In Episode 1 of Platonic, Sylvia and Will resume their friendship days after being apart for many years. Right off the bat, they are just as they surely were all those years ago; arguing, getting high, talking, and doing fun stuff. And we can accept Will to be a carefree guy because he is divorced and he’s upset, but to see Sylvia going all out with Will does feel cathartic. She needed this more than anything else. She needed a friend with whom she could speak without thinking, have horrible beers, ride on scooters, and even have disagreements without being judged. Episodes 2 and 3 reveal just how fun they really are.
Spoilers Ahead
Going Primal
Sylvia’s life is all about time management. She and her family members each have around 5 minutes in the bathroom before they set out on their individual goals for the day. It is clear that Sylvia’s life has a timetable. All that she and Katie talk about is how every day seems like an addition to their mundane lives, where one of the most interesting things to do is pick up vaccination records. Thankfully for Sylvia, although she may refuse to believe it despite liking it, Will is her savior. So when he calls her up to remind her that she forgot her credit card at his bar, she flips out because that’s the only time she can react the way she wants more than the circumstance demanding it. The truth is he yelled at her in the middle of the road in the middle of the night. Will explains how people yelling at each other is normal, but Sylvia hangs up the phone. She doesn’t want to get over it because maybe she wants Will to call her again. But to her surprise, Will arrives at her home with her credit card just in time to help her fix the commode. And when she tells him that she is going to see a new house the same day, Will joins her, but after promising that he won’t speak a word during the whole time. As if that’s going to happen. On the way, Sylvia finds out that a lot of Will’s stuff is still at Audrey’s place, including his lizard Gandalf. For Sylvia, it seems that he deliberately has left his stuff at her place so that he can keep in contact with her. And it is true. And many of us would do it, too, because we know that even at the cost of an argument, there comes an otherwise-unavailable pleasure. However, pleasure isn’t something that comes to Will’s mind when he sees the house, formerly an assisted living facility, which is supposed to be Sylvia’s future home. It is horrifying, to say the least, there is nothing homely about it, and it has blood and teeth in the fridges, among other things that a home shouldn’t offer. Granted, it will be cleared of this stuff and renovated, but the building can never serve as a home. Sylvia’s words prove that she and Charlie are taking it because they desperately need a house that is more spacious and provides room for the children. But the truth is she doesn’t want to live here. Had it not been for Will, she would have signed the papers and brought her family to this horror house. However, she agrees to say no to the realtor, Diane, only if Will agrees to get his stuff out of Audrey’s place. Will agrees after some complaining. Understandably, Sylvia’s decision to say no to the house and Will’s decision to get his stuff out are both decisions that will affect their lives. Sylvia will have to look for a new home, while Will will have to stay away from Audrey. And perhaps only they could convince each other of these. So Sylvia says no to Diane, and then she and Will head to Audrey’s place.
Sylvia sneaks in through the dog door and lets Will in, but they have no idea that Audrey is in the house. What follows is an argument where Audrey makes it clear that she drew boundaries between Will and Sylvia, which resulted in them drifting apart because it was weird for her. Naturally, her boyfriend bringing another woman to their date, wearing clothes picked by her, does look like a red flag even though it may not be one. They need to leave but Sylvia wants to use the restroom. To Will’s surprise, Sylvia returns to the car with his lizard Gandalf, who she discreetly put in her bag before leaving the house. Will is overjoyed, but as fate would have it, it is Sylvia who has to bring Gandalf home because Will cannot take care of him. Maybe that is why Audrey didn’t let Will keep Gandalf in the first place. She knew he couldn’t take care of the lizard. And now Sylvia has to explain to Charlie why she loves lizards. The kids seem excited, and it is a relief. It’s called lizard adoption.
Of Laws And Collabs
Charlie and Sylvia arrive at an event organized by their law firm, Boosalis & Addington. It’s kind of like an off-site but indoors. They meet their colleagues as well as their managing partner Frank Schaeffer, who founded the law firm. Sylvia remembers the guy because he always forgets her name. And what’s infuriating is that he is able to remember the name of some random guy he met three years ago but not hers, even though she works at his firm. While she is going through the formalities that come with meeting people she barely knows but has to keep on smiling and talking to them, Will gets into an argument with one of his friends/business partners, Reggie, at their bar Lucky Penny Brewing. Reggie believes that a collab with a restaurant chain, Johnny 66, is a great deal for them. But Will finds the burger chain terrible, and more than that, he believes that it doesn’t stand for anything that their brewery stands for. So the deal is a no-go for him.
Sylvia is upset that her law firm has made partner with Vanessa, a woman she went to law school with and who stands for everything that she could never have but always wanted, including an extra child. This event is worse than she expected. Even all the channels on TV in her room are law-based. In irritation, she texts the only person who can get her out of her misery, i.e., Will. They end up going to Johnny 66, and Will’s impression of the place only worsens. They return to his bar, and Will finds out that Andy, too, wants to collab with Johnny 66. This is when Andy tells him something that Sylvia as well as we agree to. The reason why Will doesn’t want to nod to Reggie’s offer is that Reggie is Audrey’s stepbrother, and Will isn’t over Audrey yet. This upsets Will; at least that’s what it seems from the way he just goes to the back of the bar and starts spilling the beer. He defends himself to Andy, but we know that deep down, he might just be lying to himself. Or why would he hate Reggie?
Does Will Agree To The Collab With Johnny 66?
To get some fresh air, Will joins Sylvia at the event, and since Will has this supernatural ability to strengthen Sylvia enough to speak her heart, she ends up swallowing Frank Schaeffer’s speech after he is unable to guess her name. He even mistakes her for a waitress. The sheer ignorance of this guy deserves a speech and a brutal one at that. Charlie hates what Sylvia has done because now he has to make it up to Frank in every way possible, including joining him on his fishing trips. But when Sylvia asks Charlie about Vanessa again, things get clear. She is just angry and upset and needs something to get it out. Charlie knew that she would do something wild upon finding out that Vanessa had made partner, so he didn’t give her the news. Unfortunately, Charlie’s plan backfired. However, he has to sit through Frank’s improvised speech now, which is even more uncomfortable. Will convinces Sylvia to join her husband. She should do at least that much, especially since it will be fun to see Frank suffering. And that’s exactly what happens. Neither Frank nor anyone in the audience has any idea what he says in his speech. Will, on the other hand, is enraged after seeing Audrey having fun with her boyfriend on Instagram. So much so that it changes his mind, and he decides to collab with Johnny 66. It’s surreal what your ex can make you do, clearly more than you think they could.
Episodes 2 and 3 prove, more than anything else, that Will and Sylvia are quite alike each other, and it’s great that they are back as friends. They needed someone with whom they could be open and talk about stuff they didn’t even think they could and would. As they deal with their respective mid-life crises, their friendship is the anchor that keeps them from going insane. Ironically, it’s their insanity together that helps them cope with the daily game of sanity and pretense that they are forced to play in their lives, just like all of us.
