Summary
There’s plenty of drama as tensions rise in a more engaging second episode. Expect sordid affairs, vicious rivalries, and a whole lot of spandex.
This recap of the Apple TV+ series Physical season 2, episode 2, “Don’t You Ever Stop,” contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
The premiere ended with our saucy Sheila sneaking out of her marital bed to go and pay John Breem a visit in the middle of the night. Their affair continues in episode two, “Don’t You Ever Stop”, with Sheila struggling to get through a day of work without fantasizing about hot, steamy sex with the businessman. She’s become obsessed and obsession is the hot topic of the moment, with other major cast members giving in to their own addictions in an improved second instalment.
Physical season 2, episode 2 recap
Those naughty thoughts come to Sheila as she rehearses during a sound check at the local fair. This is a big advertising opportunity for the fitness mogul, who is finding it difficult to sell to unimpressed housewives one at a time. Sheila has far greater dreams for her workout video, wanting to reach the largest audience possible. Whilst she prepares for her most important sales pitch yet, husband Danny tries to hold the fort back at home, still showing enthusiasm for his new role.
Danny quickly finds that he’s been used by the parenting committee for child care, left alone with single mother Wanda and a room filled with bored children. Greta ditches the meeting to go and support Sheila at the fair, leaving the two alone with the kids. Danny is visibly overwhelmed but sparks a conversation with Wanda over their shared desire for change. The politician can’t help himself, drawn back to the limelight once more, eager to use the committee to feed his own goals.
Mirroring the Rubin’s marriage, John’s home life appears stagnant and void of life also, with the mall owner zoning out at the dinner table. Meanwhile, Bunny watches Sheila’s tape religiously, analyzing every aspect of it. She’s utterly obsessed with the workout video, jealous of Sheila and her stolen success. Bunny realizes that roller-skating just won’t do as a competing workout tape, because the consumer would be unable to perform the routine from the comfort of their own home.
Episode one was light on the comedy and the drama for that matter, but the second chapter delivers on both fronts. There’s a hilarious exchange between Greta and Sheila, backstage at the fair. Greta notices an unmistakable adult handprint on Sheila’s buttocks, which leads to an awkward conversation. Sheila blames Danny, although we all know who the real culprit is. Greta doles out the humor with her honest reaction, claiming it is unhealthy but hot. She passes Sheila some cover up and a business card for a divorce lawyer.
The performance goes well with most of the crowd participating in the workout, although Sheila suffers a twinge of pain during the act and has to revert to a slower pace to mask her injury. Viewers are left unsure what this pain could be, but I’m confident it will become an integral plot point later in the series. After the performance, Sheila does a meet and greet with fans, managing to sell a few more copies of VHS. Her fans ask an array of questions but mainly focus on food-related issues. Internally Sheila quips about her eating problems, yet lies out loud. Maybe the housewife isn’t prepared for this level of responsibility or just feels like a fraud overall. The drama continues when Bunny arrives, kicking up a fuss and declaring the routine to be stolen. Auggie isn’t best pleased with the messy theatrics, though he is easily convinced Bunny is the problem not Sheila. Thankfully, things are starting to gear up on the show.
The ending
Danny and Wanda take the kids to the beach to protest John’s construction work and the father ends up being arrested. In a creepy change of pace, Sheila comes home to find John in her house with her daughter. He explains Danny’s imprisonment and demands Sheila apologize to him. There’s something really wrong with this man, bringing unusually potent tension to an otherwise breezy tone. Sheila asks for him to leave and then receives a message that her father has died. Quite the rollercoaster of a day for our ambitious protagonist.
Physical will return next Friday, hopefully capitalizing on this momentum and continuing to progress the story ever forwards. There is lots of set-up in place with those first two installments and I’m now eager to see how it all plays out. The show has potential to become a really engaging character study with an exceptional cast and crew on hand.
What did you think of the Apple TV+ series Physical season 2, episode 2? Comment below.
