Somebody Somewhere (Season 2) Episode 1: The HBO comedy-drama ‘Somebody Somewhere,’ created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, followed the journey of 40-something Sam in its first season, where she tried to get out of her rut and find happiness. With the cheerful company of Joel, she slowly started accepting the goodness in life. She had many struggles along the way. She toiled to get past her sister – Holly’s death. Her mother kept spiraling back and forth through her addiction patterns, and her father kept trying to hold on to their farm. Her other sister, Tricia, learned about her husband cheating on her with her co-worker.
Now that Sam’s father has left for some time alone, she is left with taking care of its business on her own. But she now has Joel as her companion, and they support each other through thick and thin. On the other hand, Tricia wrestles with her new identity as a divorced woman.
*spoilers ahead*
Somebody Somewhere (Season 2), Episode 1 Recap:
Episode 1: NNP
NNP means No New People – something that we see Sam (Bridget Everett) focusing on in the new season. The narrative takes place sometime after the previous season concluded. Sam is still back in Manhattan, Kansas. She is now in charge of the family farm because her father, Ed, has opted to spend some time in seclusion at their uncle Frank’s.
Her sister, Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison), does not work at her gift shop anymore. In fact, the space is put up for rent. She has separated from Rick because of his affair with Charity. Her daughter, Shannon (Kailey Albus), is now all grown up and has decided to move out of their town for education. So, Tricia has to contend with an empty nest.
Sam and Joel (Jeff Hiller) take a stroll through a park, playing ‘Pound-it-or-Pass’ while looking at men walking around them. The two jokes around about their appearance and their behavior and have some harmful fun. Meanwhile, they try to finish their 10,000 steps daily to stay active. It seems like both have become incredibly close over this period and have also decided not to stay in a rut and, thus, to exercise. They joke about how Trish would never be a part of their fun activities.
That’s when Sam gets Tricia’s call to come to the farm. They meet, and then Trish reads out a letter by Ed. He mentions several responsibilities that the sisters need to take care of. Trish gets stressed by all his requests and leaves the duty to Sam. Besides, she is also overwhelmed by Shannon’s big move. Anyhow, Sam is left to do all the work before they sell the farm to someone else. She jokes about how she helped Shannon get fake IDs. Then she corrects herself and says that she only mentioned where Shannon got it. It’s good to see they still have such a playful banter.
Sam goes out on a drive with Joel and complains about how she has started to forget things. Maybe it is menopause, Joel wonders. They go to his house where he has started Airbnbing the space to guests. He calls it his financial arrangement, and for now, he stays with Sam at her house in a platonic relationship. Anyhow, he wants to meet his friends and socialize a little. Sam insists on her NNP policy. They go into his house after his guest leaves to see it filled with dog poop. The guests have the audacity to leave like that, even if Joel mentioned a strict no-pet policy.
Nevertheless, Joel has to clean up the mess. So, he goes to a local store to buy some things to clean up this mess with Sam. After their shopping, Sam goes back to the farm to take care of the said chores. She looks at the pile of things and wonders how she is going to do it all on her own. Regardless, she starts working, taking out the garbage and segregating things. But the reality hits her soon after.
Sam calls Joel and says she feels weird to be cleaning up the barn and to be there all over again. While she is happy that her father is finding the comfort she wanted him to have, it is hard for her to see him vacating the place he loved. You sense the weight of Ed’s absence reflected on Sam’s face, where she eventually breaks down in tears. She stayed away from family matters for a while. But now, she has a setback while dealing with them on her own.
Tricia helps Shannon pack her things in her van. Suddenly it hits her that Shannon isn’t a kid anymore, and she has to contend with her life as a single woman. She takes Shannon’s photo, and Shannon asks her to send it to her father. Trish is taken aback but sends it anyway by the time Shannon realizes what she mistakenly asked her. Anyhow, Trish presents herself as calm and composed while not being all too well.
While driving around, Tricia sees a sign of Charity as a real estate agent. It bothers her how Charity ruined her marriage and still stays worry-free with her new venture. It is safe to say that her emotions need not be logical or justified. They come from a place of annoyance at how she is left to be on her own.
Meanwhile, Sam goes to meet her mother, Mary Jo (Jane Brody), who is back in a care unit. For most of her life, she has been in and out of rehab. Now after Ed’s departure, Sam comes in to respect his wishes even if it means that she has to deal with MJ’s nuisance. Afterward, Trish calls Sam to invite her and Joel for dinner. She says she made too much casserole and needs her help.
Sam goes there with Joel and rings the doorbell. They decide on a safe word in case it gets all too boring or unbearable. Neither of them considers Trish to be a fun company. While being clearly drunk, Trish says that she does not want to be a divorced person. She never saw herself being that way, as per the suburban woman’s image she had known until then. She contends it despite Rick’s infidelity.
Anyhow, Trish changes Joel and Sam’s perspective by saying how she tried to hook up with Charity’s husband as an act of revenge. Joel and Sam ask for juicy details instead of calling Juicy, i.e., their safe word. This loud, fun woman becomes their new companion. Then, Sam and Trish try holding the bottles under their breasts to see if they’re still young.
Somebody Somewhere (Season 2), Episode 1 Ending Explained:
Back at their house, Joel starts making some martinis. Sam reaches there, not completely clothed, to dance along with him and have a drink. They savor those sips while gossiping about MJ and her behavior. He offers to join her during the next visit. You sense their unwavering intimacy that does not feel a need to be silenced. Then all of a sudden, Fred Rococo (Murray Hill) drops by their place. He says that Ed called him to meet his kids and see if everything is okay at the farm.
In a fairly breezy mood, Sam asks why Ed didn’t call her and Trish about it. Fred believes it is because he does not want to seem overbearing or micromanaging. Anyhow, Fred returns to Manhattan after nine months and believes he can finish his research there. Apparently, MJ had a stroke in the recent past. Sam speaks about how it has been weighing on Ed and how selling the farm has been an additional weight on his chest. Now he is in his brother’s boat in Corpus Cristy, probably drinking beers. Sam feels happy that he is taking time for himself without worrying about caring about something or someone else.
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