‘Single Drunk Female’ Recap: ‘Pilot’ & ‘One Day at a Time’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘Pilot’

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Single Drunk Female’.
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The phrase ‘rock bottom’ is one that we are all familiar with, likely because of popular media. Because there have been countless stories that chronicle such a moment. Wherein an addict finds themselves at their absolute lowest because of the substance they abuse, and reaching that point means that they must either choose life or wallow in the darkness that drugs and alcohol surrounds them with and that’s where these stories get quite inspiring. Since every single character within them, chooses to live and fights hard to reclaim what they’ve lost and these journeys are so uplifting in nature, that the phrase in question… has become something of a rallying cry that we use for inspiration in our everyday lives to push through tough times.
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But while it is wonderful to know that these stories pull at something deep within us and leave us feeling as though we can overcome anything, the consistent push to present the road back from addiction in a positive light and the romanticization of that phrase… has indeed take something away from a journey that is so visceral. Because recovering from addiction and hitting rock bottom is actually quite the ugly and uncomfortable process. One that requires a person to really acknowledge their actions and their mistakes and work to break years of negative habits and reform their life to live with an addiction that will never go away. But thankfully, as audiences demand better and more realistic stories from Hollywood and New York, there are creative minds that are bringing to life, tales that properly examine addiction and what rock bottom actually looks like and one such series in that vein made its debut on Freeform last night, and going that route storytelling wise, made the premiere of Single Drunk Female, quite powerful in nature.

For ‘Pilot’ and ‘One Day at a Time’ held nothing back in their exploration of addiction and rock bottom. And it wasted zero time introducing us to Samantha Fink, a twenty-eight-year-old woman that is immediately in hot water in this tale when she assaults her boss in a drunken rage. An act that brings her life to a screeching halt and sends her back home in shame to live with her mother, Carol, as she works to put her life back together and recover from her addiction and that is where this story takes a painfully moving turn. Because it doesn’t take long for this story to teach Sam, and the audience, that rock bottom is no joke. It’s not a rallying cry in the slightest. Nor is it some kind of moment of inspiration. It’s a tough place to be, where the future is completely and utterly uncertain and fear and worry populates the mind, and to top it all off… staying sober in that moment is no easy task.

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‘One Day at a Time’

Because all an addict knows in immediate recovery, is what makes them feel good and happy, and that allows for Sam to quickly slip back into old habits and get into fresh trouble. Making it clear that rock bottom isn’t a single, defining moment. It’s a state of being, a place that one resides in until they realize they have a problem and need to make sweeping changes to their life and that is where the series truly shines. Because we watch Sam come to realize all of that and feel the gravity of her decisions at last and start the long road back and there’s more realism to be found in that part of the journey as well. Since Sam getting a job at the local supermarket and trying to navigate the tough moments with her mother, who seems to believe that alcoholism can be conquered through discipline… teaches us that starting over in life is downright difficult and carries with it, personal stigmas for us to overcome. 
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Which makes this, a powerful opening to a powerful journey, one that is also lighthearted in nature. Because writer Simone Finch injected a great deal of humor into Samantha’s journey. Which means the quirkiness and downright hilarity of some our lowest moments, the kind we laugh about when reflecting upon them, are here, presented in the hilarious raw of course. Plus, the casual awkwardness of family life and the hum drum nature of life in general, are on full display here, making this a supremely relatable series as well. In large part because we’ve known plenty of folks that are struggle bussing through life and are working hard to keep it together. But it is also relatable, because… some of us have been in Sam’s shoes and know this path well and this show deserves a round of applause and our praise for doing the impossible.

In that, it is finally presenting alcoholism and recovery in the raw and it is undoubtedly going to cover the fight for sobriety and what that new beginning looks like as well and that makes this series a must-see for certain. Because it is rare to find shows that offer this kind of honesty revolving around topics that definitely make us uncomfortable. But this show does so in a brave and bold manner, and it is bolstered by stunning performances. Since Sofia Black D’Elia (Sam), sells every moment with incredible gravity and honesty and she is counterbalanced nicely by Ally Sheedy’s (Carol) interpretation of how little we understand about addiction, and the rest of the cast turns in top work as well, and it is definitely safe to say that this sensational series will leave you eager for more, because of the powerful moments it provides us with, and it will be quite interesting to see where this incredible journey is going to take us, in the weeks to come. Until next time.  

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