Samantha Fink has grown up and owned her choices. Single Drunk Female Season 2 finds Samantha Fink (Sofia Black-D’Elia) sober for a year and a half and prioritizing healthy relationships, even if that means angering her mom Carol (Ally Sheedy).
TV Fanatic chatted with Sofia about the dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship, her new sponsorship with Busy Phillips, and navigating a different relationship with James.
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Hi Sofia. Single Drunk Female has been so enjoyable. In Season 1, we watched Sam be self-destructive as she struggled with sobriety, whereas in Season 2, she’s evolved into this likable person dealing with real-life issues. What are your thoughts on Sam’s journey?
In Single Drunk Female Season 1, we dealt with the more physical sobriety of her main focus every day was not to drink.
Then with Season 2, once we see her get more of a handle on that, it becomes about her emotional sobriety and what happens when she doesn’t have these self-destructive behaviors to lean on or distract herself with.
I hope we did a grounded and realistic take on what those two recoveries look like. It was fun to play and find the comedy and then the levity. She’s in the best place yet by the end of Season 2.
What were some of your favorite parts of Season 2?
The Shiva episode was my best time making this show yet. It wasn’t just because Molly Ringwald came to play; I got to work with her and Ally simultaneously, which was a dream come true.
I also got to showcase that challenging time in Sam’s life and, specifically, in her and Carol’s relationship. It was fulfilling as a performer and as somebody who’s grown to care about these characters. So, that entire episode was the best part of this season for me.
That episode did have a lot of tear-jerkers in it. The dysfunctional relationship between Sam and Carol is so central to this series. How hard was it for Sam that Carol had trouble accepting Sam’s growth and even read Sam’s list of resentments?
I understand this relationship from both perspectives as an outsider looking in. However, when I step into Sam’s shoes, it feels like such a huge betrayal, and what she wants from Carol is not that much.
She wants her mom to be proud of her and to forgive her.
Those two things can be fake from Carol’s perspective since Carol feels like Sam’s entirely earned them later.
So, it was fun from an acting perspective to switch roles this season where Carol is the one on the out that made too many mistakes and has to come groveling back. I loved doing that with Ally and switching things up.
I also love Sam’s friendships with Felicia and Brit. What has it been like working with Lily Mae Harrington and Sasha Compère?
I’m so lucky because I spend a lot of time with those two gals, and especially this season, the three of us had more to do together.
They’re both lovely and kind, and we make each other giggle all day. I feel fortunate to go to work and laugh with my girlfriend.
I also noticed that Sam and James reversed roles in Season 2. How did the two of you navigate finding a new kind of friendship?
The writers did a great job with that dynamic, and James was forced to find his recovery center and reground himself without Sam’s help in the same way he wanted her to do in Single Drunk Female Season 1.
It’s a truthful and honest portrayal of recovery in that this person had more time than Sam, was much further along in his journey, and still struggled. It was a great choice to show that side of things with James’ character, mainly because it’s more unexpected.
It gave Garrick Bernard beautiful things to explore within his family and higher power. I gave a lot of credit to the writers for that. They handled something quite complicated and delicately.
Why do you think it was important that Sam date someone normal like Alex?
It’s essential because Sam needs to see that whether she dates a Normie or someone in the program, someone at work, or whatever the case may be, she still needs to be ready for that with anybody.
In Season 2, she’s trying to fill the God-sized hole with her romantic life. It doesn’t work because it’s another destructive behavior. It was essential to show that it’s not about trying to date someone in the program.
It’s just about her trying to date at all, which is not something she’s ready for yet.
Very insightful. And I have always loved Sam’s relationship with Olivia, but Busy Phillips brought a different dynamic to sponsoring Sam. What was that like, and was that an adjustment?
It was so fun, especially because Busy came in near the end of our season at a time when we were feeling a bit tired and run down, and she just gave us all a jolt of energy and life.
Her energy is excellent off of Sam’s, and they’re so different, and she doesn’t handhold as much as Olivia did, which is necessary for Sam’s journey at this point in the story.
So, it was great, and Busy was a lovely actress and person to work with.
Yes, it was very different but fun from what we’d seen in the past. Season 2 had a whole bunch of guest stars. Is there anything else you would like to add?
We covered everything. I’m grateful for everyone that came into play and that we got Jon Glaser back and Molly and Busy. It was a lovely group, and everyone fit right in.
Single Drunk Female Season 2 is streaming now on Hulu.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.