Nick Caruso
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A big wedding is approaching on Somebody Somewhere, but unfortunately for groom-to-be Fred Rococo, two of his closest friends are still at odds.
In the first of Sunday’s back-to-back episodes, a hurt Sam distances herself from Joel despite Fred’s attempts to bring the two pals back together. But when Joel crashes Sam and Fred’s ice cream date, they finally have the fight that was a long time coming. She confesses that she doesn’t want him to be her boyfriend (for obvious reasons), she just doesn’t him to leave her. We can see the hurt and fear of abandonment all over Sam’s face, while Joel’s expression is painted with sorrow and regret.
The two finally patch things up, but not until the season finale when they reunite at the funeral for Sam’s singing teacher Darlene. Sam lets Joel sit in her pew at church and minutes later, she whispers, “I’m sorry.” Joel once again apologizes and the two make loose plans to hang out together with Joel’s boyfriend Brad. Plus, with Fred’s wedding around the corner, Sam finally confronts herself and her own role in the conflict as they rehearse to both sing and perform as officiant in the nuptials.
“There’s something so precious to Sam about singing and music,” Bridget Everett tells TVLine. “When you’re in a scenario like that with your voice teacher, speaking from my experience, it’s such a personal connection. It’s like they’re speaking the same language,” she says of the dearly departed Darlene.
Despite the drama and troubled waters packed into these last few episodes, Sam sings “Ave Maria” at the wedding, and later unleashes a powerful, uplifting rendition of “Gloria,” the “no Barbra, no Judy, no Branigan” rule be damned! Seeing everyone smile and celebrate this happy occasion is the perfect way for Season 2 to bow out, with humor, love and music all at the forefront.
So how long did it take for Everett to prepare for her season-ending stunner of a performance? “Glass, ice, tequila. I guess about 30 seconds,” she jokes. We can certainly get behind that technique. “I think you just gotta let it rip and hope for the best and then see if the cameras follow you.“
While it may have been a bumpy ride this time around for our lovable Sam, she made huge strides in dealing with her emotions and relationships, which of course all hark back to the biggest loss of her life, that of her late sister Holly.
“Sam had invested everything into her sister. Her sister understood her love of singing, understood what made her tick and now she’s gone,” says Everett. “It’s probably how she feels about Joel. When you open up one wound for Sam, you open up all of them. She can’t live with one thing at a time. It’s just like a gush, zip it back up, gush, zip it back up.
“I think it’s kind of what the show is about,” she adds. “Sometimes little things cause an emotional avalanche that slowly gets worked out. I’m not doing a good job of explaining it, Nick. But I think if you tune in for Season 3 and maybe even Season 4… but by Season 5 you’ll understand!”
Thoughts on Somebody Somewhere‘s finale? Grade it (and the season) below, then shout out your thoughts in the comments!