Loot 2x08 Recap: “Grace” (The Messy Discomfort of Life) [Contributor: Jenn]

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

“Grace”

Original Airdate: May 15, 2024

Where we left off on Loot last week: Sofia told Molly that in order to expand Space for Everyone nationally and keep the locations running, the nonprofit needs more money. Even more money, in fact, than Molly has. Their idea is to recruit more billionaire donors who are willing to give away their fortunes to a charitable cause.

One woman, Grace (played by Ana Gasteyer), is on Molly’s radar. She, too, was recently divorced and wound up with $110 billion. Because Molly was friends with her, she and Sofia decide to pay Grace a visit. Molly is expecting to be greeted by her uptight friend, but ever since the divorce, Grace has been spiraling. She’s in the middle of throwing a rager (in the middle of the afternoon, no less), and while Molly initially goes to Grace’s house to ask her about the money, the rest of the episode focuses on how concerned Molly is for Grace and her wellbeing.

When Grace cavalierly offers the foundation $11 billion, Sofia is elated. Molly, on the other hand, is worried that Grace isn’t thinking rationally. It would feel wrong to Molly to take her money when Grace is basically on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Instead of accepting the money, Molly opts to stay behind at the party to try and talk to Grace, get her to see reason, and calm her down a little.

I really love this story for a variety of reasons. Of course, Maya and Ana are delightful and so funny together. But I also think this is the kind of storyline that could only happen in season two where Molly’s grown thanks to other people having been there for her when she was spiraling. The fact that she is now in a good enough place in her life to be able to offer advice, comfort, and empathy to someone else going through a similar situation says a lot about Molly’s shifting priorities as a person. Yes, she is flawed. Yes, she is occasionally selfish. And yes, she still has her own insecurities and struggles (more on that in a bit). But she could have just taken Grace’s money and run. Season one Molly probably would have been able to justify it to herself by pretending it was for the good of the foundation. But now, Molly sees that even though funding Space for Everyone is her goal, helping Grace should be her focus.

And as Grace expresses her embarrassment over her divorce, Molly assures her that she has nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed by — her ex-husband should be the one who is embarrassed instead. Grace’s somber (and sober) moment of realization doesn’t last long, however. She decides to fly her party to Reykjavík, and Molly offers to tag along in order to make sure Grace is safe and okay. 

Things take a turn for Molly, however, when Sofia sends her a text about seeing Arthur making out with Willa. The reminder that Arthur is unavailable is still fresh and painful for Molly, who has a moment of weakness when she agrees to do shots with Grace, gets hammered, and winds up vocalizing the reason she decided to get drunk in the first place to Sofia by saying, “What’s the point of being good if you feel so lonely and shitty all the time?” 

Molly really has made so much progress but in this moment she’s acting from an obvious place of pain and fear. Pain that she’s doing so much good for the world and people around her, but still feels like personal happiness is out of her reach; and fear that even if she continues to do good in the world, that her circumstances won’t change. And unfortunately, when any of us act out of pain and fear, we often wind up making bad decisions.

But in true Molly fashion, after she sobers up, she offers Grace some advice — even though things are far from okay and she can’t pretend like they are, Molly assures Grace that her life isn’t over. It might be messy, confusing, frustrating, and difficult, but there is also good in the midst of all of it. Molly tells Grace that because of her divorce, she learned she could lead and didn’t just have to follow what John wanted or did. She could build something of her own, instead of relying on her husband. And in time, Molly knows that Grace will find what she wants to do. But for the time being, she encourages her friend to start small.

So the two go ice skating, and it’s hilarious and wonderful because even though Grace is bad at it, it’s something she’s wanted to do and hasn’t done in 20 years. The whole experience, however, inspires Grace — she pledges to give her money to Space for Everyone, and because of her involvement, multiple other billionaires agree to donate too. Things are looking up for the Wells Foundation!

Elsewhere in the episode, Howard — frustrated by how Arthur is head-over-heels in his relationship with Willa — spends time with Nicholas instead, and he is deciding whether to audition for a popular Korean TV series. The issue, however, is that Nicholas doesn’t speak Korean. The rest of their storyline is spent with Howard trying to help Nicholas, whose frustration keeps growing as he’s progressively unable to correctly pronounce the Korean lines no matter how hard he tries. 

When Howard asks about this, Nicholas confesses that even though running lines seemed innocuous, it’s a reminder that he’s never felt connected, culturally, anywhere. He’s adopted by white parents and doesn’t feel at home in white spaces. But he can’t speak Korean, has never been to Korea, and therefore doesn’t feel at home in that part of his identity either. It’s a really powerful little moment of vulnerability where Nicholas expresses that he just doesn’t feel like he fits anywhere. Howard listens to his pain, offers his support as a friend for whenever Nicholas feels like talking about his emotions, and Nicholas is genuinely appreciative of that. I also just love that instead of providing any real solutions (because he has none), Howard just offers his presence to Nicholas instead. It is really sweet and an example of how great of a friend he is.

I love that “Grace” was an episode all about how messy and uncomfortable life can be. Still, Loot reminded us that even in the midst of that discomfort, good things can form. And they are going to form for the rest of the season.

Notes & Quotes:

• It was so much fun seeing Ana Gasteyer and Maya Rudolph together!
• “We can’t just drop in uninvited.” “If you’re worth over $10 billion, legally you’re allowed to show up wherever you want.” “That is absolutely not true.” “I don’t know — I’ve been to like, 10 Olympics. Never once bought a ticket.”
• “What’s in this? Robitussin?” “And NyQuil. And DayQuil.”
• And in what was barely a C-story, Sofia tries to avoid Arthur after seeing him make out with Willa in public because, in her words, “it’s weird.” The story comes full circle when Sofia decides to give Arthur a taste of his own medicine — she kisses Isaac in public, making sure Arthur sees, and it’s only then that Arthur admits how weird it is to see your coworker kissing someone in public. And that was the extent of a rather silly and pointless mini-story.
• Can you believe we are only two episodes away from the finale? If you thought that things were going to settle down for Molly and the rest of the Wells Foundation coworkers, just wait until next week!

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Loot 2x07 Recap: “Camp Wells” (Distractions and Cabins) [Contributor: Jenn]

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

“Camp Wells”

Original Airdate: May 8, 2024

This week on Loot, Molly accepts that she has feelings for Arthur — just in time to meet his new girlfriend. Later in the episode, the team takes a trip to a cabin in the woods. And even though the trip to “Camp Wells” doesn’t end like a horror movie would, it doesn’t necessarily end well for a few members of the team.

The episode opens with Molly accidentally walking into a hidden bathroom at work where Arthur is changing and realizes he’s surprisingly fit! Cue awkwardness between the two. This encounter prompts Molly to admit her feelings for Arthur to Nicholas, and Nicholas tells her that Arthur confessed his feelings for her while in Corsica. Nicholas then has an idea for them both to organically figure out how they feel about one another — a work retreat. Molly enthusiastically tells the team they’re going to Dubai, and everyone (even Sofia) is on board. I kind of love the little detail that proves Sofia’s relationship with Isaac is causing her to relax a little bit and enjoy taking a break from work every now and then! She’s ready and she even has a new hat she is excited to wear.

Unfortunately for Molly, she soon discovers that Arthur may not be as available as she’d hoped when Willa shows up brandishing freshly-baked muffins with blueberries from the hike she and Arthur took that morning. What happens the rest of the episode is a pretty standard rom-com-style series of events in which Molly acts jealous of Willa and instead of admitting that she has a problem or feelings, projects it onto everyone and everything else. It’s actually uncomfortable and cringey to watch Molly act like this — and honestly it’s supposed to be. This is the part of the story where we realize that Willa is a nice, good, normal person who is taking Molly’s awkwardness in stride. Molly is supposed to be the one we’re not thrilled by in this episode. And only Molly and Nicholas really know why she’s acting the way she is. It’s a delicate line to walk though, making Molly unlikable, but Maya Rudolph chooses her moments of vulnerability in this episode carefully and does a great job selling them so that we still root for Molly to be happy.

After meeting Willa, Molly spirals and does what we all do — looks up Willa’s Instagram account. As she tells Nicholas, she can’t compete with Willa who is down-to-earth, loves nature and hikes, bakes, and even fosters bunnies! Molly, meanwhile, is a billionaire with a palace in Dubai. Even though feels like she might be out of the running for Arthur, Nicholas convinces Molly that she’s not. But this does spark something in Molly: a change of course for the work trip. Instead of highlighting her opulence and money, Molly speculates that maybe Arthur wants someone who is more laid back. So she decides that Dubai is out and a cabin in San Bernardino, California is in! (Unfortunately, Ainsley is the only one not present for this information and spends the rest of the episode stuck at the Dubai airport because she just bought a ticket there herself.)

Elsewhere in the episode, we get some more bonding between Sofia and Howard when they both bemoan the change in plans from Dubai to a cabin. As it turns out, both had terrible camp experiences when they were kids and aren’t keen to relive the experience of camping. They try to find reception so they can distract themselves on their phones. Unsuccessful (and yelled at by Nicholas for complaining loudly), the two head outside where it’s chilly. Howard mentions that he could try to build a fire, and he actually does!

The two then talk about how bad their camp experiences were — between bullying and feeling like outcasts, neither of them really made any friends. Ironically, both Sofia and Howard’s only friend at camp was their camp nurse. Despite how things went for them when they were younger, they both decide that if camping had just been sitting around, talking about life, they might have enjoyed it more. It’s sweet to see the ever-blossoming friendship between these two coworkers this season!

Molly, meanwhile, decides that the best thing to cook for the team is a chicken pot pie since it’s homey and down-to-earth, but she’s hilariously bad at it so Nicholas volunteers Arthur. And because Molly and Arthur genuinely have such a delightful rapport together, they easily joke and make fun of each other (for example, Arthur assumes that Emeril Lagasse’s real name is “Emerald”). Unfortunately for Molly, this little flirtatious bubble pops momentarily when Arthur begins to play some cooking music and it’s a band that Willa introduced him to.

When Molly asks how the relationship is going, Arthur admits that he’s really enjoying himself. Willa is helping him to step outside of his comfort zone in a way he hasn’t since his divorce. He’s taking pottery classes and going hiking. As he tells Molly, he’s just having fun for the first time in a long time. And for someone like Arthur who always plans and thinks and is so structured, it’s freeing for him to just be able to live life and enjoy someone else’s company.

Molly is visibly pained — a great choice in direction is that she has her back to Arthur while this conversation is happening and only we can see her reaction — but she doesn’t handle it very well. In fact, she’s pretty upset and her mood doesn’t improve when Arthur’s phone begins incessantly pinging at dinner with text messages from Willa. And while Molly’s behavior is definitely immature, the fact that Arthur keeps trying to joke with her (and has his ringer still on! Turn off the text message sound, dude!) means he definitely doesn’t understand that Molly is upset about something else. Loot does a great job of framing Arthur as a good guy — and he is, there’s no doubt about that. The problem is that he might be too kind and nice without realizing that his kindness and niceness is actually hurting other people. He talks so much about Willa and how happy he is, and we see brief moments in this episode of him being confused by Molly’s behavior. But there’s one moment in the kitchen that struck me — Molly’s back is to him and when she barely comments about how happy Arthur is, he looks visibly hurt.

Because the truth is that despite all of the thousands of rom-coms out there, there’s always a central arc: a misunderstanding. Arthur doesn’t think Molly sees him as a romantic prospect, just a friend. So he moved on. But they still flirt and have fun together because Arthur does not think they can be anything more; he just assumes this is all their relationship will ever be. So he is confused when she seems detached as he talks about Willa. Meanwhile, Molly doesn’t think that Arthur could want someone like her, just as she is. But he does. So she tries the whole episode to bend and fit into whatever box she thinks he might want in order to win his attention. These two just haven’t been honest enough with each other yet to realize that maybe they want the same thing. If only they would communicate it!

Frustrated with the weekend, with Arthur, with herself, and with everyone complaining, Molly storms out of the cabin and insists that she’s driving to the grocery store to pick up things for s’mores.

She doesn’t, however, heed Nicholas’ warnings about driving a passenger van (she’s apparently a bad driver, according to him), and Molly decides to spite him by making a three-point turn and knocking over piles of wood, a statue, and a mailbox while Arthur, Howard, and Sofia watch. Unfortunately right at the moment she’s about to pull out of the driveway, she hits (a naked) Rhonda who had been swimming in the pond since the beginning of the cabin trip. Everyone is rightfully horrified, even though Rhonda notes this isn’t the first time she’s been hit by a passenger van.

Later on, back at her home, Nicholas tells Molly that Rhonda is at the hospital and fine, but Molly is obviously distraught over what happened — her behavior culminated in hitting Rhonda. Disappointed and embarrassed by the way that things have turned out between her and Arthur, Molly tells Nicholas that she’s going back to her original plan: focusing on herself and her job, not relationships.

The next day, Molly is in the office early and passionately tells Sofia that she doesn’t just want to create Space for Everyone in California — she wants to expand it to the whole country. But Sofia has a bombshell that will carry us the rest of the season: Molly doesn’t have enough money to do that.

So the question now is ... who does the billionaire Molly Wells turn to when she needs more money? Stay tuned next week to find out!

Notes & Quotes:

• I, much like Molly, was surprised to see a very fit and shirtless Nat Faxon at the beginning of this episode!
• “I had a dream where we were in a sleigh, under a blanket, looking up at Santa.”
• “I was sworn to secrecy! And, as a clinical narcissist, I honestly just forgot.”
• “If anyone’s gonna be Princess Jasmine, it’s me. I’ve got the hair for it.”
• Maya Rudolph shoving an entire muffin into her mouth while speaking in an Australian accent was pretty funny.
• I really do think that if we cut Rhonda and Ainsley or at least limited their time on screen, the show would be tighter overall.
• “If I can’t check my email in the next 10 minutes, I’m burning this cabin to the ground.”

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Loot 2x06 Recap: “Women Who Rule” (Fashion Forward) [Contributor: Jenn]

 

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

“Women Who Rule”

Original Airdate: May 1, 2024

This week’s episode focuses a lot on Molly coming to terms with aging, Sofia coming to terms with being vulnerable in a loving (and serious) relationship, and Arthur finding some self-confidence!

At the beginning of the episode, Sofia shows up late to the office — in casual clothes, no less! Apparently she stayed over at Isaac’s and didn’t have her things for work. The whole team takes the opportunity to grill her about her relationship with Isaac. Even though Sofia declares that they’re just casual, the team decides that all of the evidence points to the contrary. And that terrifies Sofia, especially later on in the episode when Isaac asks if he should get them both season passes to the Hollywood Bowl. Initially, Sofia panics and just freezes up, unable to respond, so Isaac leaves. 

Later in the day, however, she confronts Isaac at his office. Clearly the tactic has worked before in her other relationships — Sofia pushing someone away because things are getting serious and it scares her — but what I love is that it doesn’t work on Isaac. It doesn’t really rattle him or cause him to lash out at her. Sofia is a person who pushes people away before they can hurt her. She says later on in the episode that fights typically have ended her relationships in the past. So when she leaves Isaac’s office that afternoon, in her mind, she’s broken up with Isaac — which is a little confusing to her when he shows up at her doorstep with groceries for dinner. Isaac and Sofia have an honest conversation about wanting to be together and taking things slow. It’s such a lovely little arc for Sofia (which we will see more of in the next few episodes too) learning vulnerability and that it’s okay to feel safe and stable with someone without self-sabotaging.

Molly, meanwhile, gets invited to walk the runway as a special guest in L.A. Fashion Week at a “Women Who Rule” themed event. She’s really excited about the whole experience... until her stylist accidentally mistakes Howard for her son. A little distraught, Molly slightly grieves her age, so Nicholas decides to help her feel and look younger. Molly confesses to him that most days, she’s fine with being a middle-aged woman; but the stark reminder of it from someone else felt too much for her. Molly notes that she spent so much of her youth wrapped up in John and his world that it hurts a bit to be reminded of the fact that she’s not young anymore.

She’s even more aware of the fact that she’s not young anymore when she tries her best to hang out and fit in with the models. She’s exhausted from doing TikTok dances and the backstage area is so warm that when a young model offers Molly champagne and a pill that she claims is “mostly herbal” (spoiler alert: it is not), Molly takes it. But it doesn’t matter, because Molly walks down the runway and absolutely crushes it! ... Until it’s revealed that the runway perfection was just in her head. In actuality, Molly’s very, very high and has to be sent to the emergency room to get her stomach pumped. While there, however, she gains a little perspective from a nurse who thanks her for creating Space for Everyone. Apparently the nurse’s cousin moved into the hotel, having had a rough few years, and his life is turning around already.

One thing the nurse says though toward the end of their short conversation strikes Molly — Molly has lived a lot in the time she’s been on earth. She’s got a lot of miles under her belt, with more to come down the line. To that statement, however, the nurse simply tells Molly: “Well be proud of them [the miles],” and for the first time all episode, I think Molly chooses to reframe her age and her experience as something to be grateful for, rather than something to be defeated by or ashamed of. She has more wisdom and perspective now than she did in her youth and is doing good in the world because of it.

Elsewhere in the episode, Arthur gets a little confidence booster from Howard about what to wear to the fashion show and opts for a classic look with a red striped tie — which immediately means he’s mistaken for security at the show (they are wearing identical outfits) and is forced to work. Of course he’s not actually forced; Arthur is such a non-confrontational and nice person that he just agrees to do it when he gets yelled at.

But through this, Arthur meets and banters with a model named Willa who, later on in the episode, puts her number in his phone and asks him out. I know last week I talked a lot about how much I love Arthur and Molly together, but I also know that neither of them are ready to move forward yet in their relationship. They are still dancing around their feelings: remember that Molly even gave Arthur the chance last week to tell her what he was going to say in Corsica before John showed up. So it’s nice to see Arthur’s wit and personality appreciated by someone outside of the office. 

Besides, isn’t this a plot point in so many rom-coms? People repressing their true feelings for each other? I guess we’ll have to just stay tuned to find out how Molly feels about Arthur’s new relationship next week.

Notes & Quotes:

• I know Nicholas is supposed to be vain and his remarks are often reflective of his obliviousness, but the random Armie Hammer comment he makes in this episode was uncomfortable and unnecessary. Armie is an actual abuser. No thanks.
• “I was gonna do it anyway, but I love being called pretty. Thanks guys!”
• “I don’t need you to be my therapist. I have a therapist. ... Well, I’m trying to get one. I’m looking into names. My last one asked too many questions.”
• “I need a doctor for my bones.”
• Did anyone else just assume that the “twist” was going to be that Willa wasn’t a model and Arthur let someone in a restricted area who wasn’t supposed to be there? Glad it worked out differently for his sake!

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