‘Single Drunk Female’ Recap: ‘Defining Relationships’ & ‘Keeping it Professional’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episodes 205 & 206 of ‘Single Drunk Female’. To revisit the previous two episodes, click here.
​
When we are going through a difficult time in our lives, or we’re trying to put the pieces of our lives back together because of that difficult time… all we know in that moment, is our world. Our feelings, our thoughts, and our struggles, and rightfully so. Because those dark days are on our minds and all we want to do is be done with them and leave them behind, and well… that can cause us… to be blissfully unaware of other situations going on around us. Because while our struggles are important, there are others going through it as well, and who knows… perhaps we can find a little sliver of joy or healing if we hear them and help them.
​
Which is why this week’s double feature of Single Drunk Female on Freeform is of note. For ‘Defining Relationships’ and ‘Keeping it Professional’ explored that and so much more, courtesy of some fascinating and powerful storylines. One of which involved Brit. Because we came to learn during this week’s adventures that she has been struggling badly with the divorce and the course of her life post-divorce. To the point where she was looking for something, anything to hang onto, and that motivated her to shoplift to try and bring home an item that would evoke a happy memory while doing something thrilling and self-destructive and well… this was a fine example of how we miss the suffering of others during dark times and how indeed we can find something worthwhile from it. Since Sam hadn’t a clue she was hurting this badly, but discovered a little slice of fulfillment by stepping in and giving Brit one good night in a sea of dark ones. 

But since this show loves to explore all of life’s ups and downs, there was an opportunity here to also look at how the isolation we create in dark times, can actually be detrimental. Which was explored by way of James and Carol, who… pushed themselves deeper into isolation over the course of these stories. James for instance, kept drinking, kept pushing others away and just let the day take him wherever. Which left him alone and broken, and Carol, well she continued to use toxicity to try and process her emotions and well… that led to disaster. Because she disrespected Bob in an effort to maintain that status quo and that was enough for Bob. He felt someone needed to teach her a lesson and moved out. All of which neatly hammered home, that when we isolate and stew and only worry about our problems, we can be a touch self-destructive since that darkness and frustration consumes us.

---

In fact, even as we recover and heal, we can still make similar mistakes, as evidenced by Sam’s storyline in this tale. Because despite her holding to sobriety and being a rock for her friend in a time of need, she still got into her head a plenty. To the point where she blew a big interview with Bob the Drag Queen at a film festival she was assigned to, because she let her poor perception of herself, related to her self-worth of course… torpedo that moment… and that… put her in a tough place mentally. An isolated one really. If anything, all of this made it seem as though perhaps this episode block was just going to slide into darkness and perhaps show us a moment where Sam might slip and where others would continue to slide. But this is a series that always teaches and oft looks at how we find our way out of the darkness, and that happened here as well.
​
For James came to learn, he needs a support network, and he needs something to believe in, and started to find sobriety again through faith and his mother and Mindy. And Carol came to learn… that she could no longer hide from her emotions and her trauma and had to open up if she ever wanted people in her life, because she was shoving them away because she was already scared of losing them. And she did that by joining a support group, and by finally speaking about her pain and as for her daughter… she came to realize she has to communicate better with others and make a point to look objectively at her life and what she is doing right. So, she doesn’t slide into her somewhat self-destructive mode now and again and those were fine lessons to find here, and applied to a great of lessons we all need to learn or need a refresher upon.

But what truly made this set of episodes so incredible, is that… the back-and-forth nature of these stories, and raw chaos and lows on display here… just reflected everyday life. Because it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s tough, and we go through it hard, even when we’re doing wonderful things and making progress and this show deserves a round of applause for showing us such a dynamic and realistic set of stories and for reminding us to be prepared for dark days. Because that’s what shows and stories about recovery and our struggles should do, for we need that honesty, not just excessive positivity and well, now that we’ve reached the end of two powerful tales, we are absolutely left eager for more. Simply because we have to know… what is going to come out of the revelations that played out here, for they were huge in nature and will have long-lasting impact upon these characters and their powerful story. Until next time.

---

Powered by JustWatch