Platonic Recap: Don’t Ask, Don’t Get

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Recently, I proposed that the series had reached a significant turning point, with the focus shifting from Will as the main storyteller towards Sylvia and Charlie’s narrative for the remainder of the season. The latest episode, “The Holiday Party,” seems to reinforce this notion, concluding with another suspenseful cliffhanger that leaves the path forward shrouded in mystery. In just two episodes past, Will offered words of encouragement to Charlie during his midlife crisis, suggesting he could abandon lawyering and pursue anything he desired. Now, it appears that Charlie has acted upon this advice… perhaps more zealously than intended.

Let’s take a step back. In the beginning, the primary conflict of the episode revolves around a common sitcom dilemma: Sylvia and Charlie are eager for Will to vacate their guest house due to their children frequently observing his early morning departures after spending the night. (This individual is involved in romantic activities.) Diane, who was featured on Katie’s podcast last week and is currently assisting Will in finding a new place, is part of this situation as well.

To put it simply, Diane shines as the standout character in this episode. Her initial tour showcases a potential future home for Will, which was previously Russell Brand’s vegan lounge and is now affordable but not suitable for living expenses. However, by the end of the episode, Will considers extending his stay at Sylvia’s ADU while assisting her with work, suggesting that the Shitty Little Bar might be in the works sooner than expected. The original dialogue credit goes to co-creator Francesca Delbanco, who delivers the phrase “internment camp” with an unusually cheerful tone.

After abandoning Jenna at the altar, Will has been more introspective, pondering what his life’s purpose truly is. His encounter with his ex-wife in this episode echoes the same introspection. Will finds himself constantly measuring himself against Audrey, whose career is thriving. He yearns to celebrate his achievements, but progress is slow. It won’t happen unless he takes action, and that requires asking for help. As Katie puts it, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Example to consider: Diane played a crucial role for Sylvia by arranging La Cienega Haciendas for the annual celebration. This event turned out to be the second most stressful event for her this week, with her upcoming therapy session with Charlie taking the top spot. She’s aware that he has something important to share with her, and she understands that his therapist will be present during their conversation, but he refuses to disclose the details. It’s wonderful that therapy has assisted him in improving at work, yet he seems to be becoming overly reliant on therapy jargon (“emphasizing my viewpoint,” “potential self-reinforcing patterns”).

As a movie reviewer, I find myself bracing for potential turmoil, having learned about Will’s harrowing journey through couples therapy. Katie’s prognosis is even more ominous. The scheduling of this session, while perfect for creating dramatic TV mayhem, couldn’t be worse for Sylvia. It falls on the very day of our holiday party, just when she’s grappling with delivering chairs that were inadvertently sent to the wrong address. Yet, there’s a part of me that wonders if these obligations might serve as a veiled excuse she secretly yearns for, to steer clear of therapy.

Sylvia greatly appreciates it when John personally takes the chairs over to help her attend a difficult session she’s been anxious about, but in doing so, he causes some damage to the Lucky Penny truck. Additionally, he narrowly misses crushing a delivery robot, escalating their ongoing conflict. Despite this delay and an awkward FaceTime call that left her embarrassed, Sylvia finally makes it just before the session ends, resulting in a tense exchange with Dr. Melfi (played by Paul Lieberstein who is more aggressive than his character Toby Flenderson) and Charlie himself.

In the second season, they’ve skillfully set up the current situation quite well. We’ve witnessed several times when Sylvia unknowingly downplays her husband’s ordeals, and her persistent tardiness has certainly been irritating, especially considering it stems from anxious-avoidant behavior. Still, it’s challenging not to understand her predicament in this episode given the multitude of things she’s handling. Her affection for Charlie shines through amidst the temptation to disrupt things. He even admits that scheduling this event on the same day as the holiday party might have been a mistake.

The event progresses smoothly, and Sylvia manages to secure her next client through Carrie, a friend of Stewart, who’s a recent cast member on Saturday Night Live. A cheesy video created by Charlie and his colleagues playing Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is shown for Frank, a character played by Michael Kostroff, who has been appearing as a lawyer 20 years after his debut on The Wire. However, following Frank’s speech, Charlie announces that he too will be retiring.

Everyone appears puzzled by this recent announcement, with his wife being the most perplexed. It seems as though he hadn’t shared his plans with anyone, not even Dr. Melfi – instead, making this decision on his own today. The episode doesn’t merely end with this surprise revelation as a cliffhanger; we also witness Sylvia and Charlie discussing it at home later, where she openly criticizes his actions as reckless and half-baked. She reminds him of their upcoming financial obligations, but Charlie disregards her worries, asserting that he feels compelled to make this move after acknowledging his dissatisfaction with his stagnant life. He feels liberated now, and how can she prevent him from experiencing that freedom?

In essence, I can empathize with Charlie’s perspective, yet I find it challenging to perceive his decision as anything other than impulsive and self-centered, given he didn’t discuss this move privately with Sylvia prior to making it public. It seems that therapy may have inspired Charlie to focus on personal wellbeing and introspection about his life goals, but let me clarify that Sylvia is not the antagonist; she’s simply trying to understand what path her life should take. This theme echoes the essence of friendship as portrayed in Platonic relationships, both Will’s and Charlie’s included.

Inside Jokes

This time around, they didn’t delve deeply into the humor itself, but something about Will’s obsessive relocation of mugs from Sylvia’s coasters strikes me as funny. It’s a kind of petty behavior that I find admirable.

Katie Assists Will in Creating a Dating Profile: It appears that for the moment, they’re simply strengthening their friendship. However, it’s worth mentioning that Will praises Katie’s unique motto and refers to her as “smart.

I’m giving a tour of a Venice Beach duplex to a famous individual I can’t disclose, but their name sounds like ‘Charlize Theron.'” This kind of joke takes me back to Fred Melamed’s role on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Everyone claimed they saw Harry Styles, but I believe it might have been merely another man with a receding hairline wearing a gown instead.

I enjoyed watching how Rose Byrne adopted a charmingly soft American accent, mimicking the hostesses from La Cienega Haciendas.

On the relationship-building platform known as Snurf, when you pair up with another user, you exchange postcards for a fortnight. If, after this period, both parties agree to meet in person, there is an assurance that intimacy will occur.

A subtle touch of consistency is seen as Will clarifies the reason behind Sylvia likely having no concerns: “They have quite an active relationship.

It’s only Sylvia who seems to grasp the coincidence that Charlie’s psychologist bears the name Dr. Melfi. Admittedly, it might have taken her some time to catch on, but given Charlie’s relative inexperience with therapy, it’s understandable if not immediate.

In this scenario, we’re dealing with a 2010s-style episode where the music transitions from Passion Pit’s “Carried Away” to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”, and Sylvia is having trouble deactivating her animal-themed photo filters.

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2025-09-10 18:02