Nathaniel sees that Sam has improved so much since he last saw her, and he’s impressed with her writing skills. He thinks she may be a good fit for his new company, Smug Media, and he asks her to interview with them in New York. ..

When Sam tells her mother about the job opportunity, Carol is not so enthused. Bzzz made Sam want to drink, so she’s worried that this job would make her daughter fall back into her old ways. ..

James is at the AA meeting when he notices that Sam is in a good mood. She tells him about her interview. coincidentally, investors in New York invited James to pitch his sobriety app.

James suggests they go on a road trip together, but Sam says she should probably take Chloe. James would, she says, but Chloe ghosted him. Still, James doesn’t think it’s a good idea, as it could blur the boundaries they have set for their friendship.

Olivia greets everyone before the meeting starts. Carol unexpectedly shows up, and she’s not there for Sam. She arranges to meet Olivia for coffee later, so they can talk about Sam.

Carol tells Olivia about her concerns that Sam’s interview with Olivia could lead to more drinking. She hopes Olivia can persuade her not to go.

Sam’s sponsor, Olivia, says that it is not part of her job to speak with Sam’s mother, Carol. It is Carol who needs to speak with her daughter. ..

Sam worries about coming up with writing samples. Drinking made writing so much easier. Without alcohol, she has a bad case of writer’s block.

Mindy intervenes when she sees that Mindy’s stressed out about an upcoming interview. Mindy tells her that the only risk involved in going to the interview would be not clearing it with her probation officer, which Mindy forgot to do. Luckily, the officer clears her for the trip on short notice. ..

Brit and Joel invite Sam to their wedding. They thought about it and decided they wanted her there.

Carol goes up to Sam’s room and finds her trying to write. She asks what she’s doing and Sam tells her that she’s trying to write a paper. Carol is surprised and asks why she would want to do that, to which Sam responds that it’s important. Carol is hesitant, but decides to help her out and starts writing a paper with her help.

British woman gives Sam invitation to wedding, but she doesn’t really want to go. Carol asks to see what she’s writing, and Sam shows her the blank page. She claims she can’t write unless she drinks.

This makes Carol scoff. She says that nobody does anything better drunk and asks her if she really thought that anything she wrote for Bzzz was so great.

She then urges Sam to lock herself in the room and write anything, even if it’s terrible, in order to pass the standards of Smug Media. ..

When Carol leaves, James texts Sam “good luck.” Sam responds back saying that she can’t do this alone. ..

When Sam waits for the bus to New York the next day, James surprises her by showing up. On the bus, James falls asleep on her shoulder. The episode ends with Sam pulling out her laptop and writing. ..

The Episode Review

The single drunk female on the show continues to be a lazy and unfulfilled way to develop romantic tension between Sam and James. While it’s obvious that the writers intend for romantic tension to be developing, forced dialogue and time skips prevent a relationship from progressing organically.

In “The Path,” the showrunners seem to be forcing things in order to create a more dramatic story. Carol and Brit’s sudden changes, as well as Carol’s crossing of boundaries with Olivia were not adequately explained or resolved. ..

This episode reinforced for me that Single Drunk Female is all about getting to the next point, rather than exploring each scene and theme to a satisfactory conclusion.