‘Single Drunk Female’ Recap: ‘Normie’ & ‘4th Step’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 & 204 of ‘Single Drunk Female’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the brilliant Freeform series, Single Drunk Female, we talked at length about the incredible new tone the show was taking on for its second season. Since the premiere established that this year’s journey was going to be about the aftermath of alcoholism, and what the next steps look like after sobriety has been chosen by a person that used to avoid it. Which involved navigating the stresses of everyday life for Sam, all while she continued to work hard upon on shedding the bad habits that plunged her into alcohol related behavior time and time again in days gone by. 
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But of course, since life doesn’t end when people are in recovery, other challenges await those working to heal and that’s precisely what this week’s episode block took the time to explore. For ‘Normie’ and ‘4th Step’ are a pair of stories that opted to explore… how tough it can be for a recovering addict to reintegrate into all the moments we take for granted, and how hard it can be for others to understand what the unique healing process for addiction looks like, and the trouble that misunderstanding can cause. Which brought forth two powerful tales, the first of which… explored what it is like to dip back into the dating pool when starting over in life again and spoiler alert… it can be quite difficult and uncomfortable to say the least. 

For Sam went out with her former boss in this story, and while they had a great time and were vibing on the date, the stuff that we take for granted came into play. For Alex was eager to enjoy some fine wine on their date, and that… put Sam in an awkward place for obvious reasons. Because she simply didn’t know how to express to someone new in her life, that she was sober. For she knew full well how people frown upon that, and that could have jeopardized this budding relationship. But eventually she realized that dodging the truth was unhealthy and he was either going to accept her for her or not, and that prompted her to offer the truth and enjoy a fine response. But what mattered more is that this sequence really did make it clear that a new life in sobriety has its pratfalls when the world doesn’t respect such matters all that much, and that can be tough to navigate. 

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As for the second theme present in these two episodes, well that was handled by Carol. Because one fine night, she felt the need to invade her daughter’s private space and read a journal she wrote. One that was filled to the brim with very raw and angry thoughts about the people in Sam’s life. Of course… Carol didn’t care about those other passages, just the ones concerning her, and how they supposedly painted her as a monster mother of sorts, one composed of neuroses and fury. Which of course… sent her into a dark place that not even Bob could talk her out of, and that led to a powerhouse confrontation within the household when she went after Sam for what was written and well… Sam’s response was quite powerful.
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In that, it wasn’t about disparaging anyone, it was part of the 4th Step of the 12 Step Program. Wherein inventory of one’s feeling needed to be purged onto paper to help heal. But since Carol was in a vastly different place mentally and emotionally, she saw this an attack and treated it as such by spitting vitriol at her daughter and by re-opening old wounds. Which left Sam beside herself and in a dark and unsafe place. Simply because… it was hard to reconcile the truth about her relationship with her mother. In that, it wasn’t healthy and that she and her mother were on two different paths. Wherein Sam wanted to heal, and Carol wanted life to go on as usual, and the potential for this to spill over, prompted Sam to move out and move in with Brit. To stay safe and to prepare to continue to move forward, regardless of the outcome.

All of which truly made it clear that the days after recovery are hard, and filled with stunning challenges few of us can fathom. But this is a series that doesn’t shy away from the hard realities of recovery, both good and bad, and it deserves a round of applause for giving us that honesty here and for changing the delicate dynamic of the Fink household. And now that Sam has left the nest for all the right reasons, and Bob has even taken the time to back her up, it will be interesting to see where Carol and Sam go from here, and it will be equally as fascinating, to learn more incredible lessons from a series that truly wants to educate us on every aspect of recovery, as season two of this timely and powerful series, continues along. Until next time.        

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