‘Conversations With Friends’ 1×03 Review: “Episode 3”

I don’t care what anyone tells you, sex brings out the most complicated of emotions. Especially when it’s your first time and there are emotions involved. It doesn’t matter how strong you think you are, I guarantee you’re going to develop feelings on a level you didn’t know you were capable of feeling when it’s your first time.

And for Frances, she’s the type that feels things so deep, even if she doesn’t show it. She wants to be loved. She wants to have a connection, and the connection that she’s developing with Nick is both scary and inviting to her.

So when she shows up and walks in the house, them both not knowing what to say. He’s attracted to her and as he walks towards her, she tells him that she doesn’t want to be a home wrecker. He asks what she means. It’s quite simple Nick, she doesn’t want to wreck his marriage. He says that his marriage has survived several affairs already, but he’s just never been party to them.

Advertisements

The two are standing in the doorway, across from each other, but it’s almost like you can see this imaginary magnet pulling them together. My jaw dropped to the ground when she said that they should go upstairs. I didn’t see this coming from Frances.

But she’s bold when it comes to Nick. She feels like she’s capable of overcoming anything. He asks if she’s sure and she say that she is.

The two have sex and quite honestly, it’s awkward. It’s awkward, because as soon as they’re done, she cries. It was shot beautiful and you could tell that Joe and Alice really worked to make everything come together, but also to make sure that they felt safe in the environment.

This sexual experience was Frances first with a man. She didn’t tell him that before hand. She claims her tears are a symptom of her oppressed nature, and he’s just laying there, smiling.

The two of them are intense over thinkers, but they recognize that in each other. They continue to try to get to know each other – asking questions over coffee the next morning.

She wants to know if he always wanted to be an actor. He said that he has since h e was a teenager. She asks what he likes about it. – if that’s something he can describe. He likes the certainty of it, knowing what comes next and what to say. She goes to leave and doesn’t know what to do. He kisses her and tells her he’ll see her soon. But that see you soon seems like more of a question than a firm yes.

Advertisements

Frances would be someone that I would assume would be good at keeping things inside, but this whole thing with Nick is fucking her up. She’s keeping her secret but it’s eating her alive.

When she has Bobbi over for dinner and a movie, she becomes really defensive when Bobbi wants to watch a movie that Nick was in. But Frances doesn’t want to. She thinks it’s weird. She puts her foot down and the two argue.

When a man starts to come between you and your friends, that’s an issue. Hell, when anyone does, that’s an issue. Part of me doesn’t want to blame Frances, because well, our first time, we all become stage 5 clingers. But Frances defensiveness is giving away how she feels and she becomes angry when she’s called out over it.

Now, I don’t think Bobbi is always the greatest friend to Frances, and she should know that telling her she can see that Frances has a crush on Nick probably wasn’t the best move. Frances is defensive and says things that are just cruel and causes Bobbi to leave.

And that’s heartbreaking. Seeing that there is and can be a rift in between people because of crushes, is hard. I think that we all go through these stages in life where our hearts and hormones outsmart our heads.

What’s frustrating to see is that Frances doesn’t learn and while she’s hurt her best friend, that doesn’t phase her as she’s gone straight back to Nicks when he messages.

I am guessing he has a platinum dick because she is excited to hop right on it.

These two – I love them together and I also don’t. They ask the weirdest questions at the weirdest times. She asks how Melissa and him met. He tells her that he was in London, been there since drama school. He didn’t like London. He was at a friends party and she was there. They started talking and hung out. Frances says her entire romantic history was Bobbi. She wasn’t popular but Bobbi chose her. It changed her life. He says that they are quite intense together. He asks how it ended. She says that it just did.

Totally seems like a weird conversation for what they were just doing. I don’t think that one should bring up others after they’ve had sex or you know, during sex. Just a thought.

Frances is so caught up in Nick though, that she doesn’t see that this isn’t healthy. No one can really be mad at her for that though, because again, it’s her first and she’s distracted by the D. It will be something that takes time to get past.

He’s not making it easy though. Nick doesn’t know how to navigate this affair, he’s just as confused. That night she asks him if he has a secret family, because she saw him walking with a woman and a baby. The two of them barely know each other but are wrapped up in the secrets of their relationship.

And well, Nick has a way out. He’s leaving for the rest of the summer to work and then head off to Croatia on holiday. She asks after all this, what happens then. He says we’ll have to see.

Red flag alert. Sorry girl, no dick is that good that you “wait and see.”

Move on.

Advertisements

It’s so frustrating to see Frances prioritize Nick over everyone else. She ignores Bobbi’s email, but reads it incessantly on the train. Bobbi is mad that she called her jealous and said it’s devaluing to their friendship. It homophobic and it hurt her feelings. Never thought that I would say that Bobbi has points, because she seems to tear others down, but she truly does have points.

We all cope with things in different ways. Frances and Bobbi don’t seem to know how to deal with things in a positive, healthy way. They are young. They’ll get there.

Frances is going to have a hard time coping because when she texts Nick, he’s short in his answers. When he doesn’t respond to a message the next night, she continues to overthink and texts him to ask if they are still having an affair or if that’s over now.

He doesn’t Text. He calls. She’s so scared of being hurt, she acts so aloof and cold. Frances seems to think that nothing will ever be okay, because she’s used to the worst things in life happening. She seems to get wrapped up in the immediate and expect the worst of things, leaving her with just that… the worst of things.

He text says he’s sorry, when she hangs up on him. He goes on to say he didn’t express himself well and that he genuinely gets stressed talking to her sometimes. Umm… Frances these are not good things.

For her though, she’s going to try to refocus herself and get her shit straight. She writes Bobbi back the next day and Bobbi says fine, I forgive you. I have to wonder though, what’s in it for Bobbi and if Frances really means what she’s saying.

When they meet up Bobbi asks her if it was hard for her to apologize, as it took her a long time to write back. She asks if she’s around tomorrow, she wants to meet her for coffee. She’ll text.

If I was Frances, I would run. But she doesn’t and we find her going to coffee to meet Bobbi and Melissa is there.

It’s an uncomfortable situation to face the woman whose husband you slept with. Bobbi on the other hand, should have warned her. Frances thinks she’s there to reconnect with a friend, but her friend has set her up. Melissa wants to use a quote from diamonds in her book. Frances is taken a back. Melissa is like I can send you the essay and you can see if it works. But she needs to know in next few days.

Bobbi says tell her about your house.

Bobbi is out for herself. Melissa has invited them to Croatia for vacation. Bobbi doesn’t want to go alone, but everything that Frances comes up with these two have come up with a rebuttal for.

Frances is trying to resist, but she agrees to go. Part of me is like she wants to be there for Bobbi and the other part of me is like she really wants to see Nick. Not sure of what will happen, but can totally see this being something she uses as an in. She texts Nick that she’s going to Croatia and she wanted to assure him he’s not planning on making a scene. He texts “ok, cool. See you then.”

Wow Nick. Thanks for the response.

Conversations with Friends is streaming now on Hulu.

Advertisements