Saagar Kote
Jessica Salmon, a New Yorker seeking a fresh start, moves to London in Netflix’s romantic drama ‘Too Much.’ The series explores complex themes of love and relationships, offering an emotionally resonant viewing experience. The previous episode ended with a chaotic party during which Jonno, the protagonist’s boss, gets physically aggressive with Felix due to his past with his daughter, Viola. A drug-influenced Jess leaves the party with Felix, and the two have an intense conversation about each other’s red flags. Despite a chaotic night, they kiss each other passionately, deepening their bond. SPOILERS AHEAD.
A Case of Music and Drugs
Jess goes to Hackney Donkey Fest to meet Felix and his friends. Felix introduces her to his friends Auggie, Eoin, Pamela, Denby, and three women who call themselves ‘Polly A,’ ‘Polly WP, ‘ and ‘Polly NTD.’ The presence of three women with the same name confuses Jess. As a band called Push Tuck starts performing, the protagonist gets curious about which one of the three women with the same name used to be Felix’s lover, until she notices a tattoo that says ‘FELIX’ on Polly A’s back.
It also disturbs Jess that Polly A. is beautiful and has known Felix for a decade, but she now treats him like a child. The three women reveal that they all care for Felix and that he tells them everything. They also suspect that the musician might still be doing drugs and is lying about his sobriety. The situation makes Jess uncomfortable, after which she proceeds to indulge in the ketamine offered to her, despite her initial refusal because of all the memories it will trigger.
She ends up consuming too much of it and has a conversation with Polly A, who tells her that she shouldn’t be jealous of her past with Felix, as it is irrelevant now. Jess is drugged to a level where she starts seeing Polly as a cat. Polly tries to comfort her and says that she and Felix are just friends now and had a toxic relationship in the past. After the protagonist starts singing weirdly, Polly asks her to leave and rest. Jess goes home and lies down on the bathroom floor with her dog Astrid. She starts thinking about her past with Zev.
A Painful Visit to the Past
A lengthy compilation of flashback sequences reveals Jess’s past with her former lover. Eight years ago in Brooklyn, Jess meets Zev at a bar. He helps her get pizza vouchers for free and dances with her. They continue to talk and end up getting intimate later that night. As time passes, Zev and Jess are in a relationship, and he wishes her a happy birthday. In another scene, Zev is at Jess’s house playing cards with her family members, with whom he seems to have built a great bond. Another sequence shows the couple cleaning Zev’s apartment as they move in together. Zev asks Jess for her opinion on his writing as a critic and says she always gives him the same answers. Jess starts feeling less intellectual around Zev and his friends, who seem to be on a different wavelength.
After they attend her nephew’s play, he tells her he’s always writing, but she prefers watching silly TV shows. He also expresses his irritation and contempt when Jess says that she wants a dog. When she gets a pet, and it accidentally gets involved in an incident, he tells her that she can’t even handle her dog, which means that she definitely can’t handle a kid if they ever have one. He also forces her to give up the animal. At a party, Zev meets Wendy Jones, and when Jess sees them having a conversation, she starts getting insecure.
Zev exhibits poor conduct with her and keeps criticizing her for mundane things like her choice of clothing. He becomes distant and starts spending more time with Wendy. In a moment of desperation for love, Jess gets intimate with a co-worker who treats her nicely. After some days, she finds out that she is pregnant. When she tells this to Zev, he behaves in an extremely rude manner and instantly supports her decision to get an abortion. She is left devastated. He doesn’t show any care or remorse for her. Jess tells him that he only wants to dominate her and control her.
Zev uses expletives on her and breaks up with her. She proceeds to get an abortion and moves out of Zev’s place back to her mother’s house. On the way, she spots a rescue shelter and brings home Astrid. As the narrative shifts to the present day, Felix comes to her London apartment and comforts her. He confirms that he is actually sober and cares deeply about her. For the first time in their relationship, Jess tells Felix that she loves him. However, he says he doesn’t know how to say it back and makes her some tea. Jess becomes even more emotional.
A Scuffle and a Misunderstanding
Jess starts believing that she is wrong to worry about Wendy and blames her mom for the lack of a strong male figure in her life. Felix and his band play at a local pub, and after a disappointing performance, an argument breaks out between Auggie and Felix. Auggie tells him that he let Felix stay for cheap at his place, and Felix replies that Auggie sounds like a different person, and is just a womanizer who doesn’t care about music. Jess wears a seductive outfit and opens the door to Felix, who doesn’t seem to be in the mood. He enters with his luggage and says that he wants to move in with Jess since Auggie and he had an argument. Jess changes into her regular clothes and believes that Felix is just lying to find an excuse to move in. Felix gets angry and leaves, saying he will stay with Polly.
After leaving Astrid in Gaz’s care, Jess travels with her work team and Jim to Christmas Village in a big van to scout the location for the Christmas advertisement. Upon reaching the spot, Jim is overwhelmed by Jess’s loud presence and says that he wants to observe the place quietly. Meanwhile, Felix cooks for Polly at her place and has a conversation with her about his life and relationships. In New York, Lois is worried about Nora and her state of depression. Lois also greets a handsome man, her date for the day, but continues to worry when Nora refuses to get out of bed. At the Christmas Village, the team members go their own way for the evening, which leaves Jess and Jim alone.
The Question of Love and Loyalty
Jess and Jim go to a local pub for dinner, and Jim criticizes armchair critics on Letterboxd. He proceeds to talk about his ex-wife, while Jess talks about Zev. The two continue their conversation while taking a walk back to the hotel and connect on their love for movies. In an unexpected moment, they kiss and proceed to Jim’s room. As they try to get intimate, Jim tells her he loves her, which turns off Jess, who realizes that he’s imagining her as his ex-wife. She says that their encounter was a mistake and leaves. Polly and Felix have a conversation about his relationship with Jess. She believes that Felix is sacrificing his true self to make Jess happy, and also wonders what it would’ve been like if she and Felix had stayed together.
She asks him if he remembers how it was when they first got intimate and proceeds to kiss him. Felix refuses her advances and indicates that he genuinely loves Jess. In a heartwarming moment, Jess arrives outside Polly’s place and calls out for Felix. When he comes outside, she tells him that she really wants him to move in with her. They go back to her apartment and have a conversation about music, and Felix tells her to sing a song that makes her feel powerful. As Felix plays the guitar and Jess sings Kesha’s song ‘Praying,’ a montage shows Nora reaching extreme depression, Kim and Josie getting intimate, and Boss and Raven getting closer.
Read More: Too Much Ending Explained
