Physical Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Like It’s On Fire

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Despite its action-oriented title, Physical Season 3 Episode 3, “Like It’s On Fire,” is actually a pretty low-key and introspective installment. It’s certainly quite understated compared to many of the episodes that have come before it, and for all that this is the show’s final season, its storytelling certainly doesn’t have much of what you might call urgency in it.

All things considered, Sheila’s recovery still seems to be going pretty well. She meets a nice guy who likes fresh food and, most importantly, isn’t Danny. Even her inner monologue has chilled out now that it seems to have taken the imaginary form of her all too real number-one rival. 

Desperate to untangle her marriage from her professional life, Greta’s busy chasing partnership opportunities for Sheila, now that she’s a much more recognizable brand with a regular segment on the local morning news. But when she’s offered a deal with a regional diet food company, Sheila not only gets the chance to try some cookies guilt-free, she realizes that her eating disorder means there’s a lot she doesn’t know about herself.

And, on some level, it’s strangely moving to watch her discover that she has no idea what her favorite kind of cookie is. I mean, that’s such a simple question—vanilla, chocolate, or caramel? — that the fact that Sheila doesn’t know the answer is almost shocking. But why would she? So much of her life up until this point has been about denying herself, from simple joys to basic preferences, the idea of her finally finding out who she really is is pretty appealing. 

Plus haven’t we all been that woman, dining out alone and trying to figure out how we feel about it whilst imagining everyone in the restaurant is judging our sad lives? (No? Just me?)

That said, it’s not like Sheila’s suddenly become a perfect person either. Despite the fact that the rest of her eating disorder support group is clearly uncomfortable about their clandestine meetings in the Rubin garage, Sheila doesn’t seem to care that much and actively dismisses their worries and concerns. It’s not apparent yet if this is a big deal or a minor rudeness but it certainly does seem like something the old Sheila would do. 

Yes, she finally met a nice guy — but her first instinct was still to lie to him about a fact as basic as her name. Granted, she did come clean almost immediately, but it’s kind of a red flag that she’s probably not as well adjusted as she likes to think, or at all ready for something real with Carlos (who I instantly adored, even if he does hate apparently hate garlic)

And, of course, there’s the Kelly Kilman question. Sort-of. It’s obvious that the Kelly that appears in this episode isn’t real, and is basically some sort of hallucination Sheila’s mind has come up with now that her inner monologue has gone silent. But what is the purpose of these visions? To make her feel bad about herself? To police her behavior? To push her to make different or bolder choices? 

I don’t know, but what’s more disturbing is I don’t think that Physical does either. 

What’s worse is, despite having no obvious connection to Sheila at the moment, John Breem is still on this show for some reason. Not only still on the show, but…getting an arc that doesn’t have anything to do with Sheila??  Is there one single person on this show that cares about the state of his marriage? Or his dream to be involved in bringing the 1984 Olympics to L.A.?

(I did, admittedly, laugh when he got literally stuck on Port-a-potty duty. It’s what he deserves.)

The thing is, on paper, there should be a solid story here — about a woman and wife who tried to do everything her faith and her culture told her she was supposed to do, only to discover that her best was never going to be good enough, and that she’ll always be judged more harshly for asking for what she wants in her marriage than the husband who was actively damaging it will be. But, I would bet $100 most viewers don’t even know what John Breem’s wife’s name is, let alone care about her emotional interiority, and every scene the pair share feels like nothing so much as a waste of time.

Stray Thoughts and Observations:

• To be honest, Danny is basically as useless a character as John Breem is and I’d be shocked if anyone watching Physical would blink if he got hit by a bus, let alone had a story arc to speak of. It’s true he’s slightly (only slightly!) less annoying than Breem is, but at least he still has a sort-of connection to Sheila’s story, even if that means we’re forced to suffer through a few scenes a week in which he is a terrible father to their child. Granted, that doesn’t explain why anyone was delusional enough to think we cared about his dating life or the younger sister we’ve never met before now?
• Just cannot believe there has been absolutely no mention of Bunny and/or Tyler and it’s like they somehow never existed. I mean, if Sheila’s going to have a competitive face-off with someone in the final season, shouldn’t it be the woman whose idea she stole in the first place?
• Ernie has become such a jerk and I hate it. (I mean, I guess he’s just one of those guys who like their women more when they’re feeling depressed and in need of saving but ugh I thought he was different.)

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

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

New episodes of Physical stream Wednesdays on Apple TV+.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

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

18 Best TV Dramas of the Year So Far