Note: This story contains spoilers from “Platonic” Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2.
By the time “Platonic” picks up for Season 2, Seth Rogen’s Will and Rose Byrne’s Sylvia are closer than ever, with Sylvia stepping in to help plan Will’s impending wedding to Jenna (Rachel Rosenbloom). There’s just one problem, though: the relationship might not be the right thing for Will.
“Will is in a relationship that maybe on its surface seems healthy and has a lot of potential, but very close under the surface is pretty unhealthy and probably should not continue,” Rogen told TheWrap. “But he really wants to feel like someone who has his life together, and feel like a responsible, normal man in his 40s, so he’s ignoring a lot of red flags, I guess, that Sylvia very clearly sees.”
While Sylvia might see some of these red flags, she makes her best effort not to intervene in Will’s relationship given the mess that transpired the last time she did, and gives her best shot at having a “typical friendship” with both Will and Jenna.
“They’re trying to be like, ‘Let’s have dinner. We’ll be normal,’” Byrne told TheWrap, adding that Jenna and Will are “just so different.” “I’ve had that in my life where I’m like, ‘Okay, I need to reframe. I love my friend. I need to figure out how to relate to this person they’re with — that’s their choice.’ She does try, I think, in the best way, and initially is kind of going well, [then] quickly devolves.”
The first sign of trouble for Sylvia comes when Will insists on dipping out of his engagement party (which Sylvia planned) to restock on champagne, and then makes a detour where he introduces Sylvia to his crush, a young employee at a local sandwich shop. While Sylvia shakes off a crush as just a crush and rushes Will to get back to the engagement party, Rogen said Will was likely hoping the visit would push Sylvia to tell him not to get married.
“[He] doesn’t want to do it himself, and is too cowardly to acknowledge it, but is hoping that she will be like, ‘you shouldn’t get married. This isn’t for you,’” Rogen said. “He wants it to be her responsibility to pull the ripcord, because he, himself, is just too scared to have that conversation.”
Instead, Sylvia tries even harder to connect with Jenna, who is, naturally, rather unhappy with the duo’s excursion during the engagement party, with Sylvia inviting Will and Jenna over for dinner at her home. As can be expected, the dinner party doesn’t go too smoothly, as Will and Jenna bicker the night away.
“It’s quite an awkward, tense evening,” Byrne said, adding “that’s a very relatable experience — having dinners with friends who are couples and … revealing dynamics between people.”
“What they think is a normal dynamic … you’re like, ‘this is not a normal [dynamic],’” Rogen said. “They think it’s a fun night out with friends, and you’re like, ‘you guys are terrible to one another, you shouldn’t be together.’”
While Sylvia makes her best effort to form a friendship outside of Will with Jenna, the tables turn when, while the pair are out for dinner in Episode 2, Jenna tells Sylvia she’s no longer intimidated by her friendship with Will, saying that Sylvia is “nothing,” which leaves Sylvia speechless.
“Initially she’s sort of gaslit, like ‘wait, what? Would she really say that? What did she mean? Is that me, am I overthinking it?’ and then she comes home to Charlie, and loses her s–t,” Byrne said. “It’s a strange, weird comment to make. It’s one of those things that you would just ruminate on for the rest of your night, at least.”
While Sylvia and her husband, Charlie (Luke Macfarlane), are on the observing end of Will and Jenna’s relationship woes, Season 2 sees the situations reverse as Sylvia struggles with her own issues in her family and professional life, which, in turn, forces Will into a positions.
“Both their lives are not going that well, but they’re trying to have more boundaries with one another and be more respectful of one another’s lives, but at the same time, can’t help but see the reality of one another’s lives,” Rogen said, adding that “it’s a constant balance” for both Will and Sylvia on when to and when not to weigh in on the other’s troubles.
“They’re very bad at deciding what to do with those situations, but they want the best for the other person,” Rogen said. “They genuinely have very poor boundaries with one another. They really do shock me.”
“Platonic” Season 2 drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
