Platonic (Season 1) Episode 7: ‘Platonic’, in its seventh episode (‘Let the River Run’), picks an overused series of comedy tropes and turns it into comic gold. The accidental sullying of a painting and then trying to control the damage is a comic cliche that carries the risk of being redundant. However, ‘Platonic’ manages to find the right notes and has Rose Byrne run with it. As a result, we have another solid weekly outing by the Apple TV+ show.
Platonic (Season 1) Episode 7 Recap:
Sylvia’s First Day at the Job
After much trepidation, Sylvia (Rose Byrne) finally got the opportunity to go back to the workforce in the last episode. As a law student, the job at Kirk Friedkin’s law firm seemed to be the dream job for Sylvia, who could not wait to start her new role. It is understandable as she was chewing the bitter end of the existential dread pill. However, she has been out of the corporate culture, especially that of a law firm, for so long that she could not help but feel a bit of apprehension on the day of the reckoning.
If the start of the day is any premonition, then that premonition would have been correct. A perfectly suited Sylvia immediately gets juice dumped on her pants by her young son. Need not be mentioned that it is not the greatest start. Her husband, Charlie (Luke Macfarlane), tries his best to start Sylvia’s day in the most uplifting way possible. But even his positive attitude takes a dent when he goes to his office, and his friend, Stewart (Guy Branum), puts some valid arguments.
Stewart mentions that the position Sylvia got is of an associate, and that is mostly reserved for young law graduates who are in their twenties. Stewart genuinely seems to be worried if Sylvia, in her 40s, can cope with the pressure an associate goes through. Charlie could not help but feel the truth in those words. As if right on cue, we see Sylvia gradually starting to struggle in her new position. She continually gets dumped with work from various partners (It is a common practice in law firms). She is visibly overwhelmed.
Sylvia’s Work Day Extends to the Night
As custom dictates in law firms, Associates tend to work till the final hour of the night. Sylvia, despite being tired, tries to do the same. She falls asleep in the copy room and leans on a portrait of Kirk Friedkin. The framed picture drops to the floor, with a gash across the face of Friedkin. Sylvia’s attempt to ‘fix’ the gash makes the situation worse. She sees no option but to call for help. Not wanting her husband to know about it, possibly due to Friedkin being a friend of Charlie’s, Sylvia calls Will (Seth Rogen).
Will comes to the deserted office at night but cannot provide much help. His attempt to unblemish the painting worsens the situation. Will offers to call his ex-wife, Audrey (Alisha Wainwright). Sylvia gets a little taken aback as Will broke off that relationship in a turbulent fashion. However, Audrey agrees to help. She knows some art restorer who can help with the situation.
Will’s Own Trouble at Work
Meanwhile, Will is having trouble at his place of work too. Will always felt that he is the creator behind his bar. However, his friends and other partners, like Andy (Tre Hale) and Reggie (Andrew Lopez), cannot always see eye to eye with his ambitious ideas, which always reek of monetary loss. So, most of the commercial deals, which are profiting but not ‘cool’ enough for Will, are handled by Reggie and Andy without Will’s knowledge.
While helping Sylvia, Will learns from Audrey about one such deal. Audrey is Reggie’s step-sister, in case you have forgotten. Will and Sylvia go there. As Will confronts Andy, Sylvia gets a massive surprise. When she finds out that her best friend, Katie (Carla Gallo), has hooked up with Andy, amidst all the quarrels and confusion, Will gets quite flabbergasted.
Platonic (Season 1) Episode 7 Ending, Explained:
How Did Sylvia Lose the Job?
At first, Sylvia helps Will in his situation. She calls the fire department with a fake ‘gas leak’ tip. This results in the firemen rushing to Will’s bar and closing Reggie’s party, much to the pleasure of Will. However, Audrey’s corporate-hating art restorer, Lord Rotero, is not of help to Sylvia. Lord Rotero does restore Friedkin’s face. However, he just could not stop himself from drawing a penis in place of Friedkin’s nose.
Sylvia hangs that picture up in its original place in the office. Within a couple of hours, it is found, and Sylvia gets a call from HR. The HR lady, Jessica, shows the CCTV footage that shows Sylvia knocking the painting down and then taking it to be replaced. Sylvia pleads to Jessica, and Jessica says she understands it. She hugs Sylvia.
Sylvia, thinking that no punishment will be meted out to her, goes back to her work. But, Jessica, when she sees Sylvia in her cabin, tells her that she is fired. The hug was just another corporate way of pretending to be empathetic. Sylvia takes her own sweet time in leaving the office.
Was Sylvia Happy About It?
Sylvia seems to be quite devastated. She struggles to keep her emotions in check while leaving the office. The fact that she could not last more than a day in a job that she waited for more than a decade is hurting her. She desperately wanted to succeed in this position. However, one part of her might be happy about it. She was struggling to fit in with the much younger crowd. The work is exploitative and overwhelming. Sooner or later, she was bound to have a mental breakdown. Maybe in hindsight, she would feel this way. But, at the end of this episode, it is evident that Sylvia is devastated on losing the job.
Are Will and Audrey Getting Closer?
In this episode, one subtle development is shown. Will and Audrey are shown to be on talking terms again. Although Will mentions that there has not been anything physical between them, their history dictates otherwise. It opens the possibility of a Will and Audrey reunion. Audrey also seems to be much more open towards Sylvia this time around. However, that does not necessarily mean good news for Will. It could mean that Audrey no longer sees Sylvia as a threat in her relationship, which in turn could mean that Audrey is well and truly over Will.
