Still Up – Season 1 Episode 4 “Sleep Clinic” Recap & Review

Sleep Clinic

Episode 5 of Still Up kicks off with Veggie driving Lisa to a sleep clinic. It is a big step for her. But Danny won’t be there. He is at home, looking after Daisy, a clinically depressed dog Adam left with him since her owner is in the hospital. Danny also has a potentially life-changing opportunity: an interview with The Rolling Stones magazine in LA. He didn’t tell her since Danny thought it would jinx the interview. Before he can say more, Dr. Stafford walks in with Kat, the receptionist, and her assistant to brief Lisa.

She will be sleeping with magnets on her face that will help Stafford identify her sleep patterns and cycles. Lisa has already read up a bit on how these things work. And you can just see Stafford’s irk coming out of the screen. Lisa isn’t allowed to use stimulants like drinking caffeinated drinks and screens. It means that she will have to stay off the phone with Danny that night.

While Lisa tries to fall asleep, Danny begins prepping for the interview. His pitch is doing an article on Bowie & Prince, which he starts typing on his laptop. Daisy is disturbed by a cat outside the house and gets restless. Danny goes after her, trying to calm her down. In the most bizarre outcome, Daisy erases everything that Danny wrote down and fills the screen with gibberish. Danny looks at the screen incredulously and dejectedly as he hasn’t saved any of his progress – almost 4 pages.

Sometime after 1, he calls Lisa, who is in deep sleep. She picks up but knows that it isn’t a two-minute call. So she makes an excuse and takes permission from Stafford through the CCTV camera in her room to go to the washroom. She meets an odd character just outside, Clyde. He does not have insomnia but suffers from night terrors. Lisa heads for a stall and calms him down. She pitches this as an opportunity for Danny to imbue authenticity in the interview, which interviewers find charming.

But Danny seems to have lost all hope. He does not think he should appear for the interview anymore. But really, he is more bothered by the fact that he yelled at Daisy and called her “useless.” Adam had warned him not to do so since she is depressed and will react with sadness to it. He finds her walloping under the bed. To please her, Danny makes an omelette for her while explaining to Lisa that he would have to move to LA if he got the job.

Stafford catches her in the act and Lisa gets a warning. Right now, she is more concerned about Danny moving to LA. There is an 8-hour difference in the time zones, which would ensure that they cannot be “still up” together anymore.

Her worrying is enough to force her to call Danny again and try to persuade him not to go even if he gets the job. The city won’t suit his lifestyle, he doesn’t know anyone there, and more importantly. he won’t be able to live without Lisa’s support during his sleepless nights. When Danny mentions Chloe, his ex, and does not talk crap about her, Lisa brings up how she cheated on him with three different people. Danny is taken aback. He had no knowledge of three men. He only knew about one. This new revelation puts him off track.

Danny is overwhelmed with this new information and cuts the call. He gets restless and wanders about the house. Stafford and Kat catch Lisa and take away her phone. But she is too preoccupied with Danny’s issues to fall asleep. Lisa tip-toes her way to Stafford’s office and finds her phone. She hides under the desk where she finds Kat, who is also hiding from Stafford who doesn’t let her sleep. As Lisa is going back to her room, Clyde comes down in a lift. He is sleepwalking and holds Lisa’s hand to “take her to safety.” In his condition, he opens the exit door, triggering the alarm. 

Lisa is banned from the clinic and sent away. She leaves a voicemail for Danny with the developments as we see him fast asleep on the couch. His laptop is open and the Rolling Stone interview starts on time. When they see Daisy’s face, they cut the call as they feel Danny is not interested. 

The Episode Review

Just as Danny’s character had an opportunity to come into his own, life dealt him a bad hand. Those who argue Lisa subconsciously “outed” Chloe, may be wrong. The mixed signals in this episode are a little confusing. The previous episode firmly floated the idea of a romantic angle between the two insomniac besties. But after this one, we just aren’t sure.

I think the dog erasing the entire article from the laptop was a little far-fetched. The writers perhaps should have explored some other avenue to arrive at the same outcome. The devil lies in the details and only having good intentions has seldom worked in television. At this point, the mismatch between Lisa and Danny as to their feelings is still in its nascent stages. Maybe, there is no mismatch going forward. That is also a possibility. 

Overall, Episode 4 lost some ground on the overarching narrative theme of Still Up, whilst giving us an enjoyable subplot.