'Sorry for Your Loss' Season 2 Episode 6 sees Leigh and Danny kiss in a surprising twist while Jules scores an unexpected date
The Proust Effect describes the exceptional ability of smell to trigger memories in humans. It is why a loved one's scent will invoke vivid remembrances, just like how the smell of madeleines made Proust write about his childhood memories of his aunt giving him these cake-cookies before going to mass on a Sunday.
Leigh Shaw (Elizabeth Olsen) is not totally out of her funk yet, even after that all-night walk with Danny Greer (Jovan Adepo). She has been missing her classes at the fitness studio, ignoring her sister Jules Shaw (Kelly Marie Tran) texts to come help her at the studio and still unable to process Danny's declaration that he is falling in love with her.
When she meets Drew (her editor), she frets about making her meltdown public thanks to the article she composed during her breakdown. Drew says she should read the comments to know that people aren't feeling sorry for her but rather connecting with the truth bombs she has landed about the grieving process.
After reading the comments (that look similar to the kind of comments the show itself attracts), Leigh shuts her laptop, looks up and seems entranced by a stranger at the counter. She tracks him down to the record store for a bit of awkward flirting, finds out his name is Haavi and asks him out on a date.
It is momentous because it is the first date she has been on since Matt (Mamoudou Athie) died. And yet, it all seems a bit off. Leigh isn't in the headspace to pursue men, but her fascination with Haavi and the hoodie he is wearing doesn't seem entirely normal.
On her date, she refers to seeing him as "fate", again an uncharacteristic remark. Danny, on the other hand, is learning about the flip side of losing a brother with whom he has unfinished fights.
He bitterly tells his grief support's talking circle, "he (Matt) now has the last word". In a dark place, he wonders if all that was real about his relationship with his brother are the bad memories, the fights and the disagreements. What is unspoken, is his anger at Matt for bringing Leigh into his life and the consequences of his unrequited love for her.
Jules, abandoned by Leigh, is stuck in the fitness studio trying to do two people's work on crutches. Itching to get away from the empty studio and empty home, she looks for a new AA meeting and ends up in an LGBTQ+ church service by mistake.
There she meets Tommy (Briana Venskus) who is a little God-talk heavy but seems like a genuinely nice person. Later, they meet on a date that Jules doesn't realize is a date.
She expects Tommy to be like the other people in her life who pity her and think of as a screw-up addict. But Tommy clarifies that she likes her, it is a date and she is all about giving second, third, fourth and even fifth chances.
Meanwhile, Leigh, after her date with Haavi, goes to his place. They start kissing before Leigh asks him to slow down. When he leaves the room to make them some cocktails, Leigh runs to the door entrance to find the hoodie Haavi was wearing earlier before running away with it to her car.
Like a wild animal, she digs her nose into the jacket as if trying to get at a long-lost scent. That's when you realize that the hoodie belonged to Matt that she had donated to Goodwill, which is where Haavi bought it.
In her somewhat unstable state, she drives to Danny's place. Danny, who is also hurting, opens the door and they fall into each others' arms and kiss, their grief, rage and neediness binding them together. It is not the most auspicious start to a healthy relationship but we are still rooting for these two crazy kids.
'Sorry For Your Loss' Season 2 airs new episodes on Facebook Watch every Tuesday at 12 p.m. PT and 3 p.m. ET.