Dhruv Trivedi
‘Physical’ episode 8 finds Danny and Sheila still in Los Angeles, picking up the pieces after their failed fundraiser. However, Sheila seems to have walked away with a cheque for a cool $5000 from her parents, but at what cost? There are a lot of interesting personal details that are revealed in this tender episode as many emotional walls are broken down to reveal the murky depths of the characters. We also get a glimpse into Sheila’s past, and Jerry seems to have stumbled upon some sensitive information. Let’s take a closer look at all that went down in ‘Physical’ episode 8. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Physical Episode 8 Recap
The episode opens with the resolution of the previous episode’s cliffhanger as we see John Breem’s wife rescue him from the swimming pool. The wealthy god-fearing property developer remains dejected and responds strangely to his wife’s concerned questions, finally saying that he’s unhappy. When his son later tries to ask him whether everything is ok, Breem once again brushes off his son’s concerns and goes back into the house, only to see his wife vigorously working out to Sheila’s aerobics video.
Meanwhile, Sheila is welcomed into the house by her parents, where she remains tense and seems hesitant even to let them have a picture of her daughter Maya. She eventually makes a deal to let them see their granddaughter in exchange for $5000 (and hates herself for it). She comes back and shows Danny the cheque, who is appalled at where she got it from and tries to tear it. Sheila stops him, and they decide to stop at her parents’ house on their way back home.
Greta finally confronts her husband about the incriminating tape in which he is seen shaving the heads of multiple women. To her surprise, he is ashamed and tells her that all the women in the video volunteered to be in it and that he never told her because he didn’t want her to know how strange he was. They have an intense argument that soon turns passionate as Ernie begins to get attracted to Greta’s freshly shaved head. Suffice it to say: the spice is back in their marriage, probably more than ever before.
Physical Episode 8 Ending: What Does Jerry Discover in the Identical Diaries?
On their way back home, Sheila and Danny stop at her parents’ house where she goes in, and finds them waiting to meet their granddaughter. Sheila instead tells them that they will not get to see her and starts breaking things out of frustration. As she screams at her parents, it is revealed that she was molested as a child by her father’s college friend and that all these years later, they still refuse to acknowledge that it happened. She then storms out of the house and, after smashing some more of her parents’ garden ornaments, gets into the car with Danny and drives off.
A surprise awaits her when she gets home as Jerry, whilst cleaning up the mess he made in the house when Sheila and Danny were away, finds two identical diaries hidden in a drawer. He confronts Sheila when she comes back and asks her what is going on. As is the case all too often, the episode closes with Sheila once again stuck in her lie with no easy way out.
The diaries that Jerry discovers contain two versions of Sheila’s accounts— one that she’s been sharing with Danny and Jerry, and the other (real) one which records her (literally!) eating into their savings $50 at a time as she goes on her junk food eating benders. Jerry is so smug after his discovery because he now has Sheila back on the defensive after being put down by her multiple times recently. His timing for revealing her devastating lie is especially bad because Sheila and Danny have finally reconnected over their shared hatred of their Los Angeles friends and family. What moments ago was a tender conversation between the couple is suddenly turned sinister when Jerry walks in holding the two diaries, leaving Danny looking confused and Sheila looking petrified.
Why are Sheila and Danny Angry at Her Parents?
Sheila has so far proudly stated that she has broken all ties with her parents. In this episode, we find out why. Not only did they let her get molested at home by her father’s friend when she was 13, but they also refused to believe her then and continue to ignore it to this day. It suddenly becomes clear why Sheila is so curt with her parents and refuses to let her daughter see them. We also find that Danny feels as strongly about them as Sheila, if not even more. When she suggests that they let her parents have one supervised visit with Maya, he flatly refuses. He tells Sheila to no longer consider them as family and that he and Maya are all that she needs.
Sheila and Danny seem to find common ground in their hatred for her parents, and we get to see a supportive, tender side of the husband that is rarely seen so far. He also proves to be more righteous than Sheila as he would rather tear up the check (which is for a huge amount) than ever acquiesce to any of his in-law’s wishes. From what he says, we can glean that he holds them both equally responsible for what happened to Sheila by not acknowledging her tragedy. It’s no surprise that he watches with satisfaction as his wife smashes up her parents’ house and garden.
Why is John Breem Unhappy?
John Breem seems to be going through a particularly dark phase that he just can’t seem to shake off. After almost drowning in his pool, the otherwise suave and confident property developer tells his wife that he feels unhappy— as if God has left his side. This is as serious a claim as any for the god-fearing family, and his wife and son seem quite concerned and helpless at his state.
A couple of things could be getting Breem down, the first of which is his advancing age. He seems to be the kind of man who has always controlled the world around him, and the fact that he has now reached the age that his father was when he died, he possibly feels the coils of mortality tightening around him.
Furthermore, he could also be feeling guilty because of his secret obsession with Sheila. Though not explicitly stated as yet, we have seen him look at her keenly on more than one occasion. For a man as religious and conservative as Breem, having feelings for another woman despite having a loving wife would most likely result in feelings of overwhelming guilt, which could be what has got him so low.
Read More: Is Physical Based on a True Story?
