RECAP: “Single, Out” Season 3, Episode 3
Have I mentioned yet that I love this show? This week was another great installment that went in a completely unique and hilarious direction. Showrunner Lee Galea presented us with a 80’s teen “one crazy night” adventure story. Think Adventures in Babysitting, but Adam is Elisabeth Shue (he has the hair for it) and Ethan is the “stranded in the city” Penelope Ann Miller (also, has the hair for it). This episode was a HOOT! Two thumbs up, 5 stars, no notes.
Actually, I have some notes. Spoilers, too.
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I must begin by correcting a previous statement. Last week, I incorrectly predicted a reduced presence for Adam this season. However, Episode 3 had all Adam, all the time. In a conversation I had with Galea, it sounds like I was correct about their initial plan, but Will Hutchins’ schedule unexpectedly opened up, allowing for rewrites. Thank god! So, I’ll give myself partial credit for that prediction.
On to the episode, which is probably one of the strongest the series has produced. I won’t be reviewing each character individually this week, as the narrative tightly weaves together a core four –- Adam, Ethan, Oliver, and the welcome return of Clayton -– in a singular, laser-focused mission: retrieving the stolen Single, Out laptop. In fact, the episode is titled “Laptop.”
Before we get to those adventurers, we get a brief cold open with Spike and his movie cast and crew. They are going through a table read of the script. There are a series of disagreements around the table, much to Spike’s annoyance, who only wants to get through the scene. While Theo's comedic moments provide some entertainment, the scene feels largely tangential to the main storyline. I love Theo, and I am excited about seeing these tertiary characters more, but there isn’t much to report back on. So far, we understand that Spike is desperate to get his new indie film off the ground but the script, finances, and a dysfunctional and unfocused cast and crew have become speed bumps. Everything must come together eventually, but it’s deliberately paced at this point with little moving forward.
Cut to, Elisabeth Shue. Sorry, I mean Adam, who is where we left him last week, accepting the call from Ethan about the stolen laptop. Unfortunately, we don’t see any more of Adam’s gentleman caller before he heads to the club to be the big brother savior. When he arrives, Ethan and Oliver are beside themselves with worry about the laptop…is what I would have reported if they weren’t heavily influenced by substances taken earlier in the night. Instead, Adam encounters them back on the dance floor, enjoying the music and the high. Clearly frustrated by the two, Adam attempts to get them to focus on the matter at hand: the laptop. Oliver eventually realizes that he can track the laptop through his phone with a tracking app, but his phone battery is dead and they have no charger. Let’s hope the laptop is powered on and the battery isn’t also dead!
Adam has the idea to go to nearby Clay’s, where they can charge Oliver’s phone. Once there, Clay meets Ethan for the first time. Reminder, Ethan is the half brother to Adam and Clay from their father’s other family. Clay immediately expresses resentment toward Ethan, describing him as the brother who got all of their father’s love. Clay isn’t going to embrace the arrival of Ethan quickly. There is also a funny moment where Clay tries to establish big brother dominance, only to realize that his estranged “little” brother is much taller than him when standing face to face. Clay brushes the moment off with, “It’s because you have shoes on.” Adam is able to smooth things over quickly between the two by focusing on their objective. They plug in Oliver’s phone and immediately identify that the laptop is located at the home of Oliver’s ex, Duncan. Side note: I may have had some things wrong in last week’s recap, but I got this one right. I’m a genius.
Unsure of the best way to obtain the laptop, one of the group suggests simply asking Duncan to return it. Oliver quickly explains that is not in Duncan’s nature and he would destroy it before he would ever just give it back. Great guy! Oliver henny, you dodged a bullet. Surprisingly, it’s the straight boy that comes up with a plan as Clay suggests they stage a hook-up with Duncan through the dating apps. Thank gay Jesus for this blessing of modern technology!
Duncan takes the bait, as the four lads pile into Adam’s car and head to the agreed-upon hook-up location, which seems to be a creepy alley. Cut to the chipper shredder. Episode dumps to black. I kid. The group parks at a distance to hide from view, and Adam goes to Duncan’s car. Adam is the decoy for this ruse. The whole plan isn’t entirely clear to the viewer, suggesting a hastily conceived strategy -– which, considering the group, feels perfectly fitting. The most I could understand was that Adam would take Duncan’s keys and throw them out the car window. *shrug* Seems legit.
Once with Duncan, Adam stalls with bizarre small talk, ranging from pasta preparation to Gilmore Girls fandom and a truly disturbing mozzarella stick deep-throating anecdote. Don’t ask, I’m still trying to unhear it. Finding himself at a dead end, Adam improvises, claiming he needs to text his friends for a safety check. While texting, he spots the laptop in Duncan’s backseat. Meanwhile, the others, still scrambling for a plan, discover that Adam has taken their car keys, effectively preventing any sort of quick escape. The whole situation is delightfully chaotic and, frankly, baffling.
From Adam’s texts, Oliver is relieved to learn that the laptop is nearby, but the three are at a loss on how to distract Duncan so they can get their hands on it. Ethan proclaims he has a plan, though Clay and Oliver are far from convinced. With no better ideas, they reluctantly agree to Ethan’s mystery plan. Oliver is instructed to get out of the car and to be ready to run, setting the stage for the next phase of their operation.
Back with Adam, he and Duncan are debating “Team Jesse” or “Team Dean” when Adam notices his car rolling uncontrolled down the alley. He quickly jumps from Duncan’s car to run after his own. Upon catching the car, he’s met with his brothers’ frantic shouts to get in and to give over his car keys, alerting Duncan that something is amiss. Duncan gives chase, creating the diversion Oliver needs to snatch the laptop. Oliver jumps into the getaway car, and the four erupt in a cacophony of panicked screams, commanding Ethan to drive. This scene was hilarious, I was laughing the whole time. The actors had a blast executing the physical comedy of this heist.
With the laptop matter settled, everyone is back at Clay’s apartment, coming down from the high of the evening’s events. Clay and Ethan share a moment of new appreciation for each other as brothers, recognizing how they bonded over this shared experience. Oliver then expresses his concern about going back to his apartment alone with an angry Duncan on the loose. Girl, same. Bitch is crazy. Ethan pipes up quickly that he would stay with Oliver for the night and won’t let anything happen to him. Awww.
Oliver and Ethan are then seen watching Highway to Heaven reruns at Oliver’s apartment before bedtime. I love the random TV references this week. Do the kids today even know Highway to Heaven? Probably not, because they’re philistines. The tired lads eventually head to bed and we are treated to Ethan lying on Oliver’s bed in nothing but his white briefs. Damn, this kid is sexy. We can tell that Oliver thinks the same as he comes into the room. The tension is there! They climb under the covers and share a little pillow talk about the fears of sleeping in new places before eventually going to sleep.
These dogs gonna fuck, or what? See you next week!
