Easy Review: Three’s a Crowd

This review of Easy Season 3, Episode 1, “Swipe Right” contains spoilers. The third season of Easy is going to be the final to land on Netflix. You can read our season review by clicking these words.

From what I’ve read, and watched, in various fictional materials, an open marriage serves a purpose, an unselfish one on both sides of the relationship, where it’s understood that one missing element can be sourced elsewhere. You may get 90% of what you want from the marriage, but that 10%, that drive to rip off each other’s clothes at the end of the night isn’t there, and that’s fine, it’s biology. In Easy Season 3, Episode 1, “Swipe Right”, I believe we are witnessing a potential snag in Andi (Elizabeth Reaser) and Kyle’s (Michael Chernus) open marriage.

There’s a scene, in particular, that is very well-acted, where they meet what I presume is their marriage counselor. Kyle appears frustrated by the fact that their experiences are not shared; that he seems to be the only one taking advantage of the open marriage. Andi’s concern is that she’s way too busy, even though the open marriage was her idea. It’s a strange notion that despite it not being a traditional marriage, the same issues arise.

Episode 1, “Swipe Right”, sees Kyle wounded by one of his partners. He is unable to offer more than the 10%, so Amy calls off their “relationship”, but you can tell the character is distraught by losing her in this way. He does a surprisingly good job in not showing it, even agreeing to be friends with her genuinely. As for Andi, at a dinner party with friends, she considers utilizing the open marriage for the first time and tentatively raises this to Ryan; what I found admirable about this scenario is that Kyle cannot be selfish because he feels wounded, and he gives her his blessing.

Later on in “Swipe Right”, Kyle meets up with Amy for a friendly hang out, but it soon becomes a night where he becomes her wingman to another man. He puts on an exceptional performance of being just a friend, and even leaves Amy so she can continue her night with her new romantic interest. Kyle decides to meet up with a recent Tinder match that he is not exactly interested in, but she likes him, and he decides to go to her place and have sex anyway. It’s almost like the open marriage is still not fulfilling his needs, and he has become slightly lost since the break up with Amy.

As for Andi, she is experiencing something new and exciting for the first time with Ryan; they’ve known each other for years, and end up kissing. The only issue is that Ryan is in a closed marriage, and there’s a silent acknowledgement which prompts them both to stop. At the end of the night, Andi and Kyle return home, and share each other’s night briefly, declare their love for each other and then sit in darkness on their phones.

You can interpret the first episode of the third season of Easy in various ways; you could argue that the open marriage is working and that Kyle is merely suffering from one of the cons of the concept. Kyle is respecting the rules, but you can almost tell he is keeping his feelings on the side. As for Andi, she mentions earlier in the episode that she loves the safety and security from Kyle’s love, but scientifically, as they’ve been together for so long, it has proven difficult to continue their sex life, but you get the sense that her love for Kyle strongly outweighs the importance of sex. She seems always to say “I love you” first. Kyle seems much more eager to have sex than his wife.

But you could also argue that “Swipe Right” was an indication of a failing open marriage, and despite the concept, both sides are not communicating enough on their daily encounters. The pair are attempting to abide by the rules, but it’s challenging. Episode 1 purposefully keeps the answer at bay for the audience to fill in the gaps.

You can read the review of the second episode by clicking these words.