In Platonic, Sylvia is Will’s former best friend, who decides to reconnect with him after ages upon learning that he is now divorced. Rose Byrne plays Sylvia.
Sylvia is a housewife who once worked as a lawyer at the same firm where her husband, Charlie, works. She sacrificed her career to take care of her kids, Frances, Simon, and Maeve.
When Sylvia learns that Will is getting divorced, her husband encourages her to reconnect with him, even though they parted ways on bad terms. Sylvia is initially hesitant, considering how things have changed now. She thinks men and women don’t hang out together at their age.
Charlie tells her that she should be there for her friend, and Sylvia then decides to meet Will. While the first meeting of hers with Will goes awkward, the second is where they rekindle their old magic as Sylvia comforts Will after his fight with his ex-wife, Audrey.
The problems in Sylvia’s life
Sylvia’s family is big. With three kids to take care of, either Sylvia or Charlie needed to give up their job. On top of that, the house they have is not enough for all five of them.
Every morning, each member of the family gets only five minutes to spend in the bathroom before they can leave for school or offices. Sylvia dreams of a house where they can have five bathrooms for each person.
After seeing 40 different houses for a year, she finally finds one, which turns out to be a former assisted living facility. Furthermore, the place itself is a mess and will cost her a lot if she and Charlie renovate it.
Thankfully, Will visits the house with her and convinces her not to buy it by striking a deal with her.
Sylvia’s resentments
During an event organized by their law firm, Sylvia reunites with Vanessa, who is going to become a partner at the firm just like Charlie. Vanessa has a thriving career, unlike Sylvia. On top of that, she is also taking care of four kids back at home.
Sylvia and Vanessa went to law school together. Vanessa represents everything Sylvia could have been if she hadn’t quit her career. Charlie kept the news about Vanessa becoming a partner from Sylvia because he knew how she is going to react.
The day gets ruined for Sylvia. She spends the rest of it hanging out with Will to calm herself down. By the end of the day, Sylvia admits that she doesn’t regret choosing to watch her children grow up over her career. It’s just that seeing all of her former colleagues treat her like an invisible ghost makes her insecure.
Charlie tells her that she can still restart her career as she is a really great lawyer. Sylvia, on her side, feels it’s going to be difficult knowing that she has three kids at home.
When Charlie talks about rewarding five-hour jobs she can do, she questions why can’t he tell his boss about doing five hours every day, causing an argument between them.
By the end of the first season, Sylvia finds her calling. Her friend, Katie, and Katie’s boyfriend, Andy, constantly ask her to be the wedding planner for their wedding. Sylvia takes this seriously and starts an event-planning business.
Also Read: Audrey: Platonic character explained