs. He even says stories like that are what Smug Media is looking for. Nathaniel invites Sam to join him later to meet some colleagues at a bar. He advises her to bring her new and improved self, but to focus on the fun parts and not the sad ones. After the interview, Sam buys a hot dog from a street vendor. She then notices a hundred dollar bill in her purse. She calls to thank her mom for slipping her money, but it wasn’t her. Carol asks Bob if it was him, and he confesses. She’s angry he didn’t consult with her. Some time passes, and Bob wants to talk things through. He apologizes, claiming that slipping Sam money is just what he would have done with his own kids. Carol starts crying. That’s just it, she says. He was stepping in for Sam’s dad, who passed away–and Carol misses him. Bob then steps forward to embrace her. Meanwhile, James interviews with potential investors about his sobriety app. The meeting goes really well. They want to buy the app. Back in Boston, Stephanie stresses out about the effects of IVF injections on her body. She doubts that Olivia actually wants a baby. Olivia apologizes for being distant. She wants to be more involved and doesn’t want Stephanie to go through this alone. So, she offers to carry their baby. Stephanie agrees. Sam meets Nathaniel and his coworker at a bar. There, she learns that her job would be more that of a “party reporter.” Nathaniel reasoned that it would be fine with Sam, since she’s already beaten addiction. Sam walks out in the middle of their meeting, taking deep breaths once she gets outside. When she hears that James’ meeting went well, she offers to stick around New York while he wraps things up with his investors. He tells her not to ask things like that; he doesn’t know if he can keep saying no to her. The episode ends with Sam on a bus back home. Felicia texts her to say she’s glad she’s coming home. “Me too,” Sam responds.
The Episode Review
This installment of Single of Drunk Female was able to sit in its heavier moments. A consistent problem with this show is how it rushes through scenes and conflicts. This episode utilized its punchy scenes to pack actual punches, however. Olivia’s and Stephanie’s relationship has been begging for conflict resolution ever since Olivia became Sam’s sponsor. And Carol’s moment with Bob promises some cathartic processing of the loss of Sam’s father. But the best part of this episode was its cheeky critique of people like Nathaniel, who are extremely insensitive towards recovering alcoholics. Sophia Black-D’Elia delivers some heartfelt performances as her character realizes all over again that the world is not going to hold her hand throughout recovery.
