Single Drunk Female (Season 2) Episodes 7 & 8: Recap & Ending, Explained

Single Drunk Female (Season 2) Episodes 7 & 8: Sam’s personal and professional life got more complicated after she and Alex had their first fight at the film festival. He struggled to see being at any fault, whereas Sam ended up sabotaging her great opportunity of interviewing Bob the Drag Queen. On the other hand, Carol had a hard time dealing with loneliness after Sam and Bob’s departure. She reluctantly tried to attend Al-Anon meetings meant for the friends and relatives of alcoholics. Brit struggled with her singlehood, whereas James tried to do better on his journey out of alcoholism.

Now the seventh and eighth episodes on HULU and Freeform show Sam revisiting her dad’s shiva through flashbacks and contemplating her present situation in accordance with it. Later, she tries to embrace her new sponsor, Darby, per Olivia’s suggestion.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Single Drunk Female (Season 2) Episodes 7 & 8 Recap:

Episode 7: Shiva

Sam (Sofia Black-D’Elia) returns home to take her black dress to attend the wake of Dean from their AA meetings. She had worn the exact dress on the day of her dad – David’s shiva. It makes her revisit her memories from that tragic day. Carol (Ally Sheedy) isn’t happy that Sam dropped by without telling her in advance. Anyhow, she reveals how she has been going to the Friends and Families meetings. She says she now understands the root of Sam’s frustration. She also apologizes for reading Sam’s four-step journal. Sam, however, says that just a few meetings aren’t enough for Carol to understand her struggle with alcoholism.

Back during the dad’s shiva, Sam was lying in her bed till late. She had returned from New York for the shiva, and Carol was annoyed that she wasn’t concerned about the day as much as her. Eventually, Sam came out of her room with a wine glass in her hand, not concerned about Brit (Sasha Compère) and Caro’s feelings, who were taking care of the shiva. Sam dodged dwelling upon any feelings about her dad’s death. Brit understood that and so supported her in every possible way to let her work out her grief.

Soon after, Sam’s Aunt Alice dropped by the house. Sam showed her around to the guests and introduced her as a big-shot editor at Smith-Walker & as the most impressive woman she knows. Sam also shared how her aunt Alice helped her get a job in New York. Carol felt deeply hurt by Sam’s actions.

Later, Alice subtly complained about how her hotel room, picked by Carol, is next to a repair shop. She then noticed her brother’s cello on the side and recalled how he was once a prodigy. Carol said she wanted Samantha to have the cello. Alice, meanwhile, made Carol feel guilty by insinuating David couldn’t pursue his passion because of his family responsibilities.

On the other hand, Sam took Joel (Charlie Hall) to her room and conveyed how much she missed him by kissing him. She eventually realized how she kept avoiding her mother during the shiva. She went up to Carol to apologize. Carol was, however, fed up with dealing with the management and also with Sam’s judgemental aunt.

When Alice was leaving, she decided to take David’s cello with her to honor her brother’s precious belonging. Sam stopped her. She believed Alice had no right since she did not visit her dad even a day while he was unwell. Carol was left tending to his needs. So, Sam made Alice understand her false sense of entitlement. Anyhow, she did not let Alice take the cello and later had a heart-to-heart about David with Carol. Unfortunately, soon after, she mistakenly ended up damaging the cello. Meanwhile, hurt by Sam’s neglect of her emotions, Brit walked out and found Joel sitting on a park bench. It seems like the point where they decided to get together.

In the present, Sam goes to Dean’s wake and meets James (Garrick Bernard). They talk about their last awkward encounter. He apologizes to her for misreading the situation. They think of their memories associated with Dean and then decide to stick together during the wake. They go inside and meet Mindy (Jojo Brown), who decides to speak with Dean’s parents. James also wants to convey his condolences. But Sam feels awkward to do so. It suddenly dawns on her how she also ignored guests and wasn’t nice during her dad’s shiva, and it puts a mental burden upon her. So, she walks out of the house.

James follows Sam to know the reason. Sam claims Dean would not have wanted his wake to be attended by mourners. She believes he would have wanted them to celebrate his life instead. As a result, the two go to a joint called Jake and Jakes’, which was Dean’s favorite place. They have some food and then decide to play air hockey.

While playing, James brings up the subject of death. He says how life is just air hockey – we spend our days whacking around until disappearing into thin air. Sam keeps looking at death through a stoic approach and calls it the time when one stops breathing. James tries to make her see that it is deeper than that. Once they leave the arcade, James makes Sam speaks about how Sam has been avoiding what the day is about – death. She still isn’t totally ready to be honest about her feelings. Anyhow, maybe because of dwelling upon her dad’s shiva and her happy days with Joel, she decides to visit Joel at his new place, which he built by himself.

Episode 8: Darby

After spending her Dean’s wake playing games with James, Sam drops by Joel’s place. She tries to keep getting closer to Joel while he starts showing around the things in his house. She eventually goes up to kiss him, but he backs off. He finds it strange that she is going back to Brit’s place after that. Instead of kissing, he offers her to hold his hands. She realizes how she made this impulsive decision.

Back at Brit’s place in the morning, Sam wakes up to see a message from Joel, followed by a notification about Olivia’s Baby Shower. While Brit walks up to her, she pretends that she is still asleep. Then, when Brit goes to the other room, Sam walks out of the house in her house. She goes to the baby shower in her Pyjamas to meet Olivia (Rebecca Henderson).

Mindy jokes about how Olivia needs to avoid stressors, meaning Sam. Anyhow, Olivia finds it weird that Sam arrived in her night clothes. Sam calls it a new clothing trend and hides why she actually arrived like that. Olivia asks her whether she has found any new sponsor. Sam fumbles while answering that. So, Olivia decides to introduce Sam to her own sponsor, Darby (Busy Philipps).

Darby gifts a huge diaper for Olivia’s baby. Later, she comes up to Sam to introduce herself. She jokes about her name is a mix of Dan and Arby’s. She soon asks for Sam’s finger to check her dissolved septum. So, Sam does not feel confident in Darby being her sponsor. Soon after, Darby points out how Sam did not bring any gifts for Olivia. Sam talks about not being able to decide.

Darby finds that silly and joins her so that she can buy a gift for Olivia. However, even while shopping, she can’t connect with Darby. Still, when Darby sits her down to talk about her qualms, Sam talks about her issues – of ditching a wake and going to her ex to hook up with him and about leaving her mother’s place. Unlike Olivia, Darby does not give Sam any advice. She only asks what Sam wants to do in such a situation and wants her to come up with a solution.

Meanwhile, Carol goes to Felicia’s (Lil Mae Harrington) salon and says that she wants a haircut. Felicia listens to her requests to eventually understand that she wants her hair the exact same way, but just a little shorter. Felicia asks if she wants to chitchat while getting the haircut. Carol says she wants both to stay silent. But eventually, she asks how Sam is doing since Sam and Felicia are close friends. Felicia says Sam is happy but tells Carol to call Sam herself to know more. So, Carol opens up to her about her fear. She thinks Sam won’t let her back into her life until she apologizes. But she believes it is a two-way street. Hearing that, Felicia bluntly says that Carol is the one at fault.

Single Drunk Female (Season 2) Episode 8 Ending, Explained:

Darby does not help Sam with advice to decide whether she should tell Brit about kissing Joel or not. So, Sam decides on her own to go to Brit’s hospital to reveal it. Brit gets pissed since nothing happened between Sam and Joel and also because it ruined her break. Later, Joel also comes up there to tell Brit about it. She gets mad at him too. She says she does not understand why Joel and Sam think she needs to be told about it.

Sam goes back to Darby to ask her why she did not provide direct advice. Darby says she is just human and that Sam needs to look for her higher power. Upon being put on the spot, Sam says that her dad used to help her with her issues. Darby bluntly says how her dad is also another human and also that he is dead. She says how humans would eventually let Sam down one way or the other. Her point is Sam can’t keep relying on a human being to keep telling her what to do.

However, Sam believes that Darby’s advice does not help her in any way. She goes up to Olivia to ask about this higher power thing. So, Sam feels like Darby does not care for her concerns since she isn’t like Olivia. Also, she does not find Darby to be normal. Olivia makes her see how none of them is normal and how they still have to move on with their lives. Hearing that sweet advice, Sam smiles and hugs Olivia.

Back in Felicia’s salon, Carol comes back to meet Felicia. Felicia thinks she is there to confront her about her bluntness. She also thinks Carol believes Sam is the way she is because of her. Carol does not blame Felicia, but she does open up about her frustration at not having someone to blame.

Eventually, she speaks about her struggle as a mother when David left for New York to try out his luck as a cello player. Carol was left alone to tend to Sam’s needs. She also recalls forgetting Sam at a shop when she was a kid. Felicia empathizes with her struggle as a mother and shares the issues she faces with her son. While they are talking, Sam walks into the salon to speak with Felicia and gets a surprise as she finds her mother there.

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Single Drunk Female (Season 2), Episodes 7 & 8 Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Single Drunk Female (Season 2), Episodes 7 & 8 Cast: Sofia Black-D’Elia, Rebecca Henderson, Lily Mae Harrington, Sasha Compère, Jon Glaser, Ally Sheedy, Charlie Hall

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