'Little Voice' Episode 5 Review: Bess is in a love triangle with a man she can't have and a man who gets her
Spoilers for ‘Little Voice’ Episode 5, ‘Quick, Quick Slow’
Since the first episode of Apple TV+’s musical drama series ‘Little Voice’, one thing has been abundantly clear: Bess (Brittany O'Grady) is head-over-heels for Ethan (Sean Teale), the dreamy British filmmaker who works in the storage unit next to her. But since the very beginning, another thing has also been clear: Ethan is not the right one for Bess. For starters, he is already in a relationship with Laila (Ismenia Mendes). For another, he may be someone who sees the best in Bess, he is not someone who Bess needs when she is in crisis.
That person happens to be Samuel (Colton Ryan), a fellow musician. Samuel has always seen through Bess’ insecurities, fears, and trepidations. And he’s never one to not say it. Where Ethan is charming and good with words, Samuel is blunt. It’s perhaps why Bess is always getting into fights with him. It’s perhaps why she will never see him the way she sees Ethan.
Episode 5, ‘Quick, Quick Slow’, illustrates this more clearly than ever. After singing the jingle for a cheese brand, Bess has some money. She decides to record a music video. But knowing Bess and her fears, she gets cold feet. It is then that Samuel says something that shows how well he understands her. He says that the reason she’s getting cold feet is that she fears her fame would eclipse that of her father -- a musician of niche repute who never managed to make it big.
Bess gets angry but immediately realizes that Samuel may essentially be right. Ultimately, she wins her confidence back. But Samuel still has no shot with her for the simple reason that Bess can’t see past Ethan, who she asks to direct the video. On the day of the shoot, it is more than clear just how flustered she is around Ethan (even though his girlfriend Laila is also there). So much so that her roommate Prisha (Shalini Bathina) notices it as well.
Throughout the day of the shoot, the air was thick with sexual tension, and not just from Bess’ end. At one point, when Samuel begins to dance with Bess during the video shoot, Ethan feels a visible pang of jealousy and immediately cuts the scene. In another instance, he sent Samuel completely outside the frame, mesmerized by Bess’ beauty. On Bess’ part, she too felt a pang when she saw Ethan and Laila kiss during the shoot.
Ultimately, when the two find themselves alone, things get messy. Ethan tells Bess that he can’t do this to Laila, with whom he has been in a relationship since they were 17. He tells her that she only had him in New York, a city she moved to only for Ethan. Bess says she understands, but it is nonetheless a blow for her.
She wants to not want him, but really she has no control over her heart. At the same time, it becomes apparent that even Samuel can see Bess’ infatuation with Ethan, and he seems disappointed. Did Bess lose her shot with not one, but two great guys in one night? Maybe. Only time will tell.
New episodes of ‘Little Voice’ drop every Friday, only on Apple TV+.
