Sex/Life – Season 1 Episode 7 “Small Town Saturday Night” Recap & Review

Small Town Saturday Night

Episode 7 of Sex/Life Season 1 begins with Brad in the tub thinking about the past. There was a point where he was going to propose to Billie too, but now that time seems to be over. As he gets dressed, he reflects on how different life could have been.

Back in the present, Cooper is still angry after what happened last episode. He prepares to take Hudson to soccer practice, imploring Billie to stay with Ellary. She in turn heads off to see Sasha, who’s the voice of reason here, and tells Billie to work on fixing her marriage. As she leaves, Brad shows up and asks Sasha to try and help break up Cooper and Billie so she can have her.

Well, it turns out the worst of their past is yet to come. After Billie’s miscarriage, Brad decided to leave her and head back to the studio alone. After coming and going, he eventually meets Billie’s parents, badmouthing her Mother and eventually cheating on her with the barmaid.

Fast forward (I guess about a week?) and Brad has enough. He throws Billie’s bags in the elevator and tells her to leave. He’s been gone for four days and in that time was cheating on her with a hooker in a motel. And this is the guy she wants to get back with?

Back at home, Billie and Cooper talk it out. She wants to try and fix things but what she did – neglecting the kids, pawning them off, fantasizing about her ex etc. – is not something that’s easy to forgive. Billie plays the victim as Cooper tries to explain how he feels, including the wild rush of “what ifs.”

Eventually the pair decide to try and work through their problems. Well, this comes from attending a swingers party that evening. Now, this is Billie’s idea, just as a reminder. Anyway, he gets into this and starts to kiss her but she becomes uncomfortable when everyone is watching.

Well, it’s not Billie who cheats first but actually Cooper. That does it, there’s officially only one good person in this show and that’s Sasha. Cooper allows Trina to give him head… and then he ends up in a big fight with Dev when he tries to hit on Billie.

Back home, things go from bad to worse. While Cooper sports a sprained arm and bloodied clothes, Brad shows up outside with his ring and messages Billie, asking if she’s okay. When she meets him, he brandishes the ring and suggests they give this a go.

The Episode Review

The only characters with any sense here are Sasha and the two kids. Oh and probably Olga too. In terms of our central cast though, they’re probably all best going their separate ways if I’m honest. And that choice?

On the one hand you have a man who’s willing to do anything he can to make his marriage work (swinger party was a bit of a wrong move, and Cooper cheating on Billie is not okay. At all.) while shacking up with two kids, a perfect life and a perfect home. Billie’s self-proclaimed “85%”

By comparison you have a serial cheater, a reckless bad boy with serious daddy issues, an inability to commit and a guy who caused Billie to slump into a depressive state after cheating on her and badmouthing her parents after sleeping a random barmaid. Oh and leaving her for four days to go and sleep with a hooker in a motel. How is this a contest?

This whole show reminds me of that Family Guy gag about the boat. In the show, Peter is given the choice of the boat or a mystery box. Peter chooses the mystery box, believing there’s a boat inside and the gag is that it’s the wrong option.

The point is, through all of this no one is thinking of the kids. And that is the most important part of this marriage. Hopefully the final episode actually gives some closure but if it doesn’t, this will feel like the final cherry atop a very disappointing and lop-sided cake.