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| Category | Details |
| Originally Aired | December 19, 2024 |
| Network | Peacock |
| Director(s) | Nahnatchka Khan |
| Writer(s) | Abbey Caldwell |
| Character | ACTOR’S NAME |
| Brad | Ryan Pinkston |
| Aubrey | Alexandra Shipp |
| AJ | Zosia Mamet |
| Zack | Andre Hyland |
| Ruby | Stephanie Hsu |
| Richie | Michael Angarano |
| Detective Bernowitz | David Denman |
| Isaac | Tommy Martinez |
Quick Recap
Rightfully so, AJ is mad at Zack but especially Ruby, and outright kicks her out of her apartment. Zack lingers and doesn’t voluntarily leave, leaving it where we don’t know if he is still coercing himself in AJ’s life by the end of the episode. What we do know, though, is that, with no real friends besides AJ, Ruby goes to Richie’s, and things are a bit weird.
How? Well, mainly because Richie is used to Ruby’s answers for emotional moments being sex and once it is clear he won’t benefit from her going through it, their relationship shifts. Now, granted, Ruby keeps it firmly to her advantage, thus reinforcing how selfish she is – considering she just showed up at Richie’s home and he accommodated her like they didn’t just reconnect within the last week. But, Richie goes with it, and while she doesn’t help with how nervous he is about his new job, he does join her in meeting Aubrey.
Now, who is Aubrey? Aubrey is the last “Big Love” person on Ruby’s sex list, and she is far kinder than any ex except Lucas, aka Lug. With her, it is pushed that she understood Ruby, especially her fear of intimacy beyond something sexual and that her abandonment issues, stemming from her father, led to their relationship’s demise. With all this being said and how kind Aubrey is, you’d think, like Richie, she’d be spared, right?
Wrong. Detective Bernowitz, who is following Ruby, gets into some weird tussle with a random person. His gun goes off, and Aubrey’s brain splatters across the tattoo shop she works at, and a bit gets on Ruby and Richie. This trauma pushes Ruby to get in contact with her dad, treating it as Aubrey’s last wish, and Richie, having now evolved into a friend, consoles Ruby and even promotes the idea of her contacting AJ. Not to take the pressure off him, but with the note that Ruby is at her best when AJ is around from Aubrey, it seems Richie realizes who Ruby truly needs right now.
Which may leave you wondering what is happening with Isaac, right? Well, he is still prepping for his parents’ party and is a bit bummed Ruby is avoiding him. But, this allows Brad, Ruby’s co-worker, to take over, learn what Isaac is going through with Ruby, and poison the well a bit. As for why he does that? Well, because Brad is next after Aubrey, and while Brad says he didn’t have sex with Ruby, clearly, he felt slighted enough by her to put a hex on her. A hex that could explain what is going on.
New Character Descriptions
Brad
Brad is one of the people on Ruby’s sex list, who is her co-worker, and who put a hex on her after being dismissed by Ruby, like some plaything.
Aubrey
Aubrey is one of the “Big Loves” in Ruby’s life. She is a tattoo artist and one of the few who aren’t ready to go off on Ruby or seemingly have any animosity towards her. Instead, she has an honest and adult conversation with her about why their relationship didn’t work out – before she gets killed.
Other Noteworthy Information
Review
Trajectory (80/100): Climbing
While Detective Bernowitz reminds us of some of the low points “Laid” has exhibited thus far, I feel Aubrey is the first real showing of this show’s potential. Yes, she is a one-episode stint character, but the conversation she had with Ruby showed why she was considered a big love. There was a level of compassion there that made it so that seeing Aubrey die didn’t feel like just another death but could be traumatizing.
I mean, Aubrey isn’t the first “Big Love” to die, but it could be submitted Ruby has mostly shrugged off the past deaths. Yes, she has taken some form of responsibility, but she has also pressed on in a way to make you feel those characters didn’t matter. Now, though, it feels more like a shared loss between Ruby and the viewer than just a famous or familiar face getting killed off.
But it isn’t just Aubrey making exes matter that is worth praising. We get a plausible answer as to why all of this is happening, take steps towards Ruby’s father showing up, and I have to praise Richie as well. With Richie being a smart-mouthed character, it is easy to imagine him being annoying and adding to the blemishes of the show. Yet, by showing some form of emotional growth, including not trying to pressure Ruby into sex after Aubrey’s death, you see there is something more to him.
Heck, it even allowed you to see, in a way that can’t be made funny, how selfish Ruby really is. Richie has let Ruby live with him for days now, including the dog she inherited, and beyond the first night of thinking something could go down, he hasn’t asked for anything. Meanwhile, Ruby hasn’t done or given much; she just expected what he could do for her.
Even in helping him figure out how to use the steam machine, she blocked him out in his own home and made fun of him for worrying so much. In a way, as time passes, you see why Ruby has ended up alone and begin to think she deserves it. Which is saying something, considering you have a charming actress playing Ruby, and whether it is through time, the writing, or her performance, we’re seeing a person in Ruby rather than Hsu playing a character.
Highlights
- Aubrey Delivering The Type Of Ex This Show Needed
- Richie’s Growth
- A Possible Answer To What’s Going On Which Makes Sense
- More Progress Toward Meeting Ruby’s Dad
On The Fence
- Detective Bernowitz
What To Check Out Next & How To Check This Out
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