Single Drunk Female Review: Look Me Up Sometime (Season 1 Episode 6)

After a solid premiere, then a few weeks of finding its footing, Single Drunk Female Season 1 Episode 6, “Look Me Up Sometime,” proves the series has finally hit its stride. 

Set about a month and a half after Single Drunk Female Season 1 Episode 5, Samantha seems in a much better place than the last time we saw her, at least with her mom and Bob.

One thing I enjoy about this show is how they lean into their New England setting, with the accents and the subtle jabs at ex-Patriot Tom Brady. On Single Drunk Female Season 1 Episode 6, we get to visit Bostonians at a Red Sox game.

Bob seems to be a big Sox fan, and Carol and Sam join him for support. After hating on Carol for the entire first half of the season, I’d say she’s improving her standings after this episode, though subtly.

Sam’s sponsor Olivia is apparently encouraging her to “be more pleasant” which has trickled down to her relationship with her mother and Bob and actually lends itself to some nice banter between the three.

I find Sam to be a really likable character and written well as a 27ish woman in modern times. Even stripping away the sobriety of it all, I think the dynamic she has with her mother is quite real, especially as someone who is gone for a while and then finds themselves back in their orbit after a while.

All that’s to say, Single Drunk Female has been a bit formulaic in its Season 1 approach. Each episode focuses on one aspect of Sam’s life that she needs to improve upon now that she’s sober. Episode 6 chooses two — her career and her relationship with her mom.

At this baseball tailgate, Sam runs into her old boss (if you remember back to the Single Drunk Female Pilot episode, Sam kinda assaulted him) and ends up with an opportunity for a potential job back in New York.

Side note: Sam’s original job was at Bzzzz a clear Buzzfeed knockoff. I’m curious to see if Smug Media is more Barstool or more Betches. Regardless, I’m Team Carol on this one and think Samantha can do better!

Like Sam’s reemergent sexuality threw a wrench in her sobriety on Single Drunk Female Season 1 Episode 5, this potential career move is a capital-B Big Deal in her recovery journey.

It’s also the impetus that appears to cause the shift in her relationship with her mother. Carol, I guess finally realizing that having Sam close to home is nice, goes the length and corners Sam’s sponsor Olivia into having a 1-on-1 conversation about this new development.

Olivia is still the best side character in this show. She’s blasé in a way that’s not offputting, and likes to guru her sponsees rather than tell them exactly what they need to be doing. Carol has finally met her match.

“My job as her sponsor is to help her stay sober. Your job as her mother is to have this conversation [about her job interview]”

It’s nice to see Sam excited about something for once, rather than sullen about her situation or frustrated about her progress. She has nice moments with all of her friends about this new opportunity, and it’s truly a sign of growth that she has more than just Felicia to talk to.

On Single Drunk Female Season 1 Episode 5, Sam and James were back on their will they/won’t they relationship track, though that was derailed by the introduction of Chloe. I was excited to see where Sam’s relationship with another woman would take her, but that was short-lived and the other woman apparently ghosted her.

It turns out that James also has a potential meeting in the city, so she asks him to join her on her trip. I’ve said it before, but I’m hoping Sam and James are on the slow burn route. I think they’re cute together, but Samantha needs to figure herself out before they take off.

After James declines the invitation, Sam throws herself into her writing, having been in a slump since her breakdown at Bzzzz. It’s one of the more difficult challenges she’s faced and apparently a muscle she hasn’t flexed since she became sober.

I feel like many writers have a routine that helps spark creativity or helps set the headspace needed to crank out some words, so it felt real to me that having to remove the alcohol from her routine would throw her out of whack. How she stayed coherent enough to write after rounds and rounds of shots is beyond me though.

Sam’s block does help pave a route for her and her mom to actually talk though, which is going to be good for them in the long run. I still think they’re going to hit a boiling point and finally hash out a lot of their feelings, but the tough love from Carol in Single Drunk Female Season 1 Episode 6 is a good start.

Overall, this episode has some of the best writing so far this season and points the series in a direction I’m excited for. The slight cliffhanger at the end also hopefully means we’ll pick up where we left off in Episode 7, rather than jumping months ahead like usual, which has always been my biggest complaint.

Stray Thoughts:

• Eminem would be a cool sponsor to have, sorry Olivia.
• This job opportunity does not seem like it’s going to be good for Sam. I mean Nathaniel was at a company called Doosh and now Smug Media? Not liking those vibes.
• Best interaction of the episode goes to Carol, Sam, and Bob: “Nobody cares about the Boston Globe” “Didn’t you see Spotlight?” “I saw it five times! Mark Ruffalo, what an actor!”
• James telling Sam to have a bagel for him in NYC when he turns down the invitation to go with her at first, then her saying “No, I’ll eat two for me.” You go, Sam!
• Oliva telling Carol she’s just like Samantha – how often do we realize as we age that we butt heads with our parents because we’re so similar to them?
• Felicia explaining to Sam that it’s “Boss Baby” not “Baby Boss” was everything. A+ from the writers there.
• We need more Gail! 
• I applaud Britt inviting Sam to the wedding, but I’d also be Team Sam if she decides not to go. That’s going to be an interesting Catch-22 when we get to it.
• Samantha’s hypothetical piece about Gen Z and Morality… and Birkenstocks is something I could see actually being published, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

 

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

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

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