Wait... Simone was married? I know, major bombshell right there. I, too, could not believe my ears when I heard that. It must have been a pretty messy marriage, because she doesn't want to talk about it. Another mystery added to the list. But let's start from the beginning.
Tess has a date with Omar, a date that ends at his apartment, where they have sex. Well, kind of. Tess is forced to fake pleasure and Omar notices it. There is nothing wrong with having to fake it, it happens. But this time Omar finds it offensive and decides that he doesn't want to see Tess again. I have to say that I don't think he was the right guy for Tess, so I'm happy she's not going to see him again.
The next morning, she meets Becky, who used to work at the restaurant and is still having an affair with Howard. Becky wrongly makes Tess understand that she knew about Scott's firing and hiring, which led Tess to believe that she is still seeing Howard. Tess talks about it with Simone, who wastes no time using it against Howard. Subtly, but she does it.
So yes, Simone is married, and we find it out because Howard selects a new champagne for the restaurant, a champagne that looks and tastes very familiar to Simone. She used to make it with her ex-husband and she was very involved in all the process. I have to be honest, I did not expect this revelation at all; I love how "Sweetbitter" says everything without saying nothing. On season 1, we barely knew anything about the characters, now we are discovering little pieces of information every episode and it makes the wait like a delicious dish and every bite is more satisfying than the other.
Sasha does not show up to work, for the first time ever. We find out later in the episode that a friend from Russia, someone Sasha really cares about, has been beaten up pretty badly and he's at the hospital in a coma. Tess goes to visit him, along with Jake of all people. The conversation that they have is pretty eye-opening, especially because we see a side of Jake that we have never seen before. He's still suffering from his mother's death, and by the end of the episode, Simone tells Tess that she hasn't told him that Jake's mom's death was not an accident. Sometimes, in this life, all we need is closure. I wonder when the characters of this show will get to it.
During the shift, Heather is serving a table with Tess. One of the people there asks her what she's mixed with. I found it so irritating, but I can't even begin to describe how uncomfortable it must be, because I will never have that kind of experience, based on the color of my skin. Tess asks Heather why she isn't mad about it and Heather says that she puts up with it just because she is trying to survive and she knows exactly what she is. Later, Tess jokes about spitting in one of those people's dishes and Howard hears it. She then explains why she said, and that prompts Howard to ask Heather if she wants the table to be thrown out. Heather confronts Tess, telling her that she did not need her help. I thought it was a classic instance of "white savior", but I am also sure that Heather knows that Tess wasn't ill-intentioned.
I really enjoyed the episode. I am having some issues with Howard and his rude behavior towards Becky. I can't quite get what kind of man he is: insanely private, always on the lookout, trying to stay in control of the whole situation, when most of the times we know that it's Simone who's running the show. What did you think about her confronting him about Becky? And do you think he was rude to talk to Becky like that?
Favorite line:
Simone: "Once you know what you like, you can ask for it. Then, it becomes pleasure".
What did you guys think about the episode? Let me know in the comments below!
