Sweetbitter recap: ‘Weird Night’
Things get scary for Tess on Sweetbitter, when she handles disappointment with mystery pills. Spoilers ahead!
I ended my last recap of Sweetbitter with the line, “Hopefully, it won’t be the end of their story” — talking about Tess and Jake and their kiss that finally happened.
Well, it looks like it might be over before it even begins.
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Last week, Jake told Tess after their passionate kiss that they should blow off Ari’s show (she’s a DJ on the side). Jake will also blow off his trip home to the Cape with Simone.
Tess prepares for her after-work date with Jake by putting on more make-up than usual and choosing black lace underwear. She’s as excited as anyone girl would be to date the guy she’s obsessed with.
She runs into Sasha on the street spiffy in his best suit. He has an interview with Howard for a server position. He’s optimistic and in a great mood, and so is Tess. Their storyline in “Weird Night” runs parallel with each other, starting now.
When Tess walks into the restaurant, she finds a strange person behind the bar. Jake did go to the Cape after all. It devastates Tess. Then, she can’t find her shoes in the locker room, forcing her to wear disgusting orange crocks.
Then, Will informs Tess that she is on dishes duty, to make matters worse. But everyone in the restaurant is in a bad mood and on edge. Ari gives Tess half of a little blue pill which makes Tess super productive. Maybe it was speed? I don’t know much about mystery pills, sorry.
Sasha informs Tess that Howard canceled his interview and now he’s bummed out, too. When the mystery pill wears off, she pops the second half.
After work, everyone walks to Ari’s show. But Sasha is pissed about the interview and then Howard ignoring him the rest of the night. He thinks it’s because he’s gay. And now with Tess in her bad mood, they’re going to get f***ed up together.
Sasha and Tess take another mystery pill. This one literally has a question mark on it. This is the first instance where Tess completely loses control. She dances with Sasha. She kisses Scott the sous chef. Then she kisses Will and has sex with him in the bathroom.
At the after party, Sasha gives Tess yet another mystery pill. After a scene where Tess ends up shaving Sasha’s entire body in the bathroom, the two end up on the balcony, smoking cigarettes and wrapped in blankets.
As they duo comes down from their high, Sasha’s anxiety and depression sets in. He’s an immigrant willing to work hard to succeed in America, but he has no wife, he’s not a server; therefore, he can’t have the America he wants. Tess tries to make him feel better by saying she’ll quit if he isn’t made a server. But Sasha replies with the most heartbreaking thing,
“Princess, tomorrow Jake will be back, and you won’t care about me or Howard or anything else.”
Tess may think the thing that has been stressing her out the entire episode is a real problem, but Sasha actually has a real problem here. Sure, them both being bummed out led them to their drug-induced night of fun, but tomorrow, Tess is still an American citizen and may be closer to being a server than Sasha.
I have a terrible feeling about them being on the balcony.
Tell leaves the balcony briefly. NO, don’t leave Tess!
When she returns, Sasha isn’t there. When she peeks over the railing, we see Sasha’s body on the balcony below.
Thank God, Sasha survives, and Tess sits with him in the hospital. She climbs into bed with him and asks him if he fell. He replies, “What do you think, baby monster?”
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Tess says it’s scary. And it was a scary episode. Tess is falling away from herself and making poor choices after disappointment. Now she realizes she may need to reel it in and get rid of distractions.
Next week is the season finale of Sweetbitter. Will Tess’ trial convert her to a full-timer and will Sasha become a server? Will Jake and Tess finally go out on their date?