'Little Voice' Episode 4 Preview: Bess has a lot on her plate including two men and a music contest
Apple TV+’s new musical series ‘Little Voice’ has already found itself a stream of fans with its tender and compassionate storyline, and its focus on the more emotional aspects of life. Created by filmmakers J. J. Abrams, Jessie Nelson, and singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (who also gave the show original music), ‘Little Voice’ follows Bess King (Brittany O'Grady), a woman in her early-20s in New York.
Bess is hardworking and caring. She tends to her younger brother Louie (Kevin Valdez), who is on the spectrum. She walks dogs, bartends, and teaches music so that she can do the one thing that she loves most -- create music, and find her own voice in those tunes. Of course, this comes with a set of challenges, not least of which is the fact that she has very little confidence in her original songs.
In the first three episodes that premiered last week, we saw several things take place in Bess’ life. Of those things, there were also matters of the heart. Ethan (Sean Teale), a disarmingly good-looking British man, becomes her neighbor at the storage unit where she composes and records. They bond and they become friends and there is chemistry there but Bess’ life is anything but simple. At the bar where she works, she runs into Ethan and his girlfriend. She is hurt.
Even though he apologized (and she forgave him for not telling her about the girlfriend), there is still something there, and hopefully, the episode ahead will address that. Because, from what is visible so far, Ethan seems to be one of the few who see Bess for her real self, minus the insecurities and fears.
But Ethan is not the only boy there. There is also Samuel (Colton Ryan), another musician. While Samuel encourages her to perform -- and she finds the courage to perform at a gig -- Samuel and Bess are equals who bicker a lot. Even with good intentions, Samuel somehow manages to get on the wrong side of Bess, inevitably annoying her. But, without a doubt, there is something there as well because unlike others, Samuel understands her music.
So, Bess is caught between two men and both offer her something the other doesn’t. It’s a tough choice and by the looks of the title of episode 4, this may come into play. The episode, after all, is called ‘Love Hurts’.
Each episode, so far, has been named after the song from that episode. And each song is thematically connected to the episode’s plot. Going by the trend, one can already look forward to Bareilles’ number in the episode -- always ballad-y, always emotive.
Another thing to look forward to in the episode is Bess' dynamics with Prisha (Shalini Bathina), her roommate. Bess and Prisha are best friends. Yet, Bess soon finds out that the latter has been hiding something big, not just from her, but from most people. The fact that she is gay is something Prisha doesn’t share and it’s easy to see why.
Her loving parents are conservative Indians who she assumes won’t understand her sexual orientation. Not to mention, she was also attacked by homophobes, only adding to her anxiety. While Bess wants to help her, she is uncertain of how. The upcoming episode may take a hard look at that as well.
Finally, the big thing to look forward to in episode 4 is the contest Bess participated in at her friend Benny’s (Phillip Johnson Richardson) encouragement. If she won, she’d get to record a song at a famous studio. And it was a studio with legends’ names attached to it. While Bess finally managed to send in an entry just the way she imagined it, one can’t be sure if she’d win the opportunity.
Also, if she does win, would she find the confidence to make more music, especially with professional assistance? These are the many things that episode 4 of ‘Little Voice’ will hopefully answer.
New episodes of ‘Little Voice’ drop every Friday only on Apple TV+.