Platonic Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Divorce Party
On Platonic Season 1 Episode 4, “Divorce Party,” tensions arise as reunited besties, Sylvia and Will, become closer.
Now that they are back in one another’s lives, they are relying on each other more and more. Sylvia relies on Will to be a much needed distraction from a dreaded phone call and he relies on her to be the same as his ex-wife throws her ability to move on (and into a house with her Nordic lover) in his face.
Their revived friendship comes at an opportune time in both their lives. Will is going through a divorce and Sylvia is going through a bit of an identity crisis, and they can be there for each other—just like the intention of that awful, poorly-rehearsed divorce party speech.
Andy calls Sylvia out on the senseless adage: “He’s at the lowest point of his life, and you tell him it’s going to happen a hundred more times. Little tough.”
It’s been clear that Andy is not too stoked on Sylvia’s return since the first episode. Sylvia has also made several attempts at explaining herself to Will’s protective friend and business partner, and is rebuffed each time, leading to the aforementioned tension.
Andy, whether intentionally or not, steers Will’s divorce party—that Sylvia organized—to a strip club and nose candy for dessert. It increases the tension but quickly diffuses it with the scene in the bathroom stall where they snort ketamine.
It is a relief to cut the tension, and it is done so with a hilarious scene and physical comedy by Rose Byrne, followed by another one at the convenience store with even more of that wonderful physical comedy.
The one-on-one scenes between Will and Sylvia on this episode brings to mind the conversational comedy of Seinfeld. If Seinfeld was still around today, I’m sure there would be a storyline around a divorce party.
I appreciate the comedic element a little more because of those rising tensions, and “Divorce Party” hints at more of the dramatic stuff to come. My only concern is that too much focus on the drama could detract from the comedy which has already been proven to be the backbone of Platonic.
The end of this episode indicates that possibility with Charlie’s visible consternation about his wife returning home at four in the morning. Hopefully, any disapproval he has toward Sylvia and her actions won’t be too heavy-handed and bum out the comedy.
Conversely, I am interested to see Sylvia and Andy have it out, and, ideally, become better friends in the process. Although, two of Will’s friends being at odds with each other could be ripe for comedy.
Aside from a few worries over the dramatic beats, “Divorce Party” is laugh-out-loud entertaining, and I would love to see more of Will and Sylvia (Willvia?) getting into shenanigans and, honestly, just hanging out, Seinfeld-style.
What did you think of this episode of Platonic? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.