It’s always nice to see Seth Rogen in his “ridiculous” avatar. And Rose Byrne is undeniably dazzling. So when these two get together in Platonic as Will and Sylvia, respectively, it’s bound to be fun. But the catch is that they are meeting after many years, thanks to a rift. How long will it take for them to get back? Not much, it seems. But how will this affect their present lives? More than they know.
Spoilers Ahead
A Divorced Friend
Sylvia has a lovely family consisting of her husband, Charlie, and their three sweet kids. One night, there is a regular debate about which movie they should watch together. And like most of the time, the debate ends with each kid with a phone or a tablet in front of him or her and their favorite movie playing on it. That’s the thing about choices: to each his or her own; just like the choice Will made when he married Audrey, although Sylvia suggested he not. She hated Audrey, and vice versa. That’s what led to the rift between her and Will. So when she finds out about Charlie’s divorce from Audrey’s Instagram post, Charlie tells her to call Will and talk to him. Sylvia may be right about married men and women finding it tough to socialize, but her friendship with Will predates marriage. The fact is that Will is lonely, and he surely needs someone to talk to. Also, it is strange that Sylvia follows Audre on Instagram although she hates her.
The Weird Invitation
Sylvia and Will meet at a café, and what follows is a rather weird conversation between friends who parted on harsh terms. Sylvia pretends that she has just found out from Will about his divorce, perhaps to not make him feel that she is meeting him out of pity. Sylvia shows him a picture of her family and says that she is working under her husband Charlie, who is a lawyer. Will, on the other hand, is a brewmaster at his own bar [24.5% of the bar, to be more precise]. Will invites Sylvia to a party the same weekend, and they disperse. It’s an incomplete conversation because they both know that they have missed each other a lot, but now, owing to the long gap, each of them is probably wondering how to show that feeling. It’s sad, but at least they met. Will tells his friends about her. Their opinions are divided, but they don’t really matter because Will doubts that Sylvia will come to the party.
Meanwhile, Sylvia tells her friend and single mother, Katie, about how she feels that everyone is judging her in their minds, but Katie gives her a reality check, i.e., no one cares about either of them. It is as if they are invisible. So, the least they can do is go to the party that Will has invited her to so that at least Katie can have some fun. The same night, they arrive at the party, but after feeling out of place, they decide to leave. But before that, Will spots Sylvia. There is a moment when Will goes to talk to a reporter when his friend Andy, a former friend of Sylvia’s too, tells her that she needs to be careful because Will is fresh out of his divorce. In other words, Will isn’t over his divorce. But he doesn’t get to tell her anything because he, too, badmouthed Audrey and yet stayed friends with Will, whereas Sylvia didn’t, or rather couldn’t. Why did he get to stay back, but she didn’t? That is sexist. Or there’s more to it that we will find out later on. A few minutes later, Katie has had enough, as has Sylvia, and so they leave.
Do Sylvia And Will Get Back Together?
It hits hard when Sylvia tells Katie how people are close at one point and then all of a sudden become strangers. That’s life. That’s the part of moving on that feels wrong. And can we really move on? No. If we really loved someone and then, for some reason, became complete strangers later on, we chose not to think about it and let it go. But the feeling still lingers somewhere. And maybe we don’t miss them anymore, but we feel weird, just like Sylvia does. As she and Katie are talking about all this, they spot Will yelling at a woman who seems to be Audrey, who has come to the party with her new boyfriend. This, for Will, is unacceptable. She should know better than to come there when she knows it’s her ex-husband’s party. And she may find it normal, maybe because she has moved on, but that doesn’t mean Will would as well.
Audrey and her boyfriend quietly leave when they realize that staying will only make things worse. Katie goes home, but Sylvia decides to talk to Will. They decide to grab a few drinks somewhere else, and they end up in some bar where Sylvia tries to hook Will up with a woman. This conversation is much better than the last one, as both are a lot more frank with each other. She even takes him to a shop to buy him a replacement for his chai necklace that she threw away a long time ago. Leaving aside everything else, he chooses a sterling silver dog collar. The only catch is that one of them has to get it off the Dobermann that’s wearing it. Will manages to do that, and they both escape before the dog can come after them. To celebrate, they share weed gummies and then fill themselves up at an eatery. They have a fun time talking about random stuff, but they end up getting into another argument, and the reason is exactly what I mentioned earlier.
Sylvia tells Will that she knew about his divorce, and he thinks that the reason she called him was to remind him that she was right. According to Will, it was she who ended their friendship, although he needed her support. But her counter is that she was being honest with him because she loved him, but he ditched her. We do not know who called off the friendship, but it is clear that neither of them wants to take the blame. The fact that Sylvia mentions how much she loves him on the very day they meet after so many years is proof that she still has the same feelings for him. They really were the best of friends and for her, they still are. So, can we say that their argument is just proof of them regretting not being in touch for so long? Maybe, but Sylvia still leaves in a car. And a middle finger follows. Will has no idea what to do now. Later on, Sylvia texts him, and they are back on track. In real friendships, such arguments don’t last long, and certainly, not this one that has found its way back after so many years.
Episode 1 of Platonic finds a long-lost friendship, and though it has a rough start, it seems to be getting better. Let’s see how things turn out. They are yet to know a lot about each other’s midlife crises, and so we have ourselves a sweet and heartwarming show with two friends trying to understand their feelings towards each other.
