Somebody Somewhere (Season 2), Episode 5: The second season of ‘Somebody Somewhere’ largely followed Sam and Joel’s blooming relationship. It showed them being emotionally closer and sharing a house. Sam rediscovered her love for singing and started working toward it. Trish also tried to get back to her passion by offering to work on Fred’s wedding. Simultaneously, she started getting popular with a cushion she designed to get back at Charity. Meanwhile, Joel slowly started discovering his interest in Brad Schraeder.
The latest episode finds Sam and Joel at crossroads in their platonic relationship. Sam learns something shocking from her past, which leads to the end on a heartbreaking note.
*Spoilers ahead*
Somebody Somewhere (Season 2), Episode 5 Recap:
Episode 5: NMB NMP
The episode begins with a cute discussion between Sam (Bridget Everett) and Joel (Jeff Hiller) in his car about weddings. While Fred’s (Murray Hill) wedding is just around the corner, they chat about fantasies about their weddings. Joel shares his dream of getting Branigan to sing Gloria when he walks down the aisle.
Since the adult he understands its unlikability, he asks Sam to cover the song instead. Sam doubts her skills but performs the song right away. She says how she always dreamt of wearing her mom’s dress at her wedding. Joel points out the glaring height difference, and they somehow find a way to make light of it. Their chit-chat leading to no particular direction is, as always, charming.
The two meet Fred and Tiffani (Mercedes White) to help them with the suit fittings at Woody’s Tailor Shop. Fred feels thrilled for being so close to the wedding and thanks these pals for helping him. Soon after, Sam says she needs to prepare a cake for Tricia’s (Mary Catherine Garrison) birthday. She feels bad for Trish for being alone this year for her birthday now that Rick and Shannon have left.
However, Joel says he can’t join because of some errands. Sam finds that, unlike him. Doesn’t he always tag along for almost everything she does? She pokes fun at him for setting boundaries. Nevertheless, she goes home to make a ‘funeral cake.’ She knows that a mangled cake would not ruin the occasion but would become a topic that she can joke about with her sister.
Trish goes to Tender Moments to meet its new manager- Heather. She shows familiarity with all that is on display and a genuine interest in how they will fit her color palette for the wedding. Heather isn’t nearly as enthusiastic about it. Later on, she also tells Trish to take business elsewhere.
Even if Heather masks this request with kindness, Trish understands that there’s more to it. She asks whether it is because Fred is getting married. Heather is not concerned about that. She just does not want to do business with a woman who tried to get with Coop, i.e., Charity’s husband. It riles up Trish since it was nothing but a rumor. Besides, Charity was a homewrecker, not her. So, she takes out her frustration on this woman and says how Charity fucked her husband several times.
Meanwhile, Sam prepares the cake with the steps written on a card. She is not an expert at it but still manages to work it out on her own. She calls Joel for help, or perhaps just to have a voice of support in between her mental chaos. He picks up but holds his phone extremely close to his face – as if he does not want to reveal who he is with. She gets suspicious of why he would be in a library of all the places to read about birds. Still, she asks her concern about how to put butter in the recipe. Joel cuts the call abruptly to get back to his date.
Where was Joel on Trish’s birthday?
At the time, Joel was with Brad Schraeder (Tim Bagley) at a historical museum, enjoying some leisurely time. Brad shares his knowledge about Isaac Goodnow, who co-founded their town and started some sort of teacher’s association.
Whatever details Brad throws at him, Joel listens with genuine interest. Brad continues talking about the history, and Joel does not mind it one bit. He rather says how Brad can keep going on and on about it, and he will listen.
Brad can’t believe Joel is really into his nerdy flow of wisdom. He continues to share something else despite his awkwardness and receives a kiss from Joel. It is clearly all too sudden for him but not entirely unexpected. He invites Joel for another date while hoping he is not taking matters too fast. Joel enthusiastically agrees.
Sam goes to Trish’s house to find her upset. Trish says she is angry that Shannon hasn’t texted or called despite her birthday. While sending a text to her niece, Sam writes down ideas for more c***-themed quotes for Trish’s cushions. She gets really creative with these ideas and tries to make her sister chuckle.
Mary Catherine Garrison in Somebody Somewhere Season 2 Episode 5 (Photograph by Sandy Morris/HBO).After seeing a new display on Trish’s refrigerator, Sam approaches it to play some music. While she can’t figure out a way to do so, she still cheers up her sister by making some moves on that device. Besides that, even the muddled-up cake lightens up Trish’s mood, as Sam very well guessed. Trish does not want a perfectly made recipe as much as she wants some cheerful company. Sam understood that.
The sisters add their spoons to the cake’s container and have fun savoring its odd taste. They chat around about her new business and how they can call it Charity Case. Trish thanks Sam for making her shitty day better. The topic soon reaches a serious note.
Why did Holly hide her cancer diagnosis from Sam?
Trish was upset not just because of what Heather said to her. On that birthday, she is turning 47 – the same age their sister, Holly, was diagnosed with Cancer. Sam had no idea about this and thought, until then, that Holly suddenly died at 48.
Trish tries to cover up this sudden reveal but fails. She eventually shares that Holly learned about the diagnosis but kept it hidden from Sam because he did want her to worry about it. Holly wanted to beat Cancer naturally, and Trish respected it as her choice.
Learning about it all of a sudden, Sam starts to burst out in anger. She regrets not knowing and how it was all too late for her to stop the inevitable. While she is about to leave, Trish calls out how she can’t keep abandoning people. She does not want Sam to lead a lonely life. Sam does not pay heed to her concern and leaves.
Sam reaches home to find Darlene at the doorstep. She had come to share the tape of Sam’s last session. Sam apologizes for abruptly leaving the class. Darlene does not want her to feel bad about it. She knows that Sam takes things too close to her heart and that it wouldn’t have been easy for her. Due to this lovely acceptance, Sam gets emotional and hugs Darlene.
Sam walks in and looks at her family photos, which remind her of her fond memories with Holly. She then takes out her bracelet and starts weeping for being overwhelmed. She lets out her pain through her tears.
Later at night, Tricia gets a call from Rick, and she cuts it. He texts her, wishing her a happy birthday – telling her to have fun that night. It almost prompts her to be more light and cheerful. Despite being drunk, she figures out a way to play music on her new device and dances on her own.
Somebody Somewhere (Season 2), Episode 5 Ending Explained:
The morning after Trish’s birthday, Sam wakes up to a text from Joel. While she is not doing that well, she still texts him back with their usual banter style. She goes to a breakfast cafe to shed her sadness. The waiter, Jimmy, says that he has something for Joel. She thinks he is into Joel and texts him the same.
Jimmy brings up some of Joel’s stuff and reveals that he had come with Brad to the cafe. She clearly does not handle this well. Why would Joel lie about it? Or want to keep it a secret? After she leaves, Joel shows up, thinking she will still be there. Jimmy tells him that she left with his stuff.
Joel realizes that his secret’s out. He returns home and tries to make up for this mistake. He brings something that Sam likes, thinking it would resolve the matter. But Sam is clearly not in the mood to forgive him. She eats by herself on the table and tells Joel to just leave.
<< Previous Episode
Somebody Somewhere (Season 2), Episode 5 Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Somebody Somewhere (Season 2), Episode 5 Cast: Bridget Everett, Jeff Hiller, Mary Catherine Garrison, Murray Hill
Where to watch Somebody Somewhere
