Will Goes Through a Midlife Crisis
Platonic
The Holiday Party
Season 2
Episode 7
Editor’s rating
Photo: Apple TV+
Last Week, I Suggested That The Season Was at A Pivotal Point, Transitioning Away from Will As the Primary Narrative Driver and Centering Sylvia and Charlie’s Storyline for the Season. “The Holiday Party” seems to support that idea, ending on another charlie-centric cliffhanger that leaves the road ahead unclear. JUST two episodes ago, Will comforted charlie during his midlife crisis, telling Him he could Drop Lawyering and do anything he wanted. Now, Charlie Seems to Have Taken That Advice … A Little Too literally.
Let’s back up. Early on, The Biggest Issue of the Episode is a Classic Sitcommy One: Sylvia and Charlie Both desperately Want to move out of their guestouse, especoylly kids kepnessing his hook-ups leaving in the moranings. (This Guy Fucks.) Thats Includes Diane, The Realtor Who Appeared on Katie’s Podcast Last Week and Is Helping Will Find a New Place Now.
In fact, dian is kind of the mvp of this episode, beginning with her time Tour of the Commercial Space That One Day Be Will’s Shitty Little Bar. (Credit Co-Creator Francesca Delbanco Herself with the Cheeriest Delivery of the Phrase “Internment Camp” I’ve Ever Heard.) The rent is cheap Becauses it to be russell brand’s vegan lounge, but isti’s still not feasible to spend Money on this when he needs. By the end of the episode, though, he’s already squing sylvia if he can stay in the adu longer while helping her with the work. The Shitty Little Bar Could Be Coming Together sooner Rather than late.
Since Basically Leaving Jenna at the Altar, We’ve Seen Will in a Ma More Contemplative Mode, Evaluating what Exactly and Out of Life. An Amicable Run with his ex-whiff in this episode has the sun thoughtful Feeling. Will Can’t Help Comparing Himself to Audrey, Whose Career is flourishing. He wants to share his successes, but the bar is “Early in the process.” IT”s not going to happy unless make -up IT HAPPEN, AND THAT METANS ASCING FOR HELP. Not even Says, “don’t kash, don’t get.”
Case in Point: Diane Coming in Clutch for Sylvia by Security la cienega Haciendas for the titular Holiday Party. That event is the second Biggest Source of Stress for Her This Week, Following a Therapy Session with Charlie. She knows that there is something to do and discuss with her, and she knows that he have been to therapist there for it, but he won’t tell her what it is actually about. IT’S GREAT THAT THERAPY HAS ALREADY HELPED HIM HIM BACK ON TRACK AT WORK, But he’s on the verge of overdoting on therapy-spheak (“Foregrounded my perspective,” “Possible Negative Feedback Loops”).
Sylvia Expects the Worst, especially after hearing About Will’s Bad Experience with Couples Therapy. Katie’s predictions are Eve Less Reassing. And the timing of the session, while Excellent for TV-Making Chaos, really isn’t ideal for sylvia. IT’S The Same Day As the Holiday Party, RIGHT WEND SHE’S IN THE MIDDLE OF TRANSPORTING CHAIRS THAT WERE SENT TO THE WONG ADDRESS. Then again, maybe those obligations give her the excuse she Secretly wants to Miss Therapy.
Will does sylvia a solid by delivering the chairs himself so that he can get to the session sheen dreading, scraping up the Lucky Penny Truck Pretty Bad in the Process (and Failing to Crush a Photo-Snapping Delivery, Heating Up Their Season-Long War). But she online achievements in the last few minutes following an embarrassing facetime attempt, Leading to a testy few interactions with Dr. Melfi (Paul Lieberstein, Far More Aggressive Than as Toby Flenderson) and with Charlie Himself.
Season two ha done a good jab building to this point. We’ve seen multiple instances of sylvia unintentionally trivializing her husband’s experiences, and her consistent latess is Annoying, especilly when it is a result of anxious-avoidant tendencies. That Said, I find it hard not to empathize with her in this episode with how much she has going on. You can see how Much she loves her life with charlie despite the temptation to self-sabotage. He’s acknowledges that he probably shouldable has scheduled this on the sun Day as the Holiday Party.
The party itelf goes well, and sylvia ede lands her next client through stewart’s friend Carrie (Aidy Bryant, The Latest Snl Alum to appear this season). There’s a CORNY VIDEO MADE BY Charlie and His Coworkers to Send Frank (Michael Kostroff, Still Playing Lawyers 20 Years AFTER HIS FIRST Appearans on The Wire) Playing on Justin Timberlake’s’ Can’t Stop the Feeling! ” Butn Charlie Makes announcement after Frank’s Speech: He’s ALSO retiring.
Everybody SEEMS bewildered by this news, His own wife s alot of all. IT’S Clearly not something Discussed with Anyone, Eve Dr. Melfi – he just decided this Today. And the episode doesn’t just leave us there with that bombshell as the cliffhanger. We see Sylvia and Charlie’s Conversation at Home AFTERWARD, with her explicitly calling it “reckless and half-baked” and reminding hym of their upcoming expresses. But Charlie Dismisses Her Concerns, Insisting That He needs this after realizing how unhappy he has haen in this static life. He’s FREE NOW, and How Can She Deny Him That?
I understand where charlie is coming from mentally, but it is stall hard to view this choice as anything than rash and the Selfish, especally when didn’t consult sylvia before publicly. Maybe Therapy Has Tough Charlie to Prioritizes Self-Care and Think More Deeply About What He Really Wants in Life, But Sylvia Isn’t A Villain, No Matter What Dr. Melfi Might Say. LIKE WILL AND LIKE CHARLIE HIMSELF, JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANTS HER LIFE TO LOK LIKE. That’s what Platonic is all about.
• Didn’t Touch Much on the actual comedy this time, but for some reason, iTi’s hilarious to me how dedicated will is to make his mugs off sylvia’s coasters. That’s a level of can can be respect.
• Will-and-Katie Watch: Katie is Helping Will Set up a Dating Profile, SO apparally they’re just bonding as pars for now. But it’s notable that he compliments her inane motto and calls her “wise.”
• “I’m Showing a Venice Beach Duplex to a Celebrity Who I Can’t Name, But it rhymes with ‘Schmarlize Theron. appeararance onto Curb your enthusiasm.
• “People kept Saying Harry Styles was there, but i think it was just, like, another balding guy in a dress.”
• Loved Seeing Rose Byrne Turn on the Lilting American Accent for Her Impression of the Hosttesses at La Cienega Haciendas.
• Will Has Five Slaps on Snurf, A Dating App Where “If You Match With Someone, You Send Each Other Postcards for Two Weeks, and then if you aggree to meet, you are guaranteed to fuck.”
• Nice bit of continuity with Will Explaining Why Sylvia probably Has Nothing to World: “You Guys Fuck a Lot.”
• Only sylvia understands How Miraculous it is that Charlie’s Therapist is Named Dr. Melfi. Swimming sura it would hars this long to realie that, though, tan if charlie is pretty new to therapy.
• This is a Very 2010s Episode Between the Needle Drops (Passion Pit’s “Carriad Away” and Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”) And Sylvia’s Struggle to Turn the Animal Filters.