Freeform’s Alone Together is the comedy series written by and starring Esther Povitsky and Benji Aflalo and produced by none other than The Lonely Island. It tells the story of two friends, Esther and Benji, as they navigate life and love together in Los Angeles.
In this episode, Esther discovers the joys (and downfalls) of freezing her eggs (yes you read that right), while Benji bonds with a mini-him while waiting for the results of his sperm test.
I’m not going to lie; this is a weird episode, for a weird show. Maybe because I can’t physically picture Esther having a baby, much less freezing her eggs (which is expensive by the way, WOW). There’s no explanations either – the very first scene is our two protagonists in a doctor’s office, talking about freezing Esther’s eggs, while the doctor prods and pokes around up *there*.
Esther is desperate for rent money, and so, in order to afford to freeze her eggs, she decides to sell some of them to a nice lady. Jackie (played by Denise Richards) is a little overwhelming at first, but that’s understandable, considering she’s living in a house of boys (which, by the way, she doesn’t look after, like at all. I was very concerned for these kids). She’s desperate for a baby girl, and Esther is desperate for money (and parental affirmation too it seems), so it’s a perfect match, right? Until Esther realises that Jackie is excited about the baby, not Esther herself.
And, in typical Esther fashion, once the climax has been reached, Esther blames literally everyone but herself, and runs away (in this case, drives away with Benji). I have to admit – I wouldn’t be friends with either one of these two in real life. Esther is willing to do anything to get money, and Benji gave weed to a kid, so yeah. Not great role models. And yet, somehow, their relationship works. Its weird and confusing and downright wrong (she knows when Benji masturbates; there’s some lines in friendships that shouldn’t be crossed), but it works for them.
The dialogue is getting better. Those nice, snappy comedy lines are getting less and less frequent, which is when they truly work best. I died at the Ring reference, and chuckled awkwardly at the ‘stolen vagina sticks’, because I am a mature adult.
Three episodes in and I think I’m getting used to how this show works. It’s weird and unexplained and definitely aimed for today’s millennial, but I’m starting to (slowly) see the appeal. It’s still a concept I wouldn’t binge – more like something I’d put on in the background of a party.
GRADE: This one gets a 5/10 because its just. Weird.
Do you agree? Are you disturbed about the concept of selling your eggs off to a stranger like I am? Let me know below!
