Rebecca berkowit

Carrie was my least favorite character. She always did things that didn’t make sense, and she dressed so bizarrely. My favorite was Samantha. I agree. I think litigation/civil practice has skills that are transferable to other types of civil suits. Criminal, transactional, real estate, no. But suing people in civil? You can pick up a new area. When you do general civil litigation, you get all kinds of suits- breach of contract, slip and fall, negligence, etc. Some stuff like medical malpractice or insurance is more specialized because of the procedural and statutory requirements involved. Not sure what Miranda did before. If she did pure transactional mergers and acquisitions/drafting contracts stuff, then actual litigation/lawsuits/trials would be a completely different area. But if she did some kind of civil litigation, even on behalf of corporations, (sometimes I think that’s what TV writers think “corporate law” is), she would be familiar with discovery, depositions, civil procedure, trials, etc. She could probably translate that to bringing suits under the Civil Rights Act or something. I must confess, I’m not sure what Human Rights Watch does, or what exactly Human Rights Law is, or why you’d need to go back to school for that rather than just try to transfer your skills to working for a nonprofit/NGO (not sure MPK/CN are either). It may be some kind of international law practice which would be a steep learning curve. Still, if it’s writing reports, white papers, making recommendations, lobbying Congress or working on behalf of NGO’s, her writing skills and legal analysis skills with regard to interpreting the relevant statutes or international laws/treaties could be helpful.

I get why he is upset. But my problem with it is that just “never entering the apartment” is not going to fix the problem. It’s not that simple. It’s not the apartment. It’s that he can’t forget what she did to him in the apartment. Avoiding the apartment is not going to make him suddenly forget. And if it DOES somehow make him forget, well then, he’s forgetting a HUGE issue in their relationship, and so that’s never going to work. It will resurface in some other way. The problems which led to the apartment conflict will still be there. Even if he never enters the apartment, she still did all that to him. They’re just papering over the issue, and avoiding it, by staying in hotels/Che’s place. Maybe that’s what the show is trying to say with this plot. It’s trying to show that they are papering over problems which are still there. But, I just don’t think real people would DO that, so the plot is not believable and thus the point is lost. As soon as he realized she was still living in the apartment, and he couldn’t go in there, he needed to realize the relationship wouldn’t work. Or, he needed to move on. But instead, he decides it will work as long as he just never goes to the apartment? No. Nobody would decide that. Nobody over the age of 12. They’re making these characters incredibly dumb. That worked when they were younger, maybe. But these are mature people who are experienced with relationships. We can see the problems a mile away, why can’t they? Why are they buying kitchen equipment?

I agree that would be hard. But I think if you’ve done one kind of litigation, you can pretty easily get up to speed with another. But not with something that’s not litigation, like criminal or transactional. That I couldn’t easily pick up. Three months. Unpaid. Why I quit.

Like, perhaps…Mayor of New York? It’s a sublet, I guess, but only for part of the month? And I guess the building doesn’t allow that any more than they allow Air Bnb

It makes sense in that the other two did not have a graduate education and also had zero work experience. If I ran an organization like that, I’d certainly trust a 30-year lawyer with sitting in on meetings, etc., especially with regard to how she would comport herself. And, at least here in an America, lawyers don’t specialize, we are all trained to do everything. Sure, we tend to have experience in one area, especially if we’ve worked a long time, but if she has a law degree, she can easily be brought up to speed. Litigation is litigation, no matter the subject. I’m not sure what kind of law Miranda did before, mainly because as a lawyer, I’m never sure what TV writers think “corporate” law is. Sometimes I think they think it’s just wearing a suit and pushing papers, and sometimes on TV “corporate” law just looks like litigation to me. They’re usually in court, because that’s more dramatic. Real “corporate” lawyers who do mergers or real estate don’t tend to do dramatic courtroom scenes. But, as I commented above, I think she’s overqualified for this internship. If she’s studying human rights law, she should’ve gotten a LEGAL internship/clerkship with a public interest organization that paid money. The other interns would be law students/graduate students. It makes zero sense that she would take what looks like a college internship like that.

Also on the subject of Miranda, she is waaaaay overqualified for that internship. Are we to believe (I start a lot of sentences like that with this show) that this was the only job she could get in her chosen field? Is she doing it because she’s not finished with school? You know the next move by the writers is going to be to have her take over when the boss never comes back from the maternity leave. But, if they wanted her to work for this organization, they should’ve at least had her finish school first or, if that would take too long, at least take a PAYING job there as a public interest lawyer while she was also going to school. There are public interest lawyers, they’re not all corporate types. She’s doesn’t have to be an intern.

I’m sorry but who ARE these people? Who pays to rent an air bnb, and buys a whole kitchen for it, when one of the parties has A PERFECTLY GOOD APARTMENT that the other is holding too big a grudge to STEP INTO? And also, is only in town a few days a month? A nespresso machine? Really? And, somehow, we are supposed to believe this relationship is meant to be, that these two are going to work out? No. This whole Carrie/Aidan thing is ridiculous. If he can’t get over the apartment thing, they aren’t meant to be together. Nobody in the real world on planet Earth would behave like this! Why are they shopping for home furnishings? Both of them have homes! And now, also, somehow Che is living rent-free because of this crazy doomed couple? Nah-uh. Also, I doubt Carrie would still be referring to John, her former husband of 20 or so years, who she called John in the first episode, as “Big.” She would not. Also, if she’s any good at Google stalking, she could have easily found Aiden’s ACTUAL HOUSE. It’s not that hard to look up an address, especially if he owns it. She just googles “red brick farmhouse Norfolk?” That’s not how you do that. There are probably a ton of pictures of red brick houses that come up if you do that. Do a free public records search like a normal person. I’m not advocating Google-stalking, of course, but if you’re going to try to find his farmhouse, do it right. Miranda- why couldn’t the other pissy interns understand the fact that she’s got 30 years’ experience - as a practicing lawyer - on them and so is much better qualified to do more sophisticated work? Why does that make her “privileged?” Are we supposed to buy that, as well? Her boss is right, and I don’t even understand why Miranda feels guilty for even a minute. She’s not “privileged,” she’s educated and experienced. She earned that. Is this what the world is like now? Charlotte- I don’t want to admit to how much I related to this plot. Hope her daughters are not watching her starve herself, though. It’s not healthy for them to see that (and it’s not healthy for her to do). Also, the actress is not big in the stomach area, it seems to be her hips/butt area she’s self-conscious about, which is why, even after she took off the belt and the Spanx because she was so comfortable in her body, THEY STILL HAD HER IN THE GIANT COAT, like they always do. I wish they had addressed the real body issue and shown her without it, but I suppose the actress wouldn’t go for that. Irony. Seema- so at least they listened to us and showed her getting her hair washed before the blow dry. But, you can’t just get up and go outside mid-wash. Again, WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? Nobody on planet Earth would behave like this. I understood her feelings about still being single, and I’m also glad she got over it and showed up at dinner. And, of course, the new client is going to be her new love interest. (Is he supposed to be Indian? Would MPK do that, because he’s so awkward with the whole diversity thing he thinks he has to find someone for her who is also Indian? Is that all he sees when he sees her? Cringe. Not that she can’t date another Indian person, but still, cringe.) Lisa- wins the award for No Plot this week. She …goes shopping with Charlotte. They really can’t fit all the characters in every episode. Anthony- love this plot. Italian guy is cute, and Mario Cantone brings the funny every time. I also had the fleeting thought that maybe they were going to try to do something with Seema/Aiden and a Carrie love triangle. Hmmm…

See, Carrie says he is, or is going to be, “in town for a conference” and wants to see her. That’s the setup the writers deliberately came up with to have him back in NYC and not VA. They could’ve had him having moved back after a divorce. But, no. They used this premise. He’s in town for a conference. Also, he made the plans for later in the week, so he’s presumably been at this conference, and will be at this conference, for more than one day. He’s obviously got a hotel room. He’s IN TOWN FOR A CONFERENCE. (Your conference, that you gave him. He’s a Tv character.). So, yeah, the last line, “It’s New York, there’s always hotel rooms” makes absolutely no sense. It also makes no sense that they could only go to her place. I supposed she suggested it, but he could’ve just as easily have said “let’s go back to my hotel room.” I mean, you’d almost think he’s married and hiding a wife and kids. I guess they wanted the drama of him not knowing “her place” was her old place. Which was a stupid drama anyway that no grown man would make an issue of, to the point that it would prevent him from getting laid and be the dealbreaker in a 20 year old relationship you’ve decided to revisit, despite it having ended badly. But I digress. Anyway, how hard would it be to change the line, only slightly, to “what the heck, I’ve got a hotel room” or “this is New York, I’ve got a swanky hotel room,” or anything other than what they wrote? Of course, it’s possible he was making the plans with Carrie earlier in the week while he was still home, because he was going to be at a conference for the day later in the week, but then, why make them for 8pm if you’re leaving the same day? And if it’s only a one-day conference, then why all the analysis of why he invited her for,Valentine’s day, and whether he knew that was Valentine’s Day, as if it were a deliberate choice? It’s the only day he’s going to be there. And why should we have to think about this so hard?

People do get couple’s massages on Valentine’s Day. BUT- I doubt a spa would ONLY reserve space for them on that day, and not even take other customers. It’s no skin off their back to take people individually. It’s no gift to couples of the world to reserve the spa just for them, what do they care, they’re in a room? If they took both Seema and Carrie, they would still need two therapists, all they would need to do is find an empty room for one. Sure, that could be hard if you’ve booked the whole thing with couples, sure. BUT- WHY DIDN’T EITHER SEEMA OR CARRIE SUGGEST THEY JUST DO THE COUPLE’S ONE? It’s not like it’s sexual at all. You’re literally just on a table next to someone else, you don’t hear or see them. I’ve even seen movies where girlfriends do this, just for fun. That could’ve been a funny scene. Instead, the whole couple’s thing was just used as a clumsy excuse to have Seema go on a rant about how life was so unfair for her as a single person. Like, this is the LEAST of her problems. I mean, i could see if they were giving a discount for couples and not offering a comparable one for Seema and Carrie. That would be worth a rant. But, no. They couldn’t even think of that, these writers.

Another example of this strange writing. The woman Miranda met. She was doing a reading at a bookstore. So, I figure she’s an author. Then , when Miranda meets her outside, she says how she just loved all the audiobooks this woman has read. So, she has done the audio for her books, as an author? No, because apparently, the books Miranda says she loved to listen to were Jane Austen and other classics. So, she’s a voice-over artist who reads audiobooks? So, why is she giving a reading at a book store of someone ELSE’s book? Do voice over artists even GIVE readings? Of audio books they have voiced? Why? Do bookstores feature readings of books by dead authors? Why? Couldn’t they have had Miranda meet her some other way? Like maybe at the studio when Carrie had the podcast? Or when Carrie was reading her OWN audiobook. (Which, not for nothing, they made a big deal of the fact that Carrie had to read it rather than have someone else do it, because it’s better when an author reads their own book). I bet that was the original plan. Miranda was going to meet a woman through Carrie’s book/podcast, and eventually discover she might be into women, and then maybe fall for Nya. But the Che plot derailed the whole thing. I can’t with this show. In what world does a person do a reading at a bookstore who is not the author, just the reader of the audiobook? How many times do we have to scream “THAT’S NOT A THING!?!?”

Just tuning in now, been on vacation. Haven’t had time to read thru all the posts, sorry if this is repetitive. So, now in their ongoing effort to make us like Che, Che adopts a puppy! Che used to work at a vet’s office! ( “didn’t clean out your locker?” Do vet techs get lockers at work? Is it a department store? Are you required to change into your scrubs when you get there? So many questions with this hack dialogue). Anyway, the less said about this development, the better. I guess Che now has an excuse to stay in town, and in the show. Miranda: this plot was funny. Doesn’t know if she is a lesbian because she’s only dated Che, who is non-binary. Her apparent new appreciation of curry-lingus notwithstanding. Ok, sure. Thought this was funny. Instead of guy-of-the-week, we get gal-of-the-week. Nice to see Diana, another Younger alum. Both shows film in NY, so it makes sense they’d draw from the same pool of actors. Charlotte- acting like a crazy person about Rock/Richard Burton/Insta. Totally called the marijuana plot as soon as she started showing symptoms after eating the brownie. Glad she’s going back to work, though that was also predictable as soon as Victor Garber showed up. Carrie- glad they didn’t go for a one-episode cameo for Aiden BUT- what are they going to do, date but he never goes in her house? Unrealistic that the physical place means that much to him, sorry, not buying it. He needs to go to her house. Also, wouldn’t Carrie have been given the NAME of the restaurant and not just some address? Especially in Manhattan, where addresses don’t really correspond to streets easily? Give me a break. Totally contrived. And Aiden also would’ve given her a working phone number to text just in case. Nobody just emails anymore. That’s the first thing anyone does when they agree to meet up. I know, I’ve been in this exact situation with an ex. He gave me the name of the restaurant, the address, AND a phone number in case I got lost. (I got lost). Lisa- glad to see her in some kind of plot, even though it’s one that could easily have been written for Charlotte or Miranda (It WAS written for Miranda, see, e.g., when Brady was having sex in her house). And, finally, the award for New Diverse Character of the Week who Gets No Plot (NDCWGNP)(tm) goes to….Nya, who…makes. A. Soufflé. Runner up- Seema, who….yells at a receptionist. Runner-up only because it’s well-written and funny, at least. Postscript: the whole thing with Anthony was hilarious, though I doubt he would really fire bakery guy(s) just for doing steroids. Totally contrived. Who cares how wholesome a guy needs to be to deliver bread/appear on TV? The moms in the audience can’t tell he’s on steroids just by looking. They just wanted to introduce the new possible love interest for him. (Again with this hack writing - you can see the wheels turning). Also, Drew Barrymore and her talk show seem to feature in a lot of shows as a cameo. (I can’t remember where, but I’ve seen this recently). Does anyone watch her actual talk show? Is it still even on?

With regard to Carrie and the condom issue, she’s post-menopausal, she ain’t getting pregnant. Sure, she should be worried about getting a disease, but she knew the producer guy pretty well, presumably they discussed things and she made sure he didn’t have herpes or AIDS. People may use condoms at first, but then they have that discussion or ask for test results. That said, in some retirement communities there are huge STD epidemics because there’s a lot of promiscuity, so maybe more post-menopausal people should use condoms! But Carrie so far has had one partner this season, who she knew. You’d be surprised how much you don’t think about birth control when you no longer have to worry about getting pregnant. And the conversation was funny, that Charlotte thought she’d have condoms at her house!

Hey, in my own defense, I think deflowered is the only appropriate word to use for a plot this contrived and unnatural.

Yep. The thing is, I know they got a lot of flak for not having a diverse enough cast when the show was originally on. But the unfortunate truth is that it was a reflection of the world they were depicting, and the people depicting it. Though it is unfair that shows like this were given opportunities where others weren’t, the fact remains that MPK and the original writers were not diverse. They were writing the world they knew, which was not diverse. So was Candace Bushnell. Not diverse. She did not have diverse friends, and she did not write a column about them. Unfortunately the reality in this country is that women like this in Manhattan in the 90’s would probably not have had a very diverse friend group, and that was reflected in the original show. They would’ve been friends with wealthy white women like themselves. We can debate the historical and social reasons for this all we want, but it doesn’t change reality. It’s still largely the reality among the women this show depicts. Why am I bringing this up? Well, because that’s why the insertion of these new characters into this particular show is not working, and never could work, despite the best of intentions and the very real need for more diversity in entertainment. Because MPK, a wealthy white man, has probably not suddenly gained a diverse group of friends, and so I do not think he is capable of writing for these new characters in a natural way, a way which does not simply make them ABOUT their ethnicity/sexuality. That just does not come naturally to him. The idea of an Indian person, a Black family, a non-binary person, is exotic and different to him, (I’ve heard him being interviewed and this attitude comes through), and so he writes only about that exoticism and difference, and it is incredibly painful to watch. I believe he has hired a diverse younger writing staff to write for these characters, but he is ultimately the boss so they can only do so much. Also, the fact that these characters seem to have been delegated to specific “diverse” writers seems to have resulted in their storylines being completely isolated from the rest of the cast. I think it was too much to ask for this show to integrate diverse characters, and if it could not be done well, it should not have been attempted. It’s not realistic that everyone would suddenly have “diverse” friend, it is insulting and patronizing, and it is of course doing nothing to improve diversity or race relations in general in this country. (Nor do I personally believe it is necessarily the job of a TV show, especially one created by and about privileged white people, to take on that Herculean task.). This is, and was, a show about a group of white privileged women in New York, and that’s their milieu. It’s not particularly diverse, and apparently that can’t be forced in a realistic way by this writing staff. Perhaps it should have been left as an artifact of its time, and new shows with younger casts, like The Sex Lives of College Girls, could be the “update” that was needed. I’ve felt this way from the beginning. The criticism of older forms of entertainment for not being diverse enough is certainly noble, and it was unfair that more diverse people were not given opportunities to write and produce shows back then. But this criticism fails to acknowledge the reality of the time, a reality which cannot be remedied now except through clumsy efforts like this. We need to move forward with a new generation.

What about Miranda? Isn’t she one of “the women on the show” AND LGBTQIA+? What’s with the compare-and-contrast? This quote is confusing.

Honestly, I can’t even imagine anyone on the show even considering dating a man who talks and acts like Che does with Miranda.

I like to play “AJLT- alternative history without Cynthia Nixon’s meddling”. So, imagine it: Che would’ve been Carrie’s funny friend, from the podcast. No involvement with Miranda. Most likely, no TV pilot, no trip to California for either Che or Miranda. No crying over identity, no devastation and crisis when the pilot wasn’t picked up. Just a nice example of a funny non-binary individual with ups and downs like everyone else. (A point Che actually made regarding the crying scene in the pilot, btw.). Miranda would’ve had a midlife crisis, resulting in a gradual realization that she did not want to be with Steve. (They would’ve had to do that to set up conflict and potential for new storylines. We all love Steve, but happy marriages do not a tv show make). This would have put us where we are right now, a full year and a half in. Miranda moving on, moving in with her friend Nya (and we would’ve seen more of that friendship), and Che a funny minor character, like Anthony or Stanford, who would give us a diverse perspective. That’s the show this was supposed to be, and I hope that’s the one we are going to get from now on. Maybe we can pretend the last season and half of this one was Miranda’s dream, like on Dallas. (Dated reference). It’s almost like the writers have finally decided to go back to the original plan. Also, why is Lisa in this show? She seems like she’s in her own show, about her wonderful family. Again, great idea for a show, but it’s not this show. These women are privileged, yes. But they also have tribulations with their relationships, etc. Lisa is privileged, but she doesn’t appear to get into funny situations or have interesting interpersonal conflicts beyond “my husband doesn’t understand my career.” (Which, he really does, in the end. Every time.). I don’t want to watch a show about that, I want to watch a show about the adventures of women, and their relationships, etc. And we already have Charlotte for happy family/dumb husband storylines. It’s insulting that they brought in this character to make the show more diverse and this is all we get, a Cosby show retread. Also, why didn’t she take up the husband’s offer of a ride? And why were we treated to a scene of an old lady watching her put on a wig? I mean, I get the whole empowerment message, I suppose, but she was offered a ride. And there are far worse things to befall Black working mothers than their very expensive wig possibly getting wet. Was she walking in the snow to prove a point to the husband? Dumb idea. Not the ( snowy) hill to die on. I couldn’t tell if the old lady was supporting her or frowning on the whole thing like the mother in law.

I love Che and Carrie together. But there’s something I don’t understand. We see Carrie saying she really needs Che to be there with her at the widow thing. Why? Moral support? She doesn’t say. She just says she needs Che there. Then, it’s only once they get there and they see the funny lady (Julie White is amazing, btw), that Carrie suddenly comes up with the idea thar Che (a comedian, remember), could write some material. This is the first time that has occurred to Carrie, apparently. So, I can’t help but wonder (ha), why, exactly, did the writers have Carrie insist she needed Che there, again? Are they bff’s? If it was just for moral support, why not ask Miranda, or Seema, or Charlotte? And if it was for material, why not mention that when she first asks Che to go? Makes. No. Sense. The writing is just not good on this show.

Does anyone else find it completely preposterous that a child would just announce to her parents (both mom and dad! Dad!) that she has made plans have sex for the first time with her boyfriend today? Unless kids have changed a loooooot in the past few years, this just doesn’t seem believable. At all. I could see her maybe coming to Charlotte to talk about it, or maybe Charlotte overhearing or finding out some other way. But just being all chipper like “his parents are out of town, so today’s the day” like that? With all the mystery and enthusiasm of scheduling an appointment to get your tires rotated? What is with this kid? Who writes this? Even assuming two modern-day kids would have to plan a particular time when they’d be alone in a house, why tell your parents? Also, shouldn’t they have been sexually active already, (short of intercourse), having had plenty of alone time to experiment, if they are even contemplating taking the next step? Are they just starting from nothing and jumping right into intercourse? Does that happen? (Didn’t for me). The whole thing seems overly planned and emotionless, and the Lily actress had the completely wrong demeanor for a young girl thinking about this. Shouldn’t she have been more swoony and romantic, or at least horny? Another example of them thinking a situation would be funny without considering that they are supposed to be depicting the way real people act. Do they have teenage kids? Were they ever teenage kids? Appointment deflowering with parental announcement is not a thing.

Agreed Che is much better without Miranda. Che and Carrie have a fun vibe, they always did. Also, the line when Miranda, wanting affection, says “come here,” and Che says “Why? We both just did,” bugs me. It is just so awful and crude coming from someone who is supposed to care about and be in a relationship with the other person. Why do they write Che that way? Again, if this was a man, it would be very obvious that he was a gross user. And yet Che, outside of a romantic pairing, seems like a pretty nice person, albeit a bit of a lazy stoner. Why the split personality with this character? Fun in the streets, douche in the sheets? Why does Miranda think this is love? Were we supposed to think that, too? Sure seemed like they wanted us to. Shouldn’t the reason for the breakup have been not that they were “too different” or “it just wasn’t working,” but that Che was just into Miranda for the sex and didn’t try to hide that?

Condoms work pretty well if you remember to put them on before any intercourse starts, and take it out right after ejaculation, before it goes soft and can slip off. Forgetting this accounts for much of the (relatively low) failure rate. If you use them correctly, they’re as effective as the pill, and they protect against STDs, and you don’t have to take a pill every day of the month, you can just use it when you are going to have sex and then go about your life. I was a teen when AIDS was a big new scary thing, and so everyone used condoms all the time. It was a given.

Carrie never stopped regretting her abortion? I didn’t remember her saying that. As I recall, her description of the circumstances that led to her pregnancy, and the guy, were less than ideal, and she said she absolutely knew she couldn’t have a baby right then. So, what is the regret she still lives with, exactly? The whole Brady plot always grated with me. Miranda wasn’t seriously involved with Steve, didn’t even like him. They didn’t have to make her get pregnant. She’s a tv character. What happens to her is because the writers choose for it to happen. It’s not an “accident.” It always seemed like the writers just thought it would be an interesting plot, because pregnancy is always fun to write. Or, they were too chicken to show someone going through with an abortion. At that time (even now), people didn’t do that on Tv. But, regardless of politics, or what will play for a midwestern audience, let’s face facts. An abortion is what 99% of liberal, single, workaholic professional, New York women like Miranda, who only got pregnant because the birth control failed, with a guy they didn’t like and didn’t see a future with, would have done. Miranda’s character started to go downhill then for me, right there on the couch where she was like “oh, I couldn’t go through with it.” The Miranda we knew definitely could’ve gone through with it, and it would’ve been brave for the show to have her do that. And then, asking your random housekeeper to take care of this baby for you, like it’s a new pet? Rather than move in with the actual father of the child who loves you and the child? Please. Brady turned out ok, though. Probably because of Steve.

It’s Saved by the Bell - the Miranda edition.

I think the writers are going with what worked on the original show. The original was about the loser guys these four women kept meeting, and their various misadventures in the world of sex and dating. It’s just not a great look on a 50-something widow. When you get older, you become more mature, usually. But, if they showed mature women behaving maturely, there would be no show. Still, this plot didn’t work very well. It’s like they switched the tone from character-driven dramedy to farce very abruptly. There have been too many seasons, movies, children, marriages, etc., and we are too invested in these characters at this point, for them to go back to something like that. Their lives have evolved.

Yes! She DOES look older around Che! She looked like she was 80 in that restaurant scene. He was in disguise so he could ask the cameraman about whether they were perving on the models. I think he figured if he dressed like that, a fellow-perv might admit something to him. He couldn’t just walk in as Rock’s father and then start trying to pump them for info on child porn like that. Of course, it didn’t work. It wasn’t because he had to work. It was because he seemed to have an unnaturally close relationship with his partner. She thought it was as if he had a wife, and she felt like the third wheel. At least, that was the intention for this plot. It wasn’t executed very well. And it wasn’t realistic - why would the dry cleaner call this guy’s work partner about his dry cleaning? Is he the emergency contact for that, too? That’s not a thing. Even if they were unnaturally close. The whole thing just seemed bizarre rather than a real-life dealbreaker issue.