A woman named Agathe from the Talk Tonight show visits the club that night. She congratulates Bling on his performance and invites him to write for a segment on the show where comedians come up with jokes about guests. If it goes well, he could have his own segment.
Nezir initially tells him he can’t help; that kind of show isn’t his thing. He eventually gives in when Bling offers him 50 percent of his earnings.
Nezir ignores Apolline when he leaves the club, but she chases after him. She apologizes for slamming the door on him the other day. He then admits he was being intrusive. She confesses that her mother doesn’t know she does stand-up or goes to the club. He encourages her to keep trying at comedy.
Aïssa’s mother is disappointed in her daughter for having a show that is being sold out for weeks. Aïssa tells her that the show is all about sex and she’s just trying to be honest about it. Her mother isn’t happy with this and wants to know why Aïssa is doing this. Aïssa tells her that it’s because she wants people to see her as a real person and not just a performer.
She talks to her sister about how she is going to be performing at a show. Together, they pick out outfits for Aïssa to wear for her shows. As they leave the store, a couple of cops stop them, believing they have stolen the clothes.
A crisis has been averted when one of them sees Aïssa’s identification. She gushes over her comedy, and they take a selfie together.
Aïssa reprimands her sister for how aggressive she was toward them. Her sister just says she should talk about the encounter on Twitter; people would listen to her. But Aïssa says her Twitter is about her show.
Later, Apolline texts Nezir to ask him to help her with her stand-up. On his way, Bling calls him about his upcoming gig.
Bling pitches jokes about a guest that Nezir gave him, and the producers love it. Just then, they get news that the expected guest isn’t going to make it, so they arrange for a replacement.
Bling is worried about his friend Nezir, who he hasn’t seen in a while. He texts and calls him, but gets no response. He’s concerned and decides to go to Apolline’s house to check on him. ..
In a meeting, Bling pitches his own material but his sexist jokes don’t impress the producer.
Nezir is slow to give Apolline feedback, so she thinks it’s terrible. He tells her it’s good, just too specific and weird. People have to be able to relate to her. She gets angry, thinking he accused her of imitating someone else.
She drops a wine glass in the kitchen. The shock of it diffuses her anger. He puts oven mitts on her feet to protect them, and they almost kiss–but her friends suddenly arrive. She invites them in, but asks Nezir not to tell them she wants to do stand-up. ..
Nezir stays over as the friends start to party and get high–except for Nezir. Apolline tells him she loves him, but he shrugs this off as her being under the influence.
He tells her to have fun with her friends and leaves. Later, he meets with Aïssa and Vlad. He describes Apolline’s house, how the party felt like “too much.”
Bling leaves him a voicemail to tell him he’s let him down, and he won’t be paying him. Aissa tries to convince Nezir he could make a living showcasing his own talent. ..
That night, Vlad asks Aïssa if it’s time to make a baby. She tells Vlad she’s not sure if she wants to have another child. So much is happening in her life. Vlad just responds, “okay.” ..
That night, a man attended a bling party where he got high and hit on a lot of women. However, eventually he was left alone to dance by himself. ..
The next day, at the Drôle, when a customer complains about his wine, Bling takes it back to urinate in it. Two people see this and don’t do anything.
The next day, Apolline leaves a voice message for Nezir. She starts it off by joking that she doesn’t want to see him any more, but then says she is kidding. She would love to talk with him soon.
Nezir’s father plays a message on the television while Nezir is in the kitchen. Nezir only hears the first part of the message before accidentally deleting it. He tells Nezir there was a message from a woman, but it just disappeared. So, he relays that it wasn’t very nice; she doesn’t want to see him again.
Aïssa tells her story of being stopped by the police the other day. She gets a good response, but Laurent appears uncomfortable. He says her show shouldn’t be a political rally; people should be able to listen and unwind. It would be “idiotic” for her to risk losing her audience so early in her success.
Later at Drôle, the employee who saw Bling complains to his sister Corinne. She says if Corinne does nothing about it, she will do something. She also tells her that Laurent fired Bling, which Corinne didn’t know.
Aïssa prepares to perform in front of a full house at the Palais des Glaces. Despite Laurent’s advice, she does her act about the police anyway, closing it with the statement “Black goes with everything.” She receives applause and cheers from the audience. ..
Apolline confesses to her mother that she is not sure what she wants to do. She has done so much school, but thinks she would like to try something else. Her mother thinks Apolline is rejecting adversity.
Apolline takes an exam and is caught cheating. The teacher says she will have to show for a disciplinary meeting and her exam will be considered void. She’ll also be banned from exams for five years. ..
She tells her parents the truth about what happened on the exam, thinking it will help them understand her better. However, she is worried about what the incident means for her future.
Agathe tells Nezir that she’s happy to hear from him and invites him to come on the show. ..
The Episode Review
The stand-up comedy scene in the United States is still growing and developing, with new and exciting talent emerging all the time. This week’s episode of Standing Up features some of the brightest stars in the comedy world, and it promises to be another entertaining installment.
Aïssa, Nezir, and Apolline have all taken important steps forward. I’m excited to see how they continue to deal with racism, poverty, and family expectations, respectively. ..
Bling is a character that many people love to hate. If he doesn’t learn to control himself, his downward spiral could have serious consequences not only for his future in comedy, but also for Aïssa and Nezir. ..
