‘Togetherness’ Recap: Season One, Episode Two, “Handcuffs”

After an uneventful, but ultimately charming pilot, we get to know the foursome a bit better in “Handcuffs,” which, as you may have guessed, explores newfound domination desires.

…previously on Togetherness.

We first see Brett (Mark Duplass), trekking through the woodsy outskirts of Los Angeles, boom mic in hand. He stops in his tracks when he hears a coyote, but out of excitement, not fear. After he records some solid howling, he comes face-to-face with the culprit himself but, instead of cowering, Brett greets the coyote in a very un-Brett-like fashion with a genuine, “Hey.” We don’t have this play-it-safe, granola-pushing pansy figured out just yet. Cut to his wife, Michelle (Melanie Lynskey), who’s back home enjoying her (almost) alone time as she loads up on eyeliner and struggles with a pair of pantyhose all while singing to her youngest, Frank, whose perched on the bed, binky in mouth, watching his mama relive the ’90s for a brief moment. Before her sister, Tina (Amanda Peet), barges in and cramps her one-woman show, this is the first we’ve seen Michelle happy and it slowly becomes clear that Brett and Michelle are strangers to each other. It might not have always been this way, but marriage and two kids later, this couple is the best version of themselves while apart.

Over lunch, Michelle confesses to Tina that sex with Brett has become so stale and, for the most part, nonexistent because he never seems to want to try anything new. After some prying, Tina convinces Michelle to indulge in her dominatrix fantasy, and take baby steps by buying some handcuffs and jumping his bones as soon as he gets in from work. Speaking of work, we learn that Brett is a sound mixer at one of the major studios in Los Angeles, where he’s excited to show off his authentic coyote recordings. The director, however, is appalled by the animal intrusion and wants the Alaskan wolf sounds back even though it’s probably pretty obvious Alaskan wolves aren’t native to the Los Angeles area, where the Criminal Minds-esque crime show takes place. After getting into a somewhat uncomfortable tiff with the director and later, his boss, we learn a couple things about Brett that help us better understand why he’s so friggen unlikable.

Brett is frustrated. He’s not old enough to be allowed a mid-life crisis, but he’s too old to whine and complain that adult life is too hard and no one “gets it” or, more specifically, gets him. He’s desperate to have control over not just everything in his Brett bubble but also everyone around him: the director, the production assistants who waste the catered platters, Michelle — especially Michelle — which is why her valiant effort to spice up their sex life fails miserably. Even before she accidentally smacked one of his balls while trying out some good ol’ fashioned spanking, Brett could not find it in himself to give up control to let Michelle simply try something new. He’s forgotten was spontaneity looks like, hammered home when he asks if he can “run and get a banana” to avoid a “sugar crash” after his wife has just finished handcuffing him. You want to reach out and smack Brett then maybe get him drunk to loosen him up and ask when the hell he became so uptight. From the look on her face, Michelle might be passed the point of inquiry and looks like she might be taking her own journey to thirty something enlightenment.

Meanwhile, Tina and Alex (Steve Zissis) are slowly becoming best buds after Tina motivates him to get his ass off the couch with ice water to the face and a quick flash of the boobs. Tina is unrelenting this episode: convincing Alex to change his hair, audition for leading roles rather than supporting, and letting her train him. Their dynamic is interesting because she has as little together as he, but she genuinely enjoys helping other people rekindle with the best parts of themselves. Whether it’s pushing Michelle to let the lead out in the sack or making Alex throw out an entire pizza to kickstart his diet, Tina sees people for who they want to be and it will be interesting to see how she motivates Brett in some manner before inevitably having to face her own demons.

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