Fleishman Is in Trouble season 1 episode 7 recap & review: Me-Time

The seventh episode of ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ explores Rachel’s side of the story as she opens up to Libby. The episode is now streaming on Hulu.

Recap

Libby approaches a lost Rachel, and at first, Rachel tries to avoid her. Rachel’s questions to Libby are quite strange, leaving Libby no option but to call Toby.

Rachel stops her from doing so and invites her to her house. There, Rachel finally pours out her feelings in front of Libby and details what has been going on with her.

Rachel goes back in time and explains how things fell apart for her. All of this began months before the divorce. Rachel started getting close to Sam Rothberg.

She helped his nephew get some acting jobs. To return the favor, Rothberg asked whether Toby is interested in a high-profile job at his company. Rachel soon befriended Rothberg’s wife, Miriam, and thrived to become a part of her little Upper East Side gang.

Rachel’s urge to become powerful stems from the experience she had when she was young. Rachel’s grandmother had raised her and sent her to a Catholic school, where every other person belonged to an upper-class family.

Rachel felt lost among them and desired to be just like them through hard work. She created a fake persona for herself in order to join the gangs of these elite people. She believed keeping them close would help her and her family.

Things changed when she met Toby, who saw a completely different side of her. He accepted her for who she is. He wasn’t aware of her desperation to be successful.

Initially, the couple did well until Hanna was born. The visiting doctor broke her water without her consent. Rachel was already worried about being a mother, and the doctor made it worse.

She struggled to mold herself into the role of being a mother. She used to break down all alone and had a hard time connecting with her child.

She eventually shared her experience with a survivor group. Rachel got over that trauma after crossing paths with the same doctor again.

She decided to give her life a new start by quitting her job and starting her own company. The company was a success, but it required Rachel to dedicate hours. This caused her to grow apart from her family. Toby never understood her, and he soon asked for a divorce.

Rachel began working hard as she was single again. That’s when she started her affair with Sam Rothberg, who initially listened to everything she had to say.

Rachel had plans to expand her business, and Toby was often against them, especially when she suggested that she want to move to LA and take the kids with her.

Toby protested this and claimed that there is no need to take them and that the kids won’t even remember her if she goes away.

Rachel needed a break, so she joined Rothberg for the yoga retreat. There, she learns more about herself and opens up further.

When Rothberg abandons her after observing how she is acting, Rachel comes to the conclusion that no one really wants her. Everyone just ends up abandoning her.

She decides to spend some ‘me time’ and stops answering calls and messages. To take it a step further, she even opts to bury her phone underground.

Rachel goes back to her apartment and tries to keep herself together. She keeps ordering ‘Beef Lo Mein’, a dish she dislikes.

At night, she struggles to sleep and dreams of her kids and Toby. She eventually gets out of her apartment, only to realize that she spent weeks in isolation.

Back at her apartment, she checks the letters she has received from her assistant and then goes to meet her client, Alejandra, who has now ended her professional relationship with Rachel.

After realizing what Rachel has been through, Libby came to the conclusion that she should’ve heard her side as well. She puts Rachel to sleep and listens to Toby’s voicemail, where he is apologizing to her.

Review

• The seventh episode certainly gives a new perspective to this story about Toby’s divorce. Much like Libby, even the viewers will realize that they shouldn’t have hated Rachel before knowing where she is in life.
• Claire Danes gets one episode dedicated to her character, and she gives a performance to look out for. Danes carefully embodies Rachel’s sadness and her breakdowns, which leave a lasting impact on audiences.
• Lastly, the one takeaway from the episode is that it’s long and sometimes repeats the scenarios the viewers already know about.

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Also Read: Is Vantablack from Fleishman Is in Trouble real?