First, though, let's focus on Keeley, Roy, and Nate's storylines. While I appreciated the trio's struggles, the stories are not as successful as they could be. Keeley is floundering; she's shocked by the fact that Jack pulled funding, and is lost without her company. She also doesn't want to talk to anyone she knows about it, except her CFO (Katy Wix), which leads to a conversation about a snow globe, which is only so exciting. Keeley's story is so separate from the team this season that it's hard to appreciate it at times. Other times, like with the storyline about the recorded act that led to her breakup with Jack, it's pulled focus from the team, and the show hasn't been better for it.
Meanwhile, Roy is learning to be himself without holding anything back. Rebecca gave him some biting words of wisdom last week and it seems this week he (eventually) takes those words and runs with them. He decides he likes wearing what he wants, after first feeling ashamed of it. That leads him to Keeley's house with a letter apologizing for dumping her, which of course leads to them sleeping together. The beginning of this storyline is great. Roy's niece is as winning as ever and Jamie (Phil Dunster) even stops by for the Uncle's Day festivities because, as Roy's niece explains, Jamie's his best friend — an accusation the men deny, but which might just be true. Still, while the letter to Keeley was necessary, it's not clear why it was necessary right now. Roy should work on himself first before running to Keeley to apologize. At least it has a nice payoff with Rebecca. (More on that later.)
Finally, Nate has hit rock bottom after less than a season at West Ham. Yet his girlfriend (Edyta Budnik) makes it clear that Nate quit and he doesn't regret it. Still, Nate spends the episode wallowing instead of figuring out what's next. The climax of his storyline happens when he plays the violin and is interrupted by his father. His father has always been a bit of a questionable presence, saying less than was necessary. But in their newest conversation, he explains he didn't know how to parent a genius so he pressured Nate to be the best at everything, though really, he just wants him to be happy. Confusing! This leads Nate to drop off an apology note to Will (Charlie Hiscock), the kit man at Richmond, making for a nice — and understated — end result.
The problem with all these storylines is, while they have nice moments, they don't work as well as a whole. They seem slightly confused about what they're trying to convey about their stars. Keeley, Roy, and Nate, in their own ways, wallow and stew — but it's not always clear why they do what they do, and these storylines don't give satisfactory answers.
