Balancing comedy with something as serious as alcoholism is a tricky subject. Movies like A Star is a Born, Traffic, and Requiem for a Dream explore this to great effect and it’s safe to say, it doesn’t seem like a fun ride. The balance comes with being able to handle the subject without glorifying that alcoholism is cool or the side effects are meaningless. That’s not to say that you can’t make a pure comedy with a protagonist that is consistently an alcoholic, but that’s not the type of show that Single Drunk Female is going for. The pilot starts off with a huge moment with our lovely protagonist getting fired from her high-paying job due to the fact that she was late for a meeting. But that’s not what puts Samantha Fink on a downward spiral, as any normal human being with an alcoholic problem would do, she uses a feminist angle gaslighting her boss and hitting him with a phone. The situation itself is pretty funny despite the sad realization of seeing this poor young woman self-destructing before our eyes.
However, the opening scene highlights why it’s worth investing your time in checking out the pilot for Single Drunk Female. That single scene manages to inform you on how this show will handle its delicate subject manner that doesn’t insult the viewers or erase the seriousness of being an addiction. Don’t get me wrong, this show doesn’t seem as if it’ll take a grim route like Rue on Euphoria, but it does enough to help you understand Samantha Fink. She’s a mess and the series never hides it. Her chaotic exit from the high-level job shows just how deep in the rabbit hole she’s in. What’s worse is that she has to go back to the place that actually triggers her alcoholism, her mother’s home. The 30-minute pilot is a sly characterization that thrusts you into Samantha’s world and why she is the way she is. The subtle part is due to the comedic way the events play out. This is where the side characters come in. Whether it’s Felicia, who actually enables Sam to get drunk, to her parole officer, who manages to fire off some funny quips, the great thing about Single Drunk Female is that it’s a nice character study that doesn’t drown in its own misery.
Is Sam the type of character you root for? Well…it depends. The purpose is to document her struggles, not be miss goody too shoes. But that’s the thing about the protagonist is that she’s a flawed human being and we’re able to connect with her character because of that. The situations Sam gets herself into clearly puts her into the wrong category, but there’s nothing so deplorable that she does in the pilot. The dynamic with her mother is the big source of getting to the root of her problems. It was a wise move to center that focus on Sam going back home. The 20-something year old has to overcome her issues in a big way and sticking her to the root of the problem is a great source that begins Sam’s journey to sobriety. Single Drunk Female isn’t all rainbows and kittens because we are following an alcoholic, so there will be those serious scenes chronicling her downward spiral.
One of the pivotal moments is when Sam is drunk out of her mind at a club with her best friend Felicia. Following a little spat involving the woman who’s marrying her ex-boyfriend; The end result sees her get into an accident because she’s too drunk to drive home. The scene is played out in a funny manner but once that accident happens, we understand the nature of her addiction and the show’s mastery of being able to balance such a tight weave of comedy and seriousness together. Of course, all that hinges on the performance of Sofia Black-D’Elia. The actress effortlessly pulls off such a complex role and her character feels natural and raw. It helps that Sofia is backed with some good writing. Granted, Single Drunk Female gets a bit predictable towards the middle because we understand the state of where Sam is, so the direction that most of her scenes lead to is never a surprise. Still, that doesn’t stop Sam from being an engaging character. It’s mainly Sofia Black-D’Elia’s showcase, so the side characters don’t get the big moment that makes them unforgettable in the pilot. They definitely serve their purpose and are entertaining, but the focus remains on Sam here. The pilot of Single Drunk Female is definitely worth the watch. There’s no guarantee that it’ll be kept up this momentum as the season moves forward, but the pilot suggests a strong season.
Follow Us
