HBO’s lovely, slice-of-life sitcom Somebody Somewhere returns for its final season on Sunday October 27. The show, created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, stars Bridget Everett (Patti Cake$) as Sam Miller, a woman in her 40s who returned to her hometown after the death of her sister. Sam is adrift without a career or solid relationship, but she forms a close friendship with Joel, played by Jeff Hiller. Sam and Joel have the most relatable, heartwarming friendship on TV. Here’s a refresher on everything that happened last season.
‘Somebody Somewhere’ Season 2 Was Full of Conflict for Sam
Somebody Somewhere Season 2 saw major conflict between Sam and Joel. He neglected to tell her about his boyfriend Brad (Tim Bagley), feeling that it would change their friendship too much. His instincts that she would take it personally when he got a relationship were right, but keeping it secret from her just made things worse. In the Season 2 finale, two major things forced them to come together again: the wedding of their friend Fred Rococo (Murray Hill) and the death of Darlene (Barbara Robertson), who was a music teacher to both Sam and Brad. At Darlene’s funeral, the two former best friends could put things aside and sit next to each other and apologize. Despite how much conflict there was over the season, in the end, Sam was able to open up to Joel about her issues in a way that made their friendship even deeper. By Fred’s wedding at the end of the Season 2 finale, the friendship seemed fully repaired.
Another major conflict in Season 2 happened between Sam and her sister Tricia Miller (Mary Catherine Garrison). Tricia revealed that their deceased sister Holly was diagnosed with cancer much earlier than Sam knew. Sam was stunned by the knowledge that Holly told Tricia before her, especially since it came with the revelation that she first tried going without any treatment. Upon hearing this news, Sam angrily insisted that she never would’ve allowed that. Their fight gave Sam insights she needed to repair her conflict with Joel, since Tricia told her that she pushes people away anytime she thinks they’ve made any kind of mistake. At the end of Season 2, Tricia asked Sam if she’s willing to forgive Holly. After a heavy pause, Sam reluctantly said, “It’s cool.”
Related
The 16 Most Underrated Shows on Max Right Now (July 2024)
Check out these great underseen titles available now on Max.
Will Sam Find Love or a Career on ‘Somebody Somewhere’?
Season 2 of Somebody Somewhere also saw the return of Drew (Brian King), Sam’s neighbor who she had chemistry with before he was abruptly arrested for dealing fentanyl in Season 1. Upon his return, their flirtation resumed. In the hilarious final scene of Season 2, Sam drunkenly went to his house for a booty call. When she threw her shoe at his window in an attempt to wake him up, she accidentally broke his window. Hopefully, Season 3 will pick up right where the finale left off because it will be great to see Drew’s reaction. So far, his scenes with Sam have been electric. With the show going into its final season, this could be an endgame romance.
Meanwhile, Tricia found her dream career after she was tasked with planning Fred Rococo’s wedding. Seeing Tricia thrive makes sense. Despite setbacks in Season 1 when she fought with her business partner, she’s always been the more driven of the sisters. One of the big questions for Somebody Somewhere Season 3 is if Sam will find a similarly fulfilling career. So much of the show is about how adrift Sam is for a woman her age. Could that change in the final season, or will the show end on the melancholy note it handles so well, with the main character coping but not finding real success? After Darlene’s death, one obvious direction to go with would be Sam taking over giving voice lessons to her clients.
Where Is Sam’s Dad on ‘Somebody Somewhere’?
Another big question before the final season of Somebody Somewhere is what the show will do about Ed Miller, Sam’s dad. After giving a wonderful performance in Season 1, the actor Mike Hagerty sadly passed away in between seasons. In Season 2, the writers wrote out the character by having him traveling. In the season premiere, Tricia said that he was on a sailing trip. In the final season, they may choose to write Ed passing away rather than continuing to have the characters refer to letters he’s written. However, this seems unlikely based on how they’ve handled the character so far. Scenes like the one where Sam tears up on the phone as she talks about how hard it is working on the farm without Ed, or Fred’s wedding speech in which he says that if only Ed could be there he would be his best man, have so much emotional weight that they feel like a proper send off to Hagerty, even though in the universe of the show Ed is still alive.
Somebody Somewhere has always been more about quiet moments than big plot turns. While there are certainly things a final season could wrap up, ultimately this is a hangout show. It’s more about seeing these characters spend time together and finding small moments of joy than about what exactly will happen to them.
Somebody Somewhere is available to stream in the U.S. on Max.
Sam is a true Kansan on the surface but beneath it all struggles to fit the hometown mold. As she grapples with loss and acceptance, singing is Sam’s saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders that don’t fit in but don’t give up, showing that finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. Anywhere. Somewhere.
- Release Date
- January 16, 2022
- Creator
- Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen
- Cast
- Bridget Everett , Jeff Hiller , Mary Catherine Garrison , Danny McCarthy , Mike Hagerty , Murray Hill , Jane Drake Brody
- Main Genre
- Comedy
Watch on Max
