Life & Beth – Season 2 Episode 9 “Toxic” Recap & Review

Toxic

Life & Beth Season 2 Episode 9, titled “Toxic,” may be the most impactful of the whole season so far. Beth rushes to the aid of Jess, who has decided to go get an abortion after she finds out she’s pregnant. The pair pulls up to a clinic, and as they get out, they are met with a few protestors standing outside the abortion clinic.

A comedic moment comes as they call Beth and Jess rude names, and then after they go inside, they drop the act and ask one another if anyone has seen the show “Ted Lasso.”

As usual, the episode is met with a flashback to when Beth was younger and she decided to get more experience with boys because of something a younger Jess told her to do. Beth tells a boy that she’s dreamt about him before. The pair spent time alone in her bedroom later on in the episode, drinking and making out.

Beth passes out from the alcohol, and the boy, who is also drunk, gets on top, thinking she’s awake, but she isn’t. Beth’s sister rushes in, yelling at him to get off of her. The boy feels awful thinking that she was awake the whole time and could not notice because of how drunk he was.

Jess goes through with the abortion; the doctor performing it is Muslim. She finds it odd that a Muslim woman would want to assist in something like this due to her religion. The doctor notifies her that she believes in a woman’s right to choose. 

Now the reasoning for the title of the episode is due to the moment Jess becomes sedated from the drugs while getting her abortion. There is an acoustic version of Britney Spears’ song “Toxic” playing in the office. The doctor sings it to her to soothe her. Jess starts to slowly sing along as the process begins, and she fades out.

Beth then drives Jess back to her house from the abortion. Jess faces her husband in the living room, and he tells her he has something important to tell her. Based on what Jess has gone through, you wonder if it is going to be massively life-altering, but all he says is that he extended a lease on the car. 

Beth returns home to John, and they have a positive therapy session where they work out some of the recent issues they’ve had as of late. They decide to head upstate to a more secluded house to get ready for the baby, and that is where Life & Beth Season 2 Episode 9 ends, as we now know the season finale will cap things off with the big birth.

The Episode Review

With Amy Schumer having female empowerment themes woven throughout her comedy, tackling something like sexual assault and abortion was going to show up at some point. It’s a topic done with a lot of care and brilliantly timed jokes to move the story forward.

The ending of Life & Beth Season 2 Episode 9 sets up the long-awaited scenario of having Beth give birth to her and John’s child, and we, the viewers, hope it can run smoothly.