Summary
Sheila’s breakdown is captured in horrifying detail in “Material Girl,” yet the series continues to be repetitive, with the same old plot going round and round in circles once again. The series offers a realistic depiction of addiction and certain disorders, but it is still frustrating to see the same storyline being repeated nonetheless.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Physical Season 3 Episode 4, “Material Girl,” which contains significant spoilers.
Sheila (Rose Byrne) may have already had multiple run-ins with the imaginary version of Kelly Kilmartin (Zooey Deschanel), but in “Material Girl,” the rivals finally meet for the first time in real-life, face to face at the 1983 National Health and Fitness Expo.
This encounter, of course, ends in disaster for Sheila, who was riding high until this fateful meeting.
Physical Season 3 Episode 4 Recap
We begin with Sheila and Greta entering the 1983 National Health and Fitness Expo together. Sheila is amazed by the scope of this expo and feels proud about how much she has achieved in such a short period of time.
They head straight to their Hartman Foods stand.
Sheila sells tons of the product, using flirtation and lies to push the fat-free cookies onto the unsuspecting public. Kelly is always in the back of her mind, though, commenting on their poor location in the expo and the drastic, demeaning methods Sheila must use to make a living.
Why is Kelly Kilmartin at the expo?
While exploring the expo, Sheila spots the real Kelly Kilmartin. The TV star is promoting a diet pill called Trim-Quix, with a large crowd queuing to see her in person. Before plucking up the courage to visit Kelly’s stand herself, Sheila notices Vinnie’s very own stand.
She heads over, but Vinnie isn’t there. His wife, Marika Green (Anna Gunn), greets Sheila instead. Marika explains how Vinnie is on a tour in Europe at the moment.
It soon becomes apparent that Vinnie is unwell, though, with Marika inadvertently pointing out the fact by stating the total opposite.
Sheila then visits Kelly’s popular stand. The inner voice persuades Sheila to push to the front of the queue. Kelly’s security guard questions Sheila straight away.
Sheila says that she is a celebrity, but Kelly tells the guard that she doesn’t know her. Humiliated, Sheila leaves.
How does Kelly Kilmartin know Sheila?
That night, Sheila bumps into the real Kelly Kilmartin. The TV star recognizes Sheila this time, commenting on how Sheila trashed her fitness step on live TV. This was actually a blessing in disguise, though, as Kelly ditched that product and is now promoting a diet pill instead.
Next, Kelly’s friend, Felicia Blackwell, offers Sheila the opportunity to be a model for her new line of girdles, but Sheila declines. Later, Kelly and Sheila meet again, this time in the hot tub. Kelly buys Sheila drinks, slowly getting her rival drunk.
They leave the hot tub and wander the expo alone after hours. Here they start to get to know one another better. Kelly admits that she was kicked off her TV show for asking for equal pay with her male co-star. Her dream is to be a stage performer. She then sings to Sheila to demonstrate her talents.
This leads to Sheila opening up more as well. She confesses to having an affair with a Mormon and even admits to having a voice in her head that looks and sounds like Kelly.
The night rapidly becomes a blur, with Sheila passing out on her hotel bed.
The next morning, she is woken by a phone call from Carlos. She apparently drunk-called him the night before and invited him to the expo. Sheila is unsure if the events of last night were a dream, but she is definitely hungover, that is for sure.
Sheila is rude to her customers, nursing this painful hangover while selling the cookies. She then discovers that in her drunken haze, she did agree to the modeling gig after all.
Sheila is thrown into a girdle and dress; then, she’s shoved out onto the runway. She questions Kelly’s involvement, but the TV star wishes her good luck instead.
How does Kelly Kilmartin get revenge?
The episode concludes with Sheila taking to the runway. She struggles to move or breathe in the girdle, feeling self-conscious in front of the audience. And then, to make matters worse, she starts to have a breakdown, hallucinating and spiraling out of control at the same time. It would appear Kelly has set her up for this almighty downfall. This is surely revenge for Sheila’s trash-talking of her product.
Then Sheila rips the dress and girdles off of her body. The crowd of onlookers all begin to laugh at this rebellious act. Sheila runs away, ashamed. She heads straight to her hotel room, where she begins another binge-eating session.
Physical Season 3 Episode 4 Ending Explained
Sheila puts all of the cookie products into the hotel bath with her and dines on them while the vision of Kelly watches. It’s a horrifying scene as Sheila finally succumbs to her urges, giving in to her darkest emotions.
In the very final scene, there is a knock at her door. We are expecting to be greeted by Carlos, but surprisingly it is John who is there to hopefully save her instead.
What did you think of the Apple TV+ series Physical Season 3 Episode 4? Comment below.
