Someone Else's Shoes

As Nisha, Sam, and Andrea drive to the charity shop, Nisha is conflicted about her feelings toward Sam. One part of her pities Sam and believes that taking her shoes might have really been an accident, but another part of her is still furious that Sam wore the shoes to the pub and the Chanel jacket to work. When they get to the shop, they discover that the shoes have already been sold. Nisha tells them that she needs the shoes to complete her divorce settlement. In order to gain access to the form that the customer filled out upon purchasing the shoes, Andrea creates a diversion by collapsing and drawing the cashier’s attention away from the counter while Nisha finds and takes the information they need.

Back in the car, the three women seem to be on more amicable terms as they drive to the customer’s house. They see the woman who bought the shoes wearing them as she takes out the trash. However, they are shocked to see her also pick up a street cat and close it in a trash can for no reason. Sam snaps, leaving the car to get the cat and yelling about how it was doing absolutely nothing to the woman who came and ruined its life. Nisha and Andrea can tell that Sam is comparing herself to the cat, but at the sight of the woman’s cruelty, Sam gives in to Nisha’s previous suggestion of theft and agrees to do whatever is needed to recover the shoes. The women go to Jasmine’s apartment, and Nisha tells her what is happening. Nisha asks for her help outright, and as the four women plan what to do about the shoes, they also talk and laugh together, and Nisha realizes how much she admires them all. When Sam goes to bed that night, Phil tells her that he is not ready to talk about everything yet.

Sam and Nisha return to the house of the woman who bought the Louboutins, with Jasmine and Andrea parked down the street. They pretend to be people from the charity shop, saying that the woman, Liz Frobisher, has won a prize because she was the millionth customer. They tell Liz that she has won a stay at the hotel Nisha works at and that they would like to get a picture of the shoes for a publicity photo.

After work, Nisha often walks to the bus with Aleks, and he asks her about why she is uncomfortable with people helping her. He also tells her that she looks happier, and she says that she is not truly happy without her son. She tells Aleks about an “incident” with Ray, implying that he once made a suicide attempt. She also admits her suspicions that Carl mistreats Ray because of his sexuality and speculates that this dynamic may have been the source of the decision to send him away to a boarding school. She tells Aleks that she lied to herself by believing that the boarding school would provide Ray with stability, despite her underlying knowledge that sending Ray away also put distance between herself and her son’s problems. Aleks tells her that she will see her son soon, but Nisha still wonders why he is being nice to her and fears that he expects their relationship to be transactional, despite Aleks’s assurances to the contrary.

Sam cannot sleep, so at six o’ clock in the morning, she goes to the gym to box. She later accompanies Andrea to a doctor’s appointment, where the doctor tells them that while they can’t be absolutely certain, it looks like Andrea’s cancer is gone. The women are ecstatically relieved and treat themselves to coffee, tacitly agreeing not to discuss their other problems. Sam is so distracted on the drive back that she runs a red light and is pulled over by a police officer. The officer is a woman a little older than Sam, and when Sam blurts out all her troubles, she sympathizes and lets Sam go with only a warning.

At home, Cat apologizes for giving away the shoes. They talk about Sam’s desire to wear the shoes in order to feel like a better version of herself, and Cat tells Sam that she doesn’t need validation from a man. Sam reassures her daughter that she and Phil will not be getting a divorce, but she does still feel a twinge of emotion when Joel texts her twice, telling her that he has told everyone at work what really happened and that he misses her.

At Dr. Kovitz’s office, Phil tells his therapist about how Sam admitted her feelings for Joel while assuring Phil that they are not the same kinds of feelings that she has for him. Phil still feels like Sam is keeping things from him, and Dr. Kovitz posits that if so, it might be to protect Phil. He suggests that it is time for Phil to talk to Sam.

Nisha and Jasmine worry about their plan to get the shoes back, and Nisha feels guilty for putting Jasmine at risk. Nisha texts her old friend Juliana for the first time in a long time. Sam is also worried about the plan, though thinks she has nothing left to lose. She is also still wary of Nisha but knows that the dilemma is partly her fault and feels obligated to help. When she gets home, Phil wants to talk with her, and she tries to put him off by telling him that she has a special job to do. Just then, Joel calls, and Phil sees and tells her to take it. Joel tells her about an unknown man who was looking for her at work. She promises to talk with Phil after work, but Phil says he is going away to clear his head.

At the hotel, Jasmine takes over for the receptionist and makes a reservation for Liz as part of the plan. Nisha and Jasmine see that Sam is distraught but think it is because of the plan itself. Sam greets Liz and her husband in the lobby of the hotel and takes them to their room, where Nisha meets them to take pictures of the shoes. However, the plan to take Liz’s shoes when she is out to dinner goes awry when Liz tells them she plans to wear the shoes to a dinner outing beyond the boundaries of the hotel. Juliana has read Nisha’s text but has not responded, which puts Nisha even more on edge.