It’s a been a rivalry that feels as old as time – The Yankees and The Red Sox. Personally, even though I hate the Yankees (Mets all the way) I will root for anyone over the Sox.
But would I have the courage to walk through the Sox fans tailgating in Boston? Hell no. Sox fans are just as passionate.
There is a part of me that is shocked to see Sam out tailgating with her Mom and Bob, but I am glad that she is. She’s working on being present. Living in the moment. And living in the moment means spending time with her Mom.
Now I haven’t always thought the best of Carol, cause she’s annoying and seems to like to say all the wrong things to her daughter. But she’s coming across in this episode as a Mom who cares, but just doesn’t know how to relate or communicate.
Carol shows her first sign of emotion when she gets jealous over Olivia and Sam talking about her. It’s an interesting path to follow her down this episode – the evolution of a parent. The look behind the curtain.
But we’ll get there. The thing is, while tailgating, Sam see’s a Yankee’s fan and starts heckling him like everyone else. When he looks back, it’s a face she never expected to see and definitely one that she didn’t expect to see.
It’s her old boss Nathaniel. The one she maimed with the phone. The man that tried to fire her and she fought him. He’s scared of her, and he lets out his frustration. But Sam being Sam, she knows all of the ways to charm herself out of this situation. She’s complimenting his work, tells him she’s sober, and that she regrets what she did.
I guess that stroking the male ego is enough for him because he’s listening and wants to read whatever she’s been writing. He’s no longer at bzzz, but at Smug media. He hands her a card and tells her to set up something.
215 days sober. Sam has come a long way, but I am afraid of how this will affect her. She’s spent her life up until now writing when drunk. Now she’s going to have to do it sober.
And that’s going to be different for her. I just want Sam to be strong enough to be able to handle things if they are good or bad. And I am terrified that she’ll regress and she’s come so far.
Yes, I am that emotionally invested in her care.
When Sam and Carol get home, she’s trying to explain to her Mom the opportunity and shocker here – Carol isn’t the most supportive, but I do believe that Carol thinks that she is being supportive. I do believe that Carol thinks that by telling Sam that she’s better than the BZZZ and SMUG Media’s of the world that she’s being positive.
But she’s not. You can tell the look on Sam’s face that she’s hurt.
But that doesn’t mean that she’s not going to be positive. She heads to the AA meeting and when talking to James she tells him about New York. She invites him to go to New York with her, but he declines. He doesn’t know if it would be the best idea, as they need to be just friends. And would this be that?
With James and Sam everything is complicated.
Outside of the meeting, Carol arrives. She wants to talk to Olivia. Sometimes Carol shocks me and sometimes I am like yup, that is some weird ass cold shit Carol.
I think that Carol is afraid to talk to Sam, to tell her how she feels and what she thinks. And in weird way, her going to Olivia was showing her that she cares. She doesn’t want to upset Sam. She wants to protect Sam.
But the thing is that it isn’t Olivia’s responsibility to protect Sam, it’s her job to keep her sober. It’s Carol’s job to keep Sam safe and tell her what she thinks. It’s Carols job to give Sam advice. Carol tells her to talk to Sam. Carol is like I am talking to you to talk to my daughter. Olivia is like no, you talk to your daughter.
Carol is trying. I think she’s terrified that she’s going to loose Sam the way she lost her husband. She is afraid of being hurt and is afraid of being alone. She may act like she doesn’t like Sam there, but she does. Carol is just afraid of opening herself to hurt.
But the thing is, when you have kids – you already opened yourself up to hurt. And not being a person that uplifts their child and supports them, you’ve already isolated yourself and the hurt will follow.
Sam realizes that she’s not written sober, and when talking to Felicia she really realizes it. Felicia tries to help her, but we see how Sam is just like Carol, because she deals with life the same way – denial.
But Sam is facing a block writing. She works herself up to the point she reacts when a guy at the cash register calls her a “townie” and is just flat out rude. Which, if we’re being honest, I would have cussed his ass out too.
Luckily, Mindy understands that Sam is having issues and talks her through them. She makes her see that it’s not as serious as she thinking. Because if you try there is no fail.
But Mindy is special because she really embraces life and knows that to move forward, you have to try. It seems like an easy concept, but it’s not alway the easiest thing to do.
She also reminds Sam that to go out of town you have to get permission from your probation officer and any scene that we get Gail in, is always a gift to us all.
There are a lot of things changing in Sam’s life – from the idea of who she is, who she should be, who she was meant to be, and how she deals with life. While the season has focused a lot on her relationship with Brit and Joel and figuring it out, I have to wonder why.
But maybe we’ll learn more and see more about that. The thing is, it is moving forward and that’s a good thing. But when Brit shows up to invite Sam to the wedding, that I think may be something happening way too soon.
You can be moving forward with relationships, but you need to protect your mental well being also. You can tell Sam is shocked by the situation, but doesn’t know how to react.
Taking that in and everything else, Sam is in her room trying to write. Carol shows up to talk to her, and asks how things are. This would have thrown me off too, if I was Sam.
But she tries and she tells her Mom about the invite to the wedding, and Carol tries to be encouraging and say that they can sit at the same table and Carol can hold her hand. Sam, looking confused, tells her Mom that she doesn’t want to go and doesn’t want to hold her hand.
Carol is trying, but her words are all wrong. She tries to see what Sam is writing and pushes her. Sam lets loose and tells her that she can’t write unless she’s drunk. She doesn’t know what to say to her, she just can’t.
And then as if Carol couldn’t get any worse, she does. Carol is like no one writes anything better drunk. If you think everything you wrote was better, where are the book sales, where are the pulitzers.
Shut up Carol. Like be proud of your daughter. Be proud of how far she’s come, how far she’s going, and all of the things that she can do.
Carol tries to change her words, and tells Sam that she doesn’t know what she is capable now, that she needs to lock herself in and write, because whatever it is, it’s still going to be good enough for Smug.
Sometimes though, the damage is already done and it is definitely done with Carol. She’s a lot to take in.
But what Sam does realize that she can’t go to New York alone. She texts James and tells him that.
And like the good man that he is, he shows up.
Exactly what Sam needs. People that show up with their words and their actions.
Single Drunk Female airs Thursdays on Freeform.