Summary
WeWork hosts a festival specifically for staff, but Rebekah ruins the celebrations with a controversial comment on gender roles. Anne Hathaway delivers again in another well-written installment.
This recap of the Apple TV+ series WeCrashed season 1, episode 3, “Summer Camp,” does not contain spoilers.
WeCrashed season 1, episode 3 recap
Episode three opens with a montage that reveals the ugly truth of WeWork’s communal workspace, where partying and employment merge into a murky grey area. New employees are introduced to this unique environment of shots, store cupboard sex, and T-shirts fired from a gun. Following our unknown worker, this haunting opening envisions a world of forced fun and dangerous unprofessionalism, ending with a bus trip to a festival hosted by WeWork, titled “Summer Camp”. This costly festival is the main focus of the episode, entwined with an emotional back story from Rebekah.
That harrowing montage is the backbone of this episode. An idealized workplace, which under the surface is actually an inappropriate, hostile work environment. The secrets of WeWork are slowly unraveled through a seemingly insignificant speech, which descends into outright controversy. Adam and Rebekah Neumann arrive at the festival via helicopter, three hours late. Adam livens the crowd with a motivational chant, then passes the mic to his wife. She awkwardly explains how she supports Adam and that it is the ‘woman’s role to help a man manifest his own destiny.” A publicity nightmare, staff start to worry this anti-feminist statement may go viral.
Through flashbacks, we learn more about Rebekah’s past. The cousin of Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, she wishes to follow in the A-lister’s footsteps. Her father is accused of fraud and she cares for her sick brother. Each story unveils another aspect of this complex character. Anne Hathaway is stunning as this flawed individual, who must now face the coming onslaught of social media scrutiny. It is clever plotting, Rebekah realizing who she truly is by dipping into her past and dealing with this latest challenge in the present.
The ending
Adam’s crisis management team attempt to solve this dilemma against the backdrop of silent discos and jet-ski jousting. A hilarious concept that works perfectly, this is a well-crafted hour of TV that brings some much-needed fun to this destructive genre, without forgetting the emotional aspect. Again there are some witty scenes as the ridiculous nature of this business starts to catch up with its founders. Rebekah refuses to read an apology written by a room of lawyers and asks for a listening party instead. The meeting allows employees to vent their complaints, informing Rebekah about poor pay and irresponsible work etiquette. An enlightened Rebekah fights back.
WeCrashed continues to be an entertaining and meaningful dive into the insanity of the start-up. It was a welcomed change to focus more on Anne Hathaway’s character, allowing for an injection of some authentic heart to a story mainly concerned with money and greed. An all-around quality production.
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