Single Drunk Female: A Pretty Mess (Season 1 Episodes 1-2)

Freeform’s newest comedy, Single Drunk Female is charming and funny, in a “glad that’s not me” kind of way. While the network doesn’t have too many original series, they have developed a reputation for creating content perfect for Gen-Z and Millennials alike.

With its two-episode premiere, Single Drunk Female has firmly declared itself as relevant for the young crowd, while still tackling a serious, 21+ issue.

Sofia Black D’Elia plays Samantha “Sam” Fink, an independent 28-year-old New York City writer/content creator, who happens to have a drinking problem. We meet her when she’s working at the cleverly named Bzzz.com (a mock Buzzfeed), where she seems totally over her job and tired of writing quizzes.

Maybe she is really sick of her job, or maybe she just comes to the office drunk too many times to enjoy the entire collaborative work experience.

D’Elia is no amateur when it comes to the half-hour comedy. Her last major television role was as a series regular in Fox’s The Mick, a family comedy that, in my opinion, was axed too soon. 

While her comedic prowess was muted there, as part of an ensemble cast, Single Drunk Female is proof that she can lead a series of her own.

I’m hoping Single Drunk Female could fill the The Bold Type sized hole in my heart, but so far it’s markedly different. Less humorous than its Freeform predecessor, SDF’s reliance on following Sam’s journey to recovery might mark its downfall as well. 

Several supporting characters are introduced on Single Drunk Female Episodes 1 and 2, but so far their stories haven’t intrigued me enough to buy in. Sam’s friends are funny, although they’re quite two-dimensional at the moment. I hope to see more of their background in the coming weeks.

The one exception, so far, is Sam’s reluctant AA sponsor, Olivia.

Played by Rebecca Henderson (most recently in Netflix’s Russian Doll), Olivia is a 10-year sober, semi-famous, Pulitzer-winning journalist. Since Sam was kinda in journalism pre-meltdown, Olivia appears to be cementing her status as a role model for the 28-year-old trainwreck.

The other strong female in Sam’s life is her mother, Carol. Played by veteran actress Ally Sheedy (who I just realized is Allison from The Breakfast Club!!!), Sam lovingly refers to her as her “smother,” which is a great pun and I’m surprised I haven’t heard it more often.

Carol is… less than warm. Perhaps it’s because I come from a Hispanic family and I know my mother would not treat me the way Sam’s mother treats her, but Carol is giving passive-aggressive vibes that I do not appreciate.

I’m interested to see if we get any flashbacks to their tense relationship since we already know that Sam’s father recently passed away after a battle with cancer. While I’m sure that has strained their relationship, it’s also kinda crappy that Carol is quick to fight back when Sam calls her alcoholism what it is — a “disease.”

I suspect some of Sam’s underlying issues can be tied back to her father’s passing, so hopefully, the mother/daughter duo can get some therapy and work through that together.

The overall theme of Single Drunk Female, at least from what I gather based on the premiere, is “small steps.” I found it particularly poignant that each episode ended with a small “win” (or at least a step in the right direction) for Sam. 

There’s no right way to recover though, and as evident from Single Drunk Female Season 1 Episode 1, Sam is likely going to have hiccups, and backslides, on her 12-month journey.

The series seems to be treating that process with the dignity it deserves — creator Simone Finch has been vocal about her own sobriety and how it inspired Sam’s story. The situations and the jokes can be (and are) funny, without making light of how serious the topic is.

Stray Thoughts:

• Olivia’s wife “Stephanie pronounced Stefani” having a girl power athleisure brand based in New England called Boss-ton is a scarily accurate representation of the 2020s for you. I see those RBG leggings.
• Shoutout to the other timely references: Glennon Doyle and Pete Davidson
• I’m interested to see where this relationship with James goes. He’s clearly set up as a love interest type character, but with a forbidden love angle. 
• Sam’s New England accent slipping though when she’s drunk is *ahem* very relatable
• Sam’s probation officer Gail’s Sister’s dead 87-year-old husband? Genius subplot
• Sam giving her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend their deli meat with no bag is so messy, I loved it

What did you think of the premiere of Single Drunk Female? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Single Drunk Female airs Thursdays at 10:30 pm ET/9:30 CT on Freeform.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Good Sam Stages One Tree Hill Reunion, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz to Guest Star