Good Material

Andy convinces Sophie to try karaoke with him even though she labels it “cringe.” She refuses to sing with him and watches as he performs his favorite karaoke duet alone. She reluctantly joins in for “Wuthering Heights,” the only song that she knows, but doesn’t appear to be enjoying herself. Andy flashes back to the first time that he and Jen did karaoke together, which reminds him of how much fun they had. He doesn’t go home with Sophie even though she says that he can stay the night.

Andy does another comedy gig with Emery, who is almost too drunk to take the stage. Andy wants to talk with Thalia but shares with Emery that he is confused about his relationship with Sophie. Emery says that if the sex is good and Andy is enjoying himself, then he shouldn’t overthink it and instead focus on growing creatively. The comedy show features a list of performers varying in age and popularity, including a young comic called Archie, who uses social media to grow a large fan base, and Nick, a “washed-up” older comedian. Archie opens the show, and Michelle, an Australian, follows him. Her act pokes fun at British culture, and she jokes about responding to everything men say with “FASTER AND FUNNIER” (307). Emery goes on and sings a few songs, but the crowd joins in and loves him despite the messy set. Andy’s set is a disaster, and the crowd mocks him, with one woman repeating Michelle’s joke, “FASTER AND FUNNIER.” Michelle comes on stage and tells the crowd to calm down. After the show, everyone leaves the dressing room before Andy, the comedian courtesy for someone who’s bombed on stage.

The next day, Andy awakens to the news that an online journalist has published a scathing article about him that has gone viral. In the article, the unnamed writer labels the disastrous performance as the death knell of Andy’s career but also deems it the death of “traditional comedy” (313). The article is bad enough, but Andy dives headfirst into the comments, sending him into an existential spiral, questioning everything about himself. He convinces himself that Jen won’t be with him because of his comic failure. Emery calls to check on him but encourages Andy not to respond to the article or any of the commenters. One female commenter complains about the fact that men like Andy have jobs while she is struggling to break into the comedy scene. Emery offers to defend him, but Andy knows that he won’t because no one wants to ally with someone receiving such negative attention online. Andy doesn’t know anyone else he can talk to besides Jen and longs to have her near for support. He tries to conjure new ideas for material but is too stuck with the fear that Jen has read the article and the subsequent comments.

Andy’s agent calls him for the first time in three months. She agrees that he shouldn’t respond to the article. Andy says that he is working on new material and wants to try it in Edinburgh. She thinks that he should spend some time thinking and tells him to email when he’s “ready to talk about the next steps” (322). Sophie comes to his apartment for the first time but is distracted by closely examining everything in his room. She stares at family photos and asks about his father. Andy explains that he never knew his father. Sophie finds this sad and empathetically hugs him. The date is unromantic, and when they finish watching a movie, Sophie senses that Andy wants her to leave, but she lingers, pretending to find her scarf. Andy awkwardly states that he will mail it to her if he finds it and then recovers by lending her his scarf.

After compiling a list of possible ideas for new material, Andy decides that his new act must have a theme. However, most of his ideas aren’t inspiring. Thoughts of his relationship with Sophie distract him, and he realizes that they have made “The Flip” (328), when one partner is more invested than the other. Andy now empathizes with Jen, understanding what it’s like to be the one losing interest and trying to maintain the status quo. He also understands that this puts him in a position of power in the relationship with Sophie, which makes him uncomfortable.

Andy calls Sophie to break up with her. He explains that their relationship is confusing, and he feels that they are moving into something more serious. He needs a casual relationship since he’s still recovering from his last breakup. Sophie is audibly hurt and accuses him of only calling her (rather than breaking up over text) because he is friends with Thalia and wouldn’t live it down. Andy asks if he can see her, but she hangs up.

As he continues stalking Jen and Seb online, Andy senses that something has shifted with their relationship because they don’t post as much. All his friends get together at the pub, and Andy assumes that it’s because Jon is announcing his engagement. Instead, Jon reveals that he and his girlfriend broke up, and she moved out. Andy feels genuine empathy for Jon since he knows the long road ahead. Andy longs to pour out his feelings to Jon and assure him that he will support him through this time, but instead, he stays silent. He realizes that the night progresses like it did when he announced his breakup, with his friends giving him a pat on the back and extolling the virtues of the single life. No one offers Jon a chance to share how he feels. Then, when the other guys go to the restroom, Andy tells Jon that he can talk to him. Jon is appreciative but is too stunned to know how to express himself. Andy thinks, “I am starting to think that talking about the sadness might be the same thing as processing the sadness” (337), and he commits to being there for his friend through the process.

Avi and Jane’s house is crawling with four-year-olds for Jackson’s birthday party, and few of their parents have stayed to help. Jen is there, and she and Andy exchange pleasantries as they help manage the chaos of the party. Andy’s gift to Jackson is a Nerf gun, and he dresses in camouflage and leads the kids in a Nerf gun war, which they love. Andy steps outside for a cigarette, and Jen joins him. She and Seb aren’t together anymore, and Andy says that he was seeing someone but broke it off. They both agree that they’re not ready for relationships yet. After the party, Avi tearfully thanks Andy for helping and being such a good friend.

Andy and Jen walk to the train station together and confess that they have missed sharing their lives. Jen says, “I feel like I’ve been hoarding all this stuff in a box labeled ‘Andy.’ All these stories that I want to take out one by one and do a big show-and-tell to you” (349). They go out for tapas, and Andy shares about the houseboat failure, his career struggles, and Morris. Jen shares that she hated living with her sister and her new baby. When he tells her that he dated a 23-year-old, Jen mocks the predictability of all men, but Andy lets it go instead of turning it into a fight like he would have when they were together. After going for drinks at a bar, Jen asks Andy to come back to her apartment, and they have sex. Jen says that after seeing a movie about a divorce, she listed everything that she loved about him but won’t let him see the list. Andy stays the night, convinced that this is the beginning of their reconciliation.

The following day, the energy has shifted, and Andy can tell that Jen wants him to leave. He can’t find his keys, and before he leaves, he asks Jen to keep looking for them. She says that if she finds them, she can mail them to him. The phrase stops him dead, and he asks her if the previous night was her “lost weekend,” like in the John Lennon documentary they once saw. At first, she won’t admit it, but after he pushes, she confesses that it is. Something clicks in Andy’s mind, and he leaves abruptly.

The list has only one entry: “She didn’t want to be with me” (368).