I’m recapping Reboot, a new show now on Hulu! I powered through the first 5 recaps in the last week, and now I’m here with an on time recap number 6. This show is so funny and such a great sitcom I find myself laughing the whole way through!
Also, once again none of these photos are from episode 6, but I am struggling, so embrace the on-theme photos rather than on-episode photos.
The theme of this episode is Love, and those are always my favorite episodes. There’s been some hints of romantic plots earlier in the season, but they’ve never had the space to be fully explored until now. We find ourselves being yanked in three separate directions, but all three of them are about uniting a couple, and I love it. This was by far my favorite episode of the show so far, and I’m excited to bring you this recap on time.
The show opens with Reed getting in an elevator and being immediately recognized by a fan. He jumps on the phone with his girlfriend, Nora, just as the fan tells him that Bree is also in the same hotel. As he tries to chat with Nora, Bree spots him and starts screaming his name. Nora is extraordinarily insecure, and now that she hears Bree she wants to talk to Reed, she makes some non-jokes about them fucking and leaves. Honestly, why would she leave! If she doesn’t trust her boyfriend at all then she just shouldn’t be dating him.
We head back to the studio room, and Mallory (STEPHANIE ALLYNE!!!!!) is HR! She was interviewing Hannah, and as they come out of the interview both women are giggling and clearly into each other. Gordon gets involved excitedly. He’s a supporter of the LGTVs, and he wants his L to find love! It’s very awkward and misguided and cute, and I hope that Mallory and Hannah date just so that Stephanie Allyne is in the show for longer.
That day in the writing room, Gordon wants to know all of the details of Hannah’s dating life before she arrives. Apparently, Hannah has never had a serious relationship because she has intimacy issues. When people make it clear that it’s because of Gordon, Gordon wants to intervene. Is Mallory gay? Would she be into Hannah? The writers room is on it! They look for all of the most common signs– she’s not married according to Google, she went to a Janelle Monae concert, played golf, and has two cats named Tilda and Swinton. She’s a lesbian confirmed!
At the rehearsal, Clay and Zack are practicing for a dream sequence where they have to get pulled into the air. Before they go up, Clay decides to take on part 9 of AA- making amends- starting with Jerry. He does the most half assed apology I’ve ever heard in my life, and then gets yanked up in the air to start rehearsal. Unfortunately, rehearsal doesn’t end for Clay when it does for everyone else. Jerry calls a 30 minute break, and directs everyone to leave Clay in the air. When Clay protests, Jerry launches into a speech about how hurtful Clay’s apology was. It was one thing for Clay to be a drunk kid, but now he was a terrible adult who couldn’t even accept the consequences for losing everyone an Emmy and making their lives infinitely harder.
When they come back from break, Clay is ready to talk. He gives a meaningful speech in what is most definitely his biggest character growth of the season, admitting to Jerry how sorry he is for the way he behaved. Go Clay!
He’s not the only one going for heartfelt speeches in the rehearsal room. The reason for Hannah’s HR meeting earlier? He wants to ask out Elaine. Unfortunately, he only has one shot at it, and he goes for it seconds before he gets pulled up in the air for the dream sequence. He gets cut off mid-question, and he has to do the scene wondering whether this counts as his one shot.
Now that Bree and Reed are in the same hotel, they’re spending lots of time together. When they were dating, they used to play a game (which I myself love and have played on many occasions) that involves making up a fake backstory for random strangers. When Bree tries to play, Reed doesn’t want to anymore; they’re not dating anymore, doesn’t she realize that? Bree once again proves that she’s able to handle the sexual tension between them far better than her counterpart, and begins loudly and dramatically sobbing. She gets the attention of everyone nearby, screaming that Reed broke up with her. With Reed successfully embarrassed, her job is accomplished.
Gordon’s strategy for setting up Hannah and Mallory is to invite Mallory into the writer’s room. She’s supposedly there to make sure that nothing untoward is said in the writers room. In reality, she’s there so that all of the writers can drop hints. Azmina says she’s jealous because “hannah is such a good cook”. Gordon says he loves spending time with his “single gay daughter”. Hannah just wants it all to stop! She pulls Gordon out of the room to shut him down and say that he’s not the only reason she’s fucked up. Gordon just wants her to know that Mallory is gay and single. Hannah’s intrigued.
At the end of the meeting, Hannah apologizes to Mallory for how awkward the meeting was. As she goes to ask Mallory out, Mallory beats her to the punch. It’s cute, and they both seem excited to go on a date!
Back in the hotel, Reed and Bree have been sitting next to each other on a lounge chair for a while, and Reed has a new theory. He’s ready to play the game! Bree has never looked more excited in her life. When the trio walks by talking about a dinner reservation they have, Bree knows that they need to go to dinner too. Reed looks nervous, and then agrees, and they do the most sexually tension-filled handshake in history.
Before dinner, Bree and Reed both spend an inordinate amount of time staring into the mirror and making sure they look good. Then Nora calls to apologize for being rude earlier, and in a tragic loss for love, Bree overhears them saying they love each other. This hits her so hard that she asks Reed to cancel dinner, and he agrees that he’s not that hungry either. The will-they-won’t-they is destroying me, creating one of the only moments in history when I want the bisexual sexually fluent person to choose the man.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t go as well for Zack and Elaine. She turns him down, not because she’s not into him, but because if a female exec dates a star on her first ever show, nobody will ever take her seriously. It’s crushing, and sexist, and I’m very sad for these two!
I don’t have to be sad for long, because Zack ends up going to the show alone, and Elaine ends up also going to the show alone. What a great non-coincidence! Elaine makes a show of being surprised to see Zack, her coworker, there and sits down next to him. Yay young love!
The show can’t end with that, though, because who is sitting behind them but Dennis, in a full leather-kink mask. Zack and Elaine look shocked and uncomfortable, and that’s the episode!
