At the beginning of the episode, Thomas Benson (Ken Nwosu) gets prepared and heads to work. It is a big day since he is going to be pitching his deal to new clients. When he makes it to work, he speaks with his colleagues, Becky (Ritu Arya), Isobel (Susannah Fielding) and Andy (Sean Sagar). Thomas is confident that they’ll all benefit when they land the deal. Carter (Ben Miller) steps outside and lets the group know that they’re on. Thomas heads inside and begins setting things up. Unfortunately, he runs into several problems and asks Andy for help once or twice. Thomas faints and collapses to the ground.

When he comes to, Thomas tells the group that he always plugs it in and he wasn’t aware of any changes. Unfortunately, there were changes and everyone was notified by email. Thomas didn’t get that email. Thomas doesn’t believe it’ll make a difference and Becky wants to know if he urinated himself. Andy says it’ll be fine as long as he doesn’t get put into the Grip but he isn’t willing to tell Thomas more about the grip. Isobel tells Thomas that it isn’t his fault. When everyone leaves, Thomas begins attacking the water cooler and his pants get wet making it appear he has urinated on himself.

Carter speaks to the group and admits he believes they’ve lost the contract. He wants Thomas’s files for the client and this nearly exposes the accident on his pants. Thomas tells everyone that he has more leads and they’re not beaten yet. As he prepares to leave for the day, the others invite him out for a drink but he turns it down. When Thomas makes it home, he finds his wife Jess (Alexandra Roach) reading to their daughter. Andy sends him a text message asking how Jess took it but Thomas hasn’t told her yet. Seconds later, Jess learns the bad news. Jess says that it is fine and they can go to Disneyland next year.

The following day, Thomas wears a new suit to work and he finds a post-it note on his desk showing him where the stapler is. He thinks it is funny at first. Becky pretends he has something on his face so he wipes it off several times. They meet with Andy and Becky ridicules Thomas’ new suit. Isobel doesn’t mind the suit though. Andy lets Thomas know that he messed up but they need to keep going. Thomas agrees since that is what he has been saying all along. The team meeting is very awkward. When the meeting ends, Becky pretends something is still on his face.

Isobel tells Thomas he needs to do something to regain their confidence. When he returns to his desk, he finds more post-it notes. After that, he heads to the Murray Technology building in hopes of getting the contract he lost. Thomas rushes up and catches Janice before she can go inside. She agrees to meet with him to discuss the deal. When the conversation ends, Thomas finds out he has received a ticket but he doesn’t care since things are going his way once again. Back at work, Thomas tries to keep the meeting secret from others. Isobel has landed a small client and she invites Thomas out for a drink with the others.

This time, Thomas agrees to go out with them. When he goes to the school to pick up his daughter, he finds out that another girl, Casey, has been picking on her. Casey has been horrible to her so Thomas decides to speak with her father. Unfortunately, the dad isn’t willing to help and only escalates the situation. Thomas tells his daughter that he is sure Casey will be nice from now on. When asked if people are mean to him at work, Thomas says yes and that it is best to ignore them. Thomas meets up with Isobel at the bar. She is the only one there and she has excuses for the others. They share a drink and Isobel tells Thomas that she likes her fancy car and apartment.

Thomas lets Isobel know that he has a meeting with Janice. He goes to the meeting place and waits for her. He waits over an hour and she never arrives. When Thomas leaves, Janice arrives seconds later but he doesn’t notice. Thomas returns home and figures out that the time on his cellphone and tablet is incorrect. He rushes back to the restaurant and finds Andy with Janice. He attempts to confront Andy but Isobel blocks him from doing so. Thomas realizes Isobel changed the time when he went to the bathroom.

She says they needed to deceive him to ensure they landed the deal. They agreed it was too important to leave the matter in Thomas’ hands. The conversation ends when Thomas finds out his car has been towed. He tries to take a cab home but the driver turns out to be Casey’s father. He rolls up the window and leaves Thomas standing in the road. Thomas is forced to walk home that night. He goes to work and finds more post-it notes. Then, he finds signs saying the team meeting has moved. He follows the arrows but they go nowhere. Andy and Becky deny everything while asking about Thomas’ mother. When Thomas checks the signs, they find out that they’re all gone.

He believes they have many others are involved. Isobel arrives and the trio tries to convince Thomas that Carter won’t be interested in what he has to say about bullying. Carter takes everyone into his office and congratulates them. He decides to let Andy and Isobel split the 10k, Becky will get 1 and Thomas will get 2. Thomas remains silent about the bullying. Before the meeting ends, Carter tells Thomas to watch the others because they are very high spirited. Thomas confronts the others for being involved but they pretend it isn’t a big deal. Then, Isobel tells him that the company is going to start letting people go. She confesses Andy never sent the email so Thomas would blow it.

She tells Thomas not to get in the grip or things will get worse. Thomas finds a post-it note with the words team leader on his back. When he returns to his desk, he finds it covered in post-it notes. He picks up his daughter from school and finds out that Casey has been cruel to her all day. He tells his daughter that she needs to fight back and stand up for herself before spotting Casey’s dad nearby. As they leave, Thomas keys the dad’s taxi.

 

Sticks And Stones Review

While the show’s realism might be questionable, it isn’t too far fetched. I could see something like this happening in a workplace anywhere in the world. I’ll also say that the show did an exceptional job making Thomas and his family very sympathetic. From the very beginning, I felt sorry for Thomas and his daughter. The acting was pretty good. I didn’t notice anything odd or horrible.

The show is a bit tough to watch since Thomas’ workmates are so cruel. I am hoping and thinking he will snap and strike back. I enjoyed the show and thought it was very entertaining. I can’t wait to see what the writers have in mind for Thomas. The opening episode scores a 7.5 out of 10.