Sweetbitter two-part season 2 finale recap: Love realized and loved lost

Sweetbitter’s second season came to a close Sunday night. How did it all end?

As season 2 of Sweetbitter comes to a close, we were given a double-serving with episodes 7 and 8.

I have to say I am satisfied because we finally have some resolution to a storyline they’ve been teasing about since last season: Tess and Jake finally hooked up.

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The hour and season also ended on a “what in the world?!” cliffhanger-ish moment. So, all I can say is, there better be a season 3!

“Peach Treats”

Tess, Ari, and Heather are having a great time at a concert. The band is your typical early-2000s, Maroon 5-sounding music. Tess leaves to grab a drink at the bar and runs into Jake.

He wants to go to eat with her. So, Tess ditches Ari and goes off with Jake. All I can say is, they don’t make it through the meal, or at least, we don’t see them make it through the meal.

Next thing we know, they’re in a cab, making out, and then at Jake’s having sex. But this sex scene is different from all Tess’ other encounters. She looks at Jake with love and passion. And even Jake shows a side we haven’t seen, this look of longing and sweetness. Maybe he has wanted Tess for a long time, and he wouldn’t allow himself to feel it. Perhaps it was someone else (we’ll get to that later, too).

The next day at the restaurant, Simone isn’t feeling well and goes to Ari for drugs. This is already a WTF moment, and Ari feels it. Between this and getting ditched the night before, Ari has a bit of a meltdown.

She doesn’t need to work. She’s got money, but she comes to work for her friends. She’s honest about feeling so alone.

The others, especially Heather, don’t feel like they will stay friends with Ari. This job is temporary. But people like Simone, they’ve made it a career. She could be in France drinking wine and eating cheese with her devastatingly handsome husband, yet she’s serving tables and keeping her claws in her brother/family friend/whatever their relationship is.

Simone, now on some sort of drug, is really feeling herself. She breaks the news to Will that Tess is banging Jake and to let it go. Will does what anyone would do, go bang a random girl in the bathroom at a bar.

“Bodega Cat”

It’s the holidays! And I’m going to just pull the band-aid right off; the show is starting to hint and a Tess/Howard attraction…and I don’t like it.

We know Howard likes the younger ladies. So, I wouldn’t put it past him. But Tess? You finally have Jake! Don’t screw it up!

Anyway, there’s a mouse loose in the restaurant. Luckily, only Howard knows it’s there, and the little Mickey never makes his or her way into the dining area – thanks to the help of a bodega cat Sasha gets from the convenience store across the street. The cat finds the mouse, and that’s that!

Heather has decided she wants to go back to law school, which means she may be quitting the restaurant. Howard approaches Tess about taking her place, but instead, she suggests Sasha for the position. Howard listens to her. Not only is he considering it, but he is also going to find a way to keep in the country permanently. It seems as though Tess has Howard wrapped around her finger. Remember that.

Tess tries to get closer with Jake and asks him more about his mother and why he likes mermaids so much. Then she asks about Simone’s short story, but he’s not really helpful when it comes to details. So, she decides to go find Simone’s story and read it herself.

She’s not exactly happy with what the story implies: that it is semi-autobiographical and that Simone and Jake had sex.

When Tess asks Jake point-blank, he neither confirms nor denies.

She then confronts Simone about it. Which, on a side note, I don’t agree with. Maybe she’s trying to loosen her grip on him, but I don’t think this is the way to do it. She wants to know why she wants to keep Jake on the hook so badly.

Naturally, Simone is offended, almost broken-hearted at Tess’ accusation. She’s cruel to Tess back, saying Jake will grow bored of her. It’s ugly. And it’s disappointing because I like them as friends. And Simone and Jake let them into their little world. I think Tess is completely in the wrong here. So, it makes what she is about to do even worse.

Howard walks Simone home after work. Nothing happens between them, although for a split second, I think Simone may kiss him.

As Howard arrives home, Tess shows up around the corner and asks to speak to him. WHAT ARE YOU DOING, TESS?!

He pours her a drink, and they sit on his couch. In the back of her mind, she knows he listens to her, so she just comes out with it, “fire Simone.” And the show ends.

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Wow, really? What has gotten into Tess? She went from being besties with Simone to now wanting her fired. It seems like some has taken control over Tess’ body. It’s not her. Maybe Jake is her drug, and now that she has a taste, she can’t let anything or anyone in the way of getting her fix.

Hopefully, we get a season 3 of Sweetbitter to find out what’s going on with Tess because we can’t let the show end like that!

Read last week’s recap of Sweetbitter.

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