The Flight Attendant‘s “After Dark” allowed Kaley Cuocos character Cassie the opportunity to do something that women are usually not given the opportunity to be: a hot damn mess. Seriously, female characters on TV and in movies are kept in little boxes that distinguish them from others without allowing for nuance to be brought in because no woman is like another in reality. And even when they’re given the opportunity to be nuanced like men, they’re relegated to even smaller boxes that only happen once in a blue moon.
“After Dark” broke that box, told it to fuck off, and gave us something twisted, messy, and unhinged. And we loved every second of it. Seriously, this is the kind of content we want to see more of and without having read the book we’re hoping that this show gets more than one season. If not, Kaley Cuoco and the people behind the scenes deserve all the opportunities to create content by women, geared towards women, and about women.
While we’re at it, we also can’t stop thinking about how Cassie took her pain and channeled it into running away MORE from her problem. She couldn’t face the thought of being alone or not having Annie in her life. So she started drinking and she didn’t stop drinking until the choice was taken away from her and she had to sober up for the first time in ages. The way she looked in that jail cell….our girl has hit rock bottom and you know what they say, the only direction to go is up!
Calling her brother, acknowledging the past, was also a big step for Cassie. She’s always had this specific picture of herself and her father. And in that picture Davey was always the crazy one, the one who didn’t understand the world and just made a big deal out of things. Getting sober, or coming close to it, allowed Cassie to see that she was a little shit to her brother and so was her dad. He wasn’t perfect. In fact, he was an abusive alcoholic. And in that jail cell Cassie realized that if she didn’t fix her shit asap, she was due to become just like him.
Even Annie, we thought sure as hell that that was going to be one dimensional. She’s been that way so far. #SorryNotSorry. But “After Dark” allowed Annie to have dimensions. There was anger, betrayal, loss of hope, and so much more that makes us look back at Annie’s journey so far with new eyes. She’s had Cassie’s back this entire time, even in the face of waking up next to someone that was dead, and in calling Cassie out she shined a mirror on herself and realized she wasn’t happy with the Annie she is.
This is where grand things are born. Where big change happens that upends this entire show. And we can’t wait for that and more, especially because Michelle Gomez’s Miranda has her hands on Cassie. That meeting is one we’ve been waiting for and we can’t wait to see the truths that are unearthed finally.
The Flight Attendant episodes 1-7 are available now on HBO Max.
