‘Still Up’ on Apple TV+ follows two best friends, Lisa and Danny, who stay connected to each other late into the night. The previous episode showed Lisa going to a sleep clinic to find a solution to her problems with falling asleep. Despite the necessary inspection of her behavior, she spends most of her time speaking with Danny on the phone, as she always does. He tries to crack an interview for a position at the Rolling Stones magazine. By the end of the night, Lisa gets thrown out of the clinic for not following the rules, whereas Danny loses out on the opportunity by falling asleep. Still Up (Season 1) Episode 5 follows Lisa and Veggie going on a camping trip with Veggie’s stepparents. Meanwhile, Danny has to make peace with the endless bathroom repair work. Spoilers ahead!
Still Up (Season 1) Episode 5 “Veggie Veggie Bing Bong” Recap:
Camping Plans
The fifth episode begins with Lisa (Antonia Thomas) prepping for her camping trip with Veggie (Blake Harrison). While loading their stuff in the car trunk, Veggie talks about satnav (satellite navigation) related accidents that happen across the country. He mentions a huge number of insurance claims as a result of misdirection. It soon dawns upon him that he has entered his overthinking rabbit hole that ends up bumming everyone else out. Lisa is still kind enough not to let well-intentioned Veggie feel bad for talking about this grim topic.
However, Lisa’s mind changes soon after she realizes that Veggie’s stepparents – Christine & Russell, are going to join them. When Lisa mentioned ‘family time,’ Veggie believed she also expected his parents. So, their trip of three ends up being a trip of five. Lisa still goes along with it so as not to hurt Veggie’s feelings. On the camping site, Veggie starts recording a video with Russell. Through their interactions, you quickly realize where Veggie’s humor and cheerfulness come from. The man oozes goofy optimism like Veggie. Although it can get on your nerves at times, you would not want to kill their vibrant positivity. They make that kind of father-son duo.
Veggie & Russell
Veggie’s mother admires the father and son’s bonding activity from a distance. She tells Lisa about an incident from Veggie’s childhood when he mentioned that he wants to be a ‘stepfather’ when he gets old. Christine does not find it the least bit odd that a nine-year-old would say this. But Lisa does not let that ruin their pleasant time together. It, however, opens up a thread to other topics. Did Veggie want to be with Lisa because he could be a stepparent to her child? Maybe. Who knows?
Soon after, Veggie starts unboxing some random products with Russell. Christine thinks she and Lisa hit a jackpot by getting these two men as their partners. ‘We’re so alike,’ she says – which sounds more like her wish to have a similarly strong connection with Lisa – instead of a statement in itself. Christine keeps trying to make Lisa a part of their herd. It keeps Lisa constantly on the verge of taking out her frustration. While Veggie and Russell build the camp, Christine talks about a French place they used to visit as a family. She insists Lisa pronounce it just right, which irks Lisa for all the obvious reasons. She still maintains her calm so as to not ruin the mood.
Danny’s Bathroom Issue
As a break from an overly affectionate family of Veggie, Lisa calls Danny (Craig Roberts) when she gets a few moments of respite at night. Earlier, we saw them ending their conversation on a bitter note – when she revealed that his ex-girlfriend had an affair with three people. He felt terrible that even Lisa hid this fact from him. Now, he does not even remember that he was angry at Lisa. She apologizes to him, and he agrees that she would not have meant to upset him.
But there’s another thing that is keeping Danny frustrated. The landlord of his apartment was having the bathroom retiled. So, he hired a guy to work on it. Even though the man was there for hours, Danny did not know his name. Owing to his introverted nature, Danny did not know the topics of small talk with this builder. The guy stays at his apartment till late at night. Because of his social anxiety and lack of communication skills, Danny cannot even tell the guy to just leave the apartment.
Lisa’s Frustration
On a call with Danny, Lisa talks about her frustration with being on a camping trip. She thought it would be a good idea, but she had to make peace with the surprise appearance of Veggie’s stepparents. In the middle of their conversation, Lisa gets surrounded by a bunch of cows. Luckily, Veggie arrives there to help her walk back to the tent. She tells him how she wanted the trip for just the three of them. Veggie acknowledges that and makes another plan for just the three.
While walking back to the tent, holding a portable toilet, Lisa injures her ankle. Even though she is certain that her ankle is sprained, Christine refuses to believe her. Christine keeps prying on Lisa to know whether she truly loves Veggie. Even if it shows Christine’s protective nature, it is bound to rub anyone the wrong way. Christine thinks Lisa is just trying to bail on all of their camping trip. As a result, Lisa has to spend the night in the tent. But even there, she cannot fall asleep. So, she walks out to read the symptoms of sprained ankles online.
Still Up (Season 1) Episode 5 “Veggie Veggie Bing Bong” Ending Explained:
After working on tiles for hours and hours, the builder starts venting out about his personal life. Turns out, he was going through a rough patch in his relationship with his boyfriend. That is why he did not want to leave the work in the middle. Danny has to deal with his emotional outbursts, which he is not equipped for. Meanwhile, at the camping site, Christine and Russell join Lisa outside their tents. Even then, Christine tries to make Lisa accept that her ankle was not sprained as she claimed. Christine is a firm believer in the fad of manifestation. So, she hopes Lisa also manifests a long relationship with Veggie the way she did with Russell.
Does Lisa win Veggie Veggie Bing Bong?
Eventually, the family decides to start playing a game called ‘Veggie Veggie Bing Bong’. Even though they told the rules multiple times, Lisa could not understand. Back at Danny’s house, he hears a knock on the door. The builder – Rich’s boyfriend, Chris, arrives at the doorstep. Lisa guides Danny to get the two guys to sort out their emotional pain. She, on the other hand, struggles to keep up with Veggie’s family in their quizzing game and keeps getting hit by ham sheets. Like her, I did not understand the game either. But I understood the frustration of not being able to be a part of something.
Back at Danny’s apartment, Rich and Chris sort out their differences and decide to have a drink. They expect Danny to serve them with whatever he has. Considering Danny’s poor social skills, he agrees to let them impose their demand on him. Eventually, they also join Danny to help Lisa win Veggie Veggie Bing Bong. Unlike Lisa, Danny and the couple understand the rules of the game very well. So, Lisa wins Veggie Veggie Bing Bong. After the couple leaves, Lisa starts talking with Danny instead of with the family. Veggie notices it from a distance and seems clearly hurt by it.
So, the night ends with Veggie realizing that Lisa is not as interested in her as much as he is in her. On the other hand, Christine shares another burden for Lisa to think about. She wants Lisa to get married to Veggie and have kids with him. Christine sounds like any South Asian mom/aunt who cares for their male sons a little too much. Meanwhile, it makes Lisa contemplate whether she truly wants to take that next step with Veggie or not.
