in

The Sex Lives of College Girls S2E3 & S2E4: Getting Friskier!

Christopher Meyer and Alyah Chanelle Scott at the christmas party
(L-R) Christopher Meyer and Alyah Chanelle Scott in The Sex Lives of College Girls S2E4, "Will You Be My Girlfriend?" (Courtesy of HBO Max)

The following contains spoilers for The Sex Lives of College Girls S2E3 & S2E4: “The Short King” (written by Sarah Tapscott and directed by Lila Neugebauer) and “Will You Be My Girlfriend?” (written by Rheeqrheeq Chainey and directed by Lila Neugebauer)


It’s honestly very impressive how these writers squeeze in four storylines in each episode, and it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. I have yet to find anything about this season thus far that is bothering me, failing, or getting on my nerves. The Sex Lives of College Girls is killing the game right now!

The Sex Lives of College Girls S2E3 & S2E4 play together like a full hour; their core stories carry over quite well. The main carry-through I noticed was Leighton’s (Renee Rapp) newly out lesbian sex life. In Episode 2 last week, “Frat Problems,” it was pointed out to Leighton that she was a hot commodity now that she’s out, and everyone wanted a piece. Episode 3, “The Short King,” shows Leighton getting messy with all the girls she’s hooking up with on campus. It becomes a problem because a couple of the girls are exes, and even more complicated because she gets Chlamydia. By Episode 4, Leighton has firmly decided she’s not telling anyone she’s hooked up with. Now, to declare for the record, this is wrong. You should always be open with your sexual partners about STIs.

Renee Rapp and Alyah Chanelle Scott at the Sorority they're rushing
Renee Rapp and Alyah Chanelle Scott in The Sex Lives of College Girls S2E4, “Will You be My Girlfriend?” (Courtesy of HBO Max)

Leighton shortly gets a taste of her own medicine when she’s called out in front of the sorority that she’s rushing that she gave another girl there Chlamydia. I respect this kind of poor behaviour/get karma narrative. I think Leighton deserved this kind of humiliation completely. I’m interested to see where this story goes moving forward because, after that major hiccup, it seemed impossible that Leighton would be accepted into the sorority, yet she was. Is there something more there? Perhaps something sinister is around the corner? I can’t wait!

If you remember, last week, a significant loss for Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) was her insecurity with her boy toy Canaan (Christopher Meyer). I was relieved to see in Episode 3 that her focus was back on getting something to feel passionate about and filling her time in the off-season; she signed up for Bio-Chem with Bela. It was fun watching her try and get into learning; this is a great move for her character. Then, in Episode 4, we were back on this boy bullsh*t.

Canaan officially asks Whitney to be his girlfriend, YAY! Except, Whitney thought they were already official. This leads to an insecure spiral that pushes Whitney to go through Canaan’s phone. He dumps her. I feel bad, but at the same time, I’m happy to have that over with. Whitney isn’t in a place where she’s capable of a healthy relationship because of her insecurities, so I’m looking forward to seeing her blossom as a single character.

Pauline Chalamet and Mitchell Slaggert on a bench outside their literature class talking about fear
Pauline Chalamet and Mitchell Slaggert in The Sex Lives of College Girls S2E3, “The Short King” Courtesy of HBO Max

Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) has seemingly, figured out how she’s going to pay for college; she’s going to sell her eggs. This is a bit of a relief; it might have gotten very tiring and repetitive if they had kept putting her through hoops to pay her tuition. It’s an important topic, don’t get me wrong, but I’d hate to see Kimberly’s character minimised to just the poor girl. I like what they’re doing with her and Jackson (Mitchell Slaggert), the climate change refugee, but I am worried they might also be repeating themselves there.

Kimberly was already swept off her feet by a hot, highly sexually active frat bro with a surprising amount of brains. I hope they can spin this story differently. I’d hate seeing her as the other woman again, although I don’t think we will; it’s the whole “I like him, but he’s being super casual, so I will be too” that has been played out too, which worries me more. Give Kimberly some wins!

Ilia Isorelys Paulino and Amrit Kaur at the christmas party looking at the launch of their new comedy site
Ilia Isorelys Paulino and Amrit Kaur in The Sex Lives of College Girls S2E4 “Will You Be My Girlfriend?” (Courtesy of HBO Max)

And, of course, the magic in Bela (Amrit Kaur) and Eric’s (Mekki Leeper) duo is still hot and strong. I love their chemistry so, so much! The writers’ room makes it clearer that these two are perfect for each other in every episode. “The Short King” literally has Eric jealous of Bela’s short king hookup, and Bela admits sex with Eric still is better. *screaming*

Episode 4 has the two playing a competitive kind of foreplay. It is undeniable that Bela and Eric are endgame. UNDENIABLE!

I have noticed that some side characters have been less present. Jocelyn (Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer) and Travis (Betti) have shown up in scenes a couple of times, but it feels nowhere near as much as the first season. It would be interesting to see them more and learn about their lives outside the core four, even if it’s just one scene or their interwoven more integrally to one of the girl’s stories. Something!

Otherwise, I am super happy with what Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble keep giving us with The Sex Lives of College Girls. I can’t wait to see what happens next week!

Written by Isobel Grieve

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *