Too Much Recap: Pillow Talk

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As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but appreciate the clever naming of each episode in Too Much, as they’re all inspired by various romance films, be it comedies or dramas. The third installment, however, is an intriguing reinterpretation of Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise – the beginning of a trilogy that follows the evolving story of Jesse and Celine, two strangers who cross paths on a train. In these films, as you might recall, they spend hours engaging in deep conversations instead of any grand actions. The plotline of Before Sunrise is remarkably straightforward: when their train stops in Vienna, Jesse invites Celine to explore the city with him during the night before he has to catch an early flight back to America.

The brilliance of “Before Sunrise” lies in its unique approach, where it dedicates nearly an hour and a half to a phase that is typically condensed into a brief montage in many romantic comedies. Instead of rushing through scenes like the meet-cute, the couple in bed after intimacy, exploring markets together, or cooking meals, we often see in these films – think Tom and Summer browsing vinyl records, Annie and Alvy preparing lobster, Rachel Samstat and Mark sharing spaghetti carbonara from a large bowl in bed. In most movies following the conventional romantic comedy formula (two people meet, fall in love, break up, get back together), the montage is utilized to expedite the getting-to-know-you phase so we can delve into the emotional turmoil of the break-up and experience our emotions being stirred. Here, the movie takes its time to let us truly appreciate the relationship’s development without rushing things.

The episode “Sunrise” doesn’t quite meet Vulture’s bottle-episode criteria due to additional setup scenes and costs, but it offers around 30 minutes of engaging chemistry between Felix and Jess. With each episode, I am increasingly impressed by Will Sharpe’s acting abilities as he seamlessly embodies his character, a feat that Chris Stalter struggles to match. Although Jess is more self-aware while Felix is self-assured, Sharpe graciously allows Stalter ample opportunities to shine. While there are moments where her performance shines, such as when Jessica films pandemic-era front-facing videos, it sometimes feels overly conscious, particularly during the early scenes in the kitchen. However, Sharpe’s charm is so captivating that as time passes, Stalter becomes more comfortable in their growing romance, and by 1 a.m., I was fully invested in their relationship development.

30 following a reprimand from Jonno (Richard E. Grant). He discovers that she’s been researching Felix Remen and watching his old music videos, and reminds her that he chose her because of her ability to complete tasks effectively, although she hasn’t yet shown this. The fictional director for the Christmas commercial is preparing set-up in a few weeks, and Jonno wants Jessica to focus on her work. Thus, he provides her with a list of ten behaviors to steer clear from, some related to culture and some personal. Josie, who looks uncomfortable about being given this task but seems to agree with Jonno’s assessment, delivers the list.

During work hours, Jess is busy with her job, whereas Felix spends time rehearsing with his band and visiting a employment agency, where he searches for a job while voicing his reasons for not currently holding one. This predicament mirrors the struggle faced by many in artistic careers: although his music isn’t generating income at this point, it is essential for him to create that music in order to potentially earn from it someday. Later, Felix joins Jess in her kitchen as she wraps up work, offering a peek into their contrasting perspectives on life. While Jess has come to terms with the necessity of doing tasks that are not always enjoyable (working as a producer and staying late for budget adjustments), Felix remains optimistic that adult life is about finding opportunities to focus solely on what you truly desire (making music, in his case).

In the storyline, Jess ponders with Wendy if she too, like her, often finds herself preoccupied rather than fully immersed in the current moment. Later on, Jess informs Felix that they must call it a night due to her early morning commitment; however, they never doze off, as their nightly pattern is dictated by the ceaseless ticking of the clock: we touch base at 10, then 11, then 1 a.m., 2:30, 4, and eventually past 5 a.m. The alarm clock chimes at 6:45. At each of these intervals, Jess and Felix engage in intimate moments, sharing conversations and enjoying each other’s company in between. Initially, Jess struggles to stay focused: as midnight approaches, Felix selects Paddington, a movie dear to his heart. He sheds tears throughout the film, but Jess’s attention is drawn away from poor Paddington; instead, she becomes engrossed in Wendy’s Instagram stories.

Over time, Felix grabs the phone from Jess, pretending to be slightly displeased that she was on her phone throughout the entire movie, rather than weeping in sync. In the bathroom after 1 a.m., Jess peeks at Wendy’s feed one more time, where she finds a video of Wendy questioning Zev if he would still love her if she were a worm. This brings back memories of when she asked him the same question and he rejected her. This memory triggers a daydream about being friends with Wendy, sharing a sleepover, and even kissing…

In simpler terms, after seeing Felix smoking on the fire escape, Jess gets drawn back to the real world and they have another encounter. Afterward, they discuss several subjects, ranging from what calms Jess down – she prefers shows like Dateline over ones like Paddington because it makes her feel better knowing someone else is in a worse situation – to the similarities between Jess and Paddington. This conversation stirs up Nice Guy Syndrome within Jess, causing Felix to express his desire to care for her. Despite this, there’s a part of Jess that suspects Felix is just being kind because it’s his nature (or M.O.), but she sees right through it. In the previous episode, when someone mentioned that there was “something about her” that seemed helpless, it upset Jess and led to a self-justifying speech.

To put it simply, despite Jess’ apparent vulnerability, there is a strong self-centeredness in her actions, reminiscent of Lena Dunham’s characters. Her intense focus on Wendy is merely an extension of her narcissism. While her straightforward demeanor might seem open and honest, it primarily serves as a performance. The episode “Ignore Sunrise” gains momentum when both Jess and Felix’s performances falter, revealing glimpses of their pasts to each other. Felix initiates this: he shares with Jess an experience from his past when he was ‘gold-pantsed’, a term for feeling uncomfortable that she and her friends used in college. This discussion leads them to talk about his sobriety and the struggles he faced to change, and we learn that Felix has been clean of drugs and alcohol for three years.

at its finest, it reminds us of all the love in our lives; at its bare minimum, it gives us hope that we will find such love one day.

Just like any other romantic comedy, this one also brings out the sap in you! Thankfully, Lena Dunham doesn’t apologize for it, and neither should anyone else. By the early hours of 5 am, Jess is on the verge of slipping back into her old ways. It concerns Felix when he finds himself unable to climax after multiple encounters within five hours, initially suspecting that there might be something wrong with her. However, it becomes clear that the superficial validation she craves – based on appearances and performance – is far less valuable than truly being understood for who you are, which is what they’ve been striving for throughout their long night together.

Upon his request, Jess compliments Felix warmly and later performs an action with him similar to what Zev did – they kiss passionately throughout a song, in sync with its rhythm. Felix dozes off before they finish, and just as the alarm is about to ring, Jess gets up. She consumes her cold noodles while standing near the open fridge door, her face mirroring an expression reminiscent of the one Felix had described his past casual partner having on that golden-pants morning. Although this moment carried a hint of foreboding, I breathed a sigh of relief to see her on her feet; despite enjoying their night reminiscent of “Before Sunrise”, I was genuinely concerned she wouldn’t make it to the scheduled meeting.

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2025-07-10 17:54