The Sex Lives of College Girls – Season 2 Episode 1 “Winter is Coming” Recap & Review

Winter is Coming

In episode 1 of The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 2, Leighton, Whitney, Bela, and Kimberly return to Essex. Leighton reveals that Nico got expelled along with a lot of other senior Thetas who were responsible for the cheating scandal.

At lunch, Theta members throw a milk carton at their table for whistleblowing. They then inform them that none of them can ever set foot in Theta again.

But Kimberly has bigger problems. She never told her parents about losing her scholarship. Now she needs to come up with her own way of paying for school. Leighton helps her with applying for a loan. She gets a loan approved, but she can’t accept it, as she needs her parents to cosign.

The only solution Kimberly can come up with for her financial problems is to get a second job transcribing an Australian reality TV show.

Meanwhile, Whitney worries she hasn’t packed her schedule enough when she hears about what all the other soccer players are doing in their off-season. She decides to try out for water polo, but doesn’t make the team. She confesses to Canaan she feels like she doesn’t have anything other than soccer, and he does his best to encourage her.

Bela puts her whole heart into starting an all-female comedy magazine. But her hopes are deflated when none of the applicants are funny. She goes to Eric for help, and he encourages her not to sit back and wait, but to go and find writers herself.

Bela, Leighton, and Whitney get ready for the Annual Snow Run. It’s an Essex tradition where everyone wears only their undergarments to race in the snow. Kimberly initially decides to stay home, but hard-to-transcribe Australian accents combined with the loud sex their new neighbor Jackson is having convince her to leave.

The girls do the snow run, then go to Omega Pi’s Winter Party to try and integrate themselves into a new frat. There, Bela realizes Lili is hilarious and asks her to write a listicle for the comedy magazine.

Another girl flirts with Leighton at the party, and Kimberly encourages her to dance with her, but Leighton freaks out.

Kimberly then confronts Jackson at the party for all the noise he makes. He gives her his number and tells her she can text him anytime he’s being too loud. Meanwhile, Whitney overhears Canaan talking about how she really does only have soccer going for her.

At the end of the party, Omega Pi and Theta members inform the suite mates that this will be their last party. Word of their whistleblowing has spread. Essentially, they’ve been banned from frats.

When they get back from the party, Leighton works up the courage to tell Whitney and Bela she’s gay. They convince her to DM the girl from the party, and Leighton agrees.

The episode ends with Bela going to Eric’s apartment to thank him for his advice. She then kisses him. He pulls her into his apartment, shutting the door behind them.

The Episode Review

The Sex Lives of College Girls is back with a second season, and so is a lot of the drama from season 1. 

For the most part, the comedy drama is taking its protagonists in a fresh direction. I’m particularly excited for Bela’s storyline, which should build on two things from season 1: themes of discrimination against women and Bela’s intense chemistry with Eric.

If there’s one storyline I’m worried about it’s Leighton’s. For a character who is so adamant about not making her sexuality her entire identity, I hope she isn’t trapped by writers who make her arcs about nothing else. But I’m excited too. Her coming out has been built up to all last season. I’m hopeful, then, for a new season where she can explore who she is–both in and apart from her sexuality.

Overall, The Sex Lives of College Girls is as funny (and sex-positive) as ever. Let us know how you feel about the season premiere in the comments!