On The Apps – As the second episode of The Flatshare begins, Tiffany (Jessica Brown Findlay) is excited when she returns home and finds the espresso machine Justin bought her. Leon (Anthony Welsh) leaves her a note asking who Justin is and what she wants to do with the machine. She contacts Mo (Jonah Hauer-King) to tell him about the machine and Justin toying with her emotions. Mo tells her not to contact Justin because it’d start a dialogue and she doesn’t want that. He knows it is hard, but it might be time to start seeing other people. Maia (Shaniqua Okwok) interrupts so she and Mo can rewatch The Wire from the beginning. Tiffany leaves a message for Leon telling him who Justin is before somehow getting the machine to work.

Leon gets the message asking him if they can somehow make the coffee machine work. She wants to know about Richie because she is serious about helping. Tiffany goes to work where she joins Rachel (Gina Bramhill). Phil (Dustin Demri-Burns) tells Tiffany he is excited while refusing to talk to Rachel in private. Tiffany calls the prison in hopes of talking to Richie only to learn that Richie will have to register her number and put her on a call list. She explains to Rachel that she’ll tell his brother when there is something to tell. Rachel asks if the article is about her unconventional living conditions or the racial disparities in the justice system. Tiffany responds by saying she is trying to write something that matters. Richie (Shaq B. Grant) calls Leon who suspects he has had trouble with the other inmates.

Leon is adamant that he is going to get him out of there. Richie knows he did everything he could, but thinks they’ve lost. He tells Leon that their mom isn’t doing so well and he knows Leon never called her. Then, they begin talking about Tiffany and how she sleeps in Leon’s bed even though they don’t see one another. Leon tells him that she asked about him and she is single. Kay (Klariza Clayton) eavesdrops on their conversation from the door. She denies it when Leon asks if she was listening in, but comes clean when she asks how he knows she is single. He insists it isn’t about Tiffany or her relationship. Kay doesn’t understand why he let her keep the coffee machine. She leaves a message for Tiffany after Leon leaves.

Tiffany finds conflicting messages about whether the machine can stay. She looks at pictures from Ariella’s social media profile. Tiffany installs the TruLove app on her phone so she can begin searching for dates. At work, Leon tells Al that he can appeal but he’ll need a good lawyer. He learns that Al has been trading and buying the dip. Leon notices that Mr. Prior (David Hargreaves) is walking through the hallway on his own. Maia and Mo help Tiffany set up her dating profile. Leon approaches Mr. Prior and reminds him he is at Saint Brioc’s. Prior begins yelling for Johnny so Leon offers to ask around for him. Maia tries to get pictures for Tiffany’s profile before Mo is asked to help. Leon writes in Prior’s report noting the bladder infection and confusion. He begins looking for a criminal appeals lawyer. Tiffany goes through all the men in her area.

Leon meets with a solicitor who is willing to take Richie’s case for around 450 pounds per hour. He gets home and finds notes from Tiffany explaining she is on a dating app and didn’t mean to pry about Richie. Rachel and Tiffany discuss the article and Richie at work. Rachel learns that she has already got 56 matches on the dating app. She met Emily on a dating app. Tiffany is going to see Martin after work so he might be the one. She gets an email from Richie agreeing to be interviewed by her. At work, Leon tells Al that he wants to earn five and a half grand this weekend for the lawyer. He tries to figure out how much he’ll need to invest to earn that money. Al warns him that you never know with cryptocurrency since it can be volatile, but Leon says he is going all in. Tiffany meets with Martin and quickly gets bored of him.

Holly asks Leon about his roommate and whether she is still being a dick. They talk about Tiffany working for an online magazine. She wants to know what he is looking at on his phone or she’ll tell Tania. When Leon tells her about his cryptocurrency trading, Holly reveals her mother is a hedge fund manager. Tiffany goes to the bathroom to send Justin a message thanking him for the gift. Martin tells her that he doesn’t feel a spark so he decides to leave. As she leaves, she calls Maia to complain about the date. Maia instructs her to treat the dates like jobs. Tiffany goes home and finds a note confirming that Leon is going to try to appeal his brother’s decision. She learns about his cryptocurrency trading before she is asked what she is looking for in a man. Tiffany creates a chart on the wall showing what she wants and doesn’t want from a man.

Then, she creates a chart for all the men on the dating app. Leon begins making money on his crypto trade. In the morning, Kay surprises Tiffany by entering the flat unexpectedly. Tiffany pleads with her to keep the coffee machine since it is a present from her ex-boyfriend who she is trying to get over. Kay doesn’t think she should bring any guys back here since they could steal something. Kay confesses she came over because she wanted to see what kind of woman her boyfriend was sharing a bed with. Tiffany learns that Kay was looking through her underwear drawer. Before Kay leaves, she asks Tiffany not to tell Leon about this. Kay returns home and tells Leon that she has been shopping. He notices that he has made a lot of money on the cryptocurrency trade. She comes out in risqué clothing causing him to get distracted. Leon starts losing money and upsets Kay by pushing her away.

Tiffany tries to find a shirt to wear to the date. It looks like she may wear Leon’s shirt. Leon tries to apologize to Kay before explaining that he lost a lot of money. Tiffany goes to the restaurant where she has booked three consecutive tables. She goes through multiple dates with none of them going exceptionally well. She runs into Justin outside and admits she was on some awful dates. They talk briefly before Justin says it is good that she is moving on. Ariella comes out to join him. Mo kisses Maia while they ignore calls from Tiffany. He apologizes and contemplates answering the phone, but Maia grabs him and kisses him. Tiffany goes home and rips the chart from her wall. Leon makes dinner for Kay who asks about his trading activities. He claims he is only invested in their relationship. He quickly turns her off by telling her what Ali said about parmesan cheese and vomit.

Next, Tiffany goes to the prison to meet with Richie. She tells him about her rough night before realizing Richie has been attacked. Richie begins telling her about the night of the crime. He claims he was too drunk to speak properly let alone handle a firearm. When she asks how he was found guilty, Richie explains that the CCTV footage shows a black man in a hoodie and the shopkeeper identified him even though the gunman was wearing a man. He wasn’t involved in any gangs since he is a landscape gardener. Richie doesn’t think it’d be wise to tell Leon because he is a private guy and doesn’t like the fuss. He also doesn’t think they can appeal an appeal. Tiffany asks about Leon. Richie reveals that Leon has never asked a girl out before and never makes the first move. Before he leaves, Tiffany tells him that she believes him.

Holly joins Leon and Prior to watch television for a few minutes before bedtime. Mr. Prior tells them about Johnny White and how they met in the army. He’ll only say that they wrote letters for a while. Back in Holly’s room, she tells Leon about writing a love letter to a boy in her class once. Leon tells her about communicating with Tiffany using post-it notes. Tiffany admits she doesn’t know what she is looking for in a man despite being on nine dates this weekend. Leon knows he is lucky to have someone even though he doesn’t think he is being a very good boyfriend right now. Tiffany almost tells him about the prison visit but instead reveals she borrowed his shirt. At the end of the episode, Tiffany comes home and gets undressed so she can shower. She runs into Leon who is naked coming out of the shower.

 

The Flatshare Review

The second episode of The Flatshare continued Tiffany’s journey to move on after her split from Justin while Leon attempted to become a crypto trader to help his incarcerated brother. The couple finally ran into each other in person for the first time at the end of the episode. Viewers hoping for a laugh-out-loud comedy are likely going to be disappointed with The Flatshare because the humor just isn’t effective.

Through two episodes, there hasn’t been a genuinely laughable scene yet although some are uplifting and clever. As the story progresses, it is hard not to see Tiffany and Leon as unlikeable individuals. Tiffany has used the dating app and set up nine or 10 dates with no intention of liking any of the guys. As for Leon, he has a girlfriend already and she seems to be trying hard to keep him happy while he keeps pushing her away.

It is pretty obvious where things are going from here and who will likely be hurt in the end. The flat-sharing aspect of the show is intriguing and the post-it note communication is unique. Other than that, The Flatshare is full of rehashed topics so there isn’t much that hasn’t already been done over and over before. The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of The Flatshare can be found on Reel Mockery here. If you’ve found our recaps helpful, consider supporting our work here.