This Fool – Season 1 Episode 5 “Sandy Says” Recap & Review

Sandy Says

In episode 5 of This Fool season 1, Luis gets in trouble for repeatedly being disrespectful during group hug–which involves excessively quoting Austin Powers at inappropriate moments.

Julio has had enough. He’s not funny, and he needs professional help. So, Luis sees the volunteer psychologist, Sandy. Sandy helps him unpack why Luis feels he has to be funny all the time. He realizes it has something to do with the void his father’s passing left in his life.

Luis feels lighter once he figures out he’s been hiding his trauma behind his humor. He then takes his new knowledge to try to therapize Julio. 

Annoyed that Luis has been calling him out, Julio goes to see Sandy to ask her if he needs to put Luis in check. Sandy tries to use his appearance to give him therapy. She asks why Julio doesn’t write Luis up.

He could, Julio insists. But if he wrote up Luis for every stupid thing he did, he would have been kicked out of the program already. He then reveals that he and Luis live together at Julio’s mom’s place. At this, Sandy starts to write something down, but Julio insists that this is not a session.

Luis tries to share his trauma in group hug by using the language of Austin Powers. When Julio tells him to cut it out, Luis accuses him of going over his head to talk to Sandy about him. Everyone in group is appalled by Julio’s behavior. They push him to seek therapy with Luis.

So, they see Sandy together. She comes to the conclusion that they need time apart, suggesting that Luis get a new case manager.

Luis wholeheartedly agrees–until his new case manager actually starts writing him up for everything. Julio has a hard time too. His new client does everything perfectly. He doesn’t need Julio like Luis did.

In Luis’ next therapy session, Sandy says Julio was too controlling to be Luis’ case manager. Luis, who would have nodded along before, now turns on Sandy. He claims she’s the one being controlling.

Later, Julio and Luis bond over making fun of Sandy. They decide that Julio should be Luis’ case manager again, and agree that  “therapy’s for losers.”

The Episode Review

The lack of any character growth in this episode may be frustrating to some, but you have to hand it to the writers for giving Julio and Luis realistic character flaws. Luis loves therapy when he can weaponize it to play the victim. As soon as he actually feels challenged, however? Therapy is out.

Julio has a similar struggle, in that he doesn’t seem to have any desire to change at all. At first glance, the cousins may appear as complete opposites. But they are more similar than they would like to think.

Maybe things are going to have to worsen for both Julio and Luis before either one has to want to get better.