‘Everything’s Trash’ Recap: ‘Public Image Is Trash’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Everything’s Trash’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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We are taught from a very young age, that chasing our dreams and obtaining them, or getting settled into a career that brings us joy and helps us to thrive… will bring us great peace, and it makes sense as to why we are taught that lesson. Because people that are indeed living the dream or working hard and loving what they do, appear to be in the best place possible, mentally and financially. Because they’ve made it, they’ve reached the top and there is nothing that can bring them down because they have everything they want in life, and we should aspire to have that as well. But what’s fascinating about this lesson… is that it isn’t correct in the slightest. 

Because we are human beings, and our analytical minds and emotional souls, sometimes find themselves at odds with happiness and peace. Because it takes a lot of sacrifice and pain to reach the top and we can expect to fail more often than we succeed and that… puts one’s mind in a unique place. Where sometimes we all worry if we deserve the dream we’ve obtained or the career that takes care of us. Or if what we are doing is worthwhile and contributing to the greater good, and well… that can leave us in a tough place mentally. One where we truly feel akin to an imposter of sorts and that’s top of mind today, because it is what Phoebe experienced during this week’s episode of Everything’s Trash on Freeform.

A feat that ‘Public Image Is Trash’ accomplished by putting Phoebe in an interesting place. Because while Phoebe was going about her life and doing the show, Jessie was getting quite the odd request (in her eyes) from her mentor at the university. For he was suddenly in love with Phoebe’s show and wanted to invite her to speak to students at an upcoming event and well… that request is what put Phoebe in an odd spot. Because it required her to meet with some of the university’s personnel, who looked down upon the show and what it stood for. Which in essence, created that sense of imposter’s syndrome for Phoebe. Because while she worked hard and loved it, she was wondering if this was the worthwhile and meaningful show that others claimed it was and that worry was compounded further by a painful surprise.

In that, the professor that loved this show, so… did so for weird reasons. Because he basically had a podcast kink, and Phoebe’s voice was the medicine that he apparently needed, only hammering the reality that maybe what she was doing, wasn’t anything special and that she had basically done nothing more than create a fake public image and a vapid show. But the chance to go up on stage and speak to a packed house of eager fans, changed that for Phoebe. Because it helped her to realize, that she was indeed in the right place and offering people something they needed, making her and her show something quite special after all and that journey made for one lovely and satisfying tale when all is said and done.

Because imposter syndrome is something that a lot of folks are speaking to now and how they struggle with it. So, to see a show address what it looks like and how to overcome it, is quite wonderful for certain. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the exploration was handled in an utterly hilarious manner, because the podcast kink thing was downright amazing and the B plot with Jayden trying to be a hipper politician also worked wonders for this tale and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this journey, we are definitely left hungry for more. Because this show is touching on some wonderfully relatable topics and offering up valuable commentary and lessons, all while making us laugh… and you simply cannot go wrong with a show that is offering all of that, in these trying times. Until next time.

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