'Soulmates' Episode 3 Review: Can science make Adam and Libby's open marriage even more perfect?
Spoilers for 'Soulmates' Episode 3 'Little Adventures'
As one of the very few installments of the anthology thriller coming to a happy ending, 'Little Adventures' is less on the science and thrill side of things, than the heavy emotional drama. Strategically placed after the heartbreaking pilot 'Watershed' and the notorious crime thriller 'The Lovers', 'Little Adventures' offers relief and respite both even though one might not always agree with Adam and Libby, the married couple pulled apart by this new test. In the end,'Little Adventures' becomes very romcom, almost annoying after a certain point of time because these are adults behaving like they are in teen dramas. Or maybe that's the beauty of it; while science can't always work for the couple's unconventional marriage, sometimes it works the other way and makes them realize the value in the mundane.
Adam and Libby are a young couple in an open marriage upon Libby's persuasion. She thinks they have 'cracked monogamy' as they go on individual dates with people, and although Adam isn't too keen about the whole practice, or about knowing how far Libby goes with her dates, he indulges out of love and to keep her happy. Who knows, Adam probably enjoys these titular adventures too, but he doesn't seem to enjoy the big exploration that is Libby's soulmate. Scientifically designated to be the perfect match after taking 'the test', Libby's soulmate ends up being a woman. She is invited to the couple's home to hang but Adam soon realizes this won't be one of those adventures.
The spark between Libby and Miranda is undeniable; she just makes the quiet, usually socially awkward Libby uncoil. This pushes Adam to give Libby the first warning: she must not sleep with Miranda as that would ruin their marriage. This becomes a near possible promise to keep even though Libby doesn't agree to it in as many words. The more Adam starts befriending Miranda, the more disrespected Libby feels. Nothing really happens between the two women, but it sure starts to fester when Miranda goes back home and starts dating the parent of a student. Libby decides to draw a line by cutting off Miranda, not replying to her, and that propels the other woman to show up at Libby's door and the two of them engage in the one thing Adam had requested Libby not to.
Soon it becomes clear why Adam had asked Libby to not sleep with Miranda; he feared she made her light up the way only an actual soulmate could. The charm is undeniable and Adam gives Libby an ultimatum: she has to choose between the two. Months pass and we finally get the answer in the form of Libby's very domesticated like with Miranda, or the lack of it thereof. Miranda isn't Adam, she doesn't make coffee or breakfast, or nurture Libby the way her husband did. The tingling excitement hardly comes of any use when Libby has a terrible cold and Miranda won't even hug her after work. There are things Libby wants that Adam can't give her, and things she wants that Miranda can neer be. So is there a way to work things out?
That is the underlying philosophy of this episode, perhaps. One person can't be expected to be everything for another, so Libby splits what she needs between Adam and Miranda. Meanwhile, Adam too has found his soulmate, who's flying across the ocean to be with him. Once again he caves into Libby's pleas and decides to meet the new woman with the two other existing in his life. Surprisingly enough, the proposition doesn't fail entirely. There are heartbreak and gullible revenge that can be exacted from getting science into perfect marriages, but sometimes, there's an upside to it all too.
'Soulmates' airs on Monday at 10 pm only on AMC.
