Shrill Season 3, Episode 1 recap: Annie jumps back into the dating pool

Annie dips her toe back into the dating world in Shrill Season 3, Episode 1.

Shrill Season 3 has dropped on Hulu. While I’m extremely excited to see Annie and Fran again, I am disappointed that this will be the final round for the criminally underrated series. Shrill is one of the few shows out there to star women who actually look like me! A novel concept.

In Shrill Season 3, Episode 1, we pick up a few months after Annie finally broke things off with Ryan. She’s back in the dating world again, which is as horrifically awkward and sometimes terrible as you can imagine. The episode begins with an unfortunate night out with a new guy who finishes prematurely and only squeezes out a single “dew drop” of, well, you know. His medical condition is caused by a new drug he’s taking to prevent hair loss. It’s not exactly sexy pillow talk.

But still, Annie and Joe get along for the most part, so they try to start their night over again over lighthearted banter and delicious barbecue-soaked ribs. Things quickly turn hot and heavy again, except this time Joe (Whitmer Thomas) accidentally gives Annie a bad case of barbecue butthole. Yes, he takes his saucy fingers and goes directly for Annie’s behind in a massive fumble. When Annie calls him out on it, he bursts into tears and runs into his bedroom. Annie spends the rest of the night sitting outside of his door, comforting him.

Hey, at least she gets to take the rest of the ribs home in compensation for that “unusually awful” evening. And it’s not all bad because at work the next day, Annie reconnects with the cute illustrator guy, Nick (Anthony Oberbeck), she met at one of Glenn’s parties. They get coffee together and commiserate about their awkward dating stories. Before parting ways, Nick pulls a stray string off of Annie’s skirt with his teeth. As she later reveals to Fran and Emily, she might have creamed her pants several times since then.

Is it too early for Annie to get serious with another guy? Fran and Emily don’t think so. It has been two full months. But if she’s wary, they advise her to continue nursing her “tasting pot” guys, like Joe, who she can have sex with as much as she wants, while “low-cooking” Nick in the background until she’s ready to go there.

Shrill Season 3, Episode 1 recap: Annie gives her doctor a piece of her mind.

Annie’s journey in this episode isn’t all about dating, some of it pertains to her annual gynecology visit where instead of just your standard pap smear, Annie’s new doctor recommends she look into gastric bypass. It’s yet another little dose of daily rudeness you have to deal with when you’re fat, people constantly assuming they know your health based on one look.

Even in this case, her doctor hasn’t run any blood tests or seen any part of Annie really apart from her vagina. That’s hardly enough for her to say “hey, time to cut your stomach out!” And Annie tries to give her doc a piece of her mind in the parking lot, complete with many expletives. Too bad she’s got her air pods in the whole time. Maybe next time, Annie.