Dhruv Trivedi
‘Physical’ episode 9 feels like we’ve gone back in time and wound up at the beginning again, only now we know how things got here. Danny is back to being his (unsuccessfully) unfaithful, belligerent self, and Sheila is once again losing the battle against her eating disorder. However, others have since evolved, and our acidic leading lady finds inspiration where she least expects it. Many of the show’s central characters seem to finally be embracing what they have kept bottled up for long, leading to some wild turning points in the story. Let’s jump right in and see what went down in ‘Physical’ episode 9. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Physical Episode 9 Recap
The episode opens at a chaotic campaign event at the beach where Danny plans to give a speech. Sheila, who is well and truly in the dog house after her financial deceptions are discovered in the previous episode, leaves early on account of Maya, but not before being subject to some gloating comments from Jerry, who is making the most of the new dynamic. Try as she might, our flustered heroine, almost bursting with frustration, can’t help herself and ends up buying a huge order of junk food that she eats and gives to her daughter as well whilst chanting “fill her up” repeatedly in her mind.
She later runs into Greta, who is cold at first but eventually accepts Sheila’s teary-eyed apology and opens up about how she and Ernie have truly connected for the first time and are discovering entirely new sides of each other. She even shows Sheila her freshly mowed head, which surprises and even slightly impresses the generally guarded woman, who eventually admits to Greta that she has difficulty opening up to other women. With their friendship restored, the two then meet at another one of Danny’s political campaign events. There, Sheila runs into John Breem, who has watched her video and compliments her instincts, telling her that she is sitting on a gold mine.
Physical Episode 9 Ending: How Did Sheila’s Aerobics Video Get Stolen?
Sheila, who had lost confidence in her home video workout idea since the discovery of her financial mismanagement, begins to realize that perhaps her aerobics idea is better than following Danny around and finally opens up to Greta. The two leave the event and drive off to pick up Bunny and Tyler and then head to the house of the man that has been selling bootleg copies of Sheila’s tape. A few pointed threats are all that is needed, and he soon gives back the many copies of the exercise tape he has, as well as the significant money he has earned from selling them, which Sheila promptly splits with Bunny.
Meanwhile, Danny is angry at Sheila for bailing on his event and shares his frustrations with his young former student Simone, who hints that Shiela might have an eating disorder. Danny remains oblivious to what his wife might be going through and the two soon begin to get intimate, only to be interrupted by Maya. A disappointed Danny puts his daughter to bed, only to find that Simone has left by the time he returns. He heads down to the basement where he sees Sheila stacking a shelf with copies of her exercise tape. Upon asking, she tells him that that is how they are going to win.
So Sheila seems to have started this episode at possibly one of her lowest points, which is made worse because her exercise tapes are being bootlegged behind her back. It is brought to her notice by Bunny, who gets suspicious when a group of women shows up at her studio for classes, citing her exercise tapes. Considering Bunny hasn’t sold any of the tapes and Tyler only made a few copies, they soon realize that someone is making illegal copies of the aerobics tapes and selling them. In fact, even the tape that John Breem’s wife watches at home is an illegal copy.
It turns out to be one of Tyler’s sketchy friends who steals the tape while Tyler is passed out after eating some drug-laced baked goods. When he wakes up, his friend convinces him to buy an expensive surfboard from him, at which point the absent-minded cameraman probably forgets that he’s left Sheila’s tape with his friend. Interestingly, the surfboard in question also gets broken in two in this episode; something Tyler bemoans as bad luck. However, it might just be an auspicious sign since they are able to recover the tapes and money soon after from the very same friend who sold him the board.
What is Going On With Greta?
Greta has evolved into a completely new character since her confrontation with her husband in the previous episode. Having realized the importance of sharing their innermost desires, Greta and Ernie seem to have ignited a so far unseen passion for each other which has brought them closer. As a result, Greta is now brimming with confidence, so much so that she is able to inspire the generally guarded Sheila to open up and share her feelings.
Sheila had always looked down upon her overweight, underconfident friend, who constantly craved other people’s approval. However, she now forces herself, possibly for the first time, to tell Greta how she actually feels and confesses that she wants to recover her tapes. The new, confident Greta is only too happy to help and be included in the adventure and even spits out some threatening lines (which feel especially menacing with her newly shaved head) at the man who stole Sheila’s tapes.
Is John Breem Trying to Help Sheila?
John Breem seems to be genuinely trying to help Sheila when he compliments her instincts and tells her that she is sitting on a gold mine. Though she doesn’t admit it and is quite rude to the wealthy property developer, the budding aerobics celebrity also knows that he is right and, in the end, follows his advice and tracks down the bootlegger. Her suspicion of Breem comes from the fact that he is funding Danny’s rival’s political campaign, which makes him a natural opponent to her. However, though she doesn’t see it yet, Breem seems to have a deep-seated admiration for her which has only been hinted at so far.
Read More: Where is Physical Filmed?
