Ep 2. Kevin

Annie (Aidy Bryant) is attempting to navigate life post-breakup, and in the second episode of Shrill season 2, titled Kevin, she's struggling with the realization that she's still deeply affected by her ex, Ryan (Luka Jones). After a chance run-in with him at a coffee shop, Annie starts to question whether she's really over their relationship, despite her best efforts to move on.

To make matters worse, Annie's work situation at the Weekly Thorn is becoming increasingly stressful. She's constantly butting heads with her editor, Gabe (John Cameron Mitchell), who seems to have it out for her. He's constantly criticizing her ideas and her writing, and even goes so far as to try to take credit for one of her pieces. This only adds to Annie's feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, and she's not sure how much longer she can handle working in such a toxic environment.

In the midst of all this, Annie finds herself getting closer to her new friend, Fran (Lolly Adefope). The two bond over their shared love of roller skating, and Annie starts to see Fran as a mentor of sorts. Fran is unapologetically confident in herself and her abilities, and Annie admires her for that. Fran encourages Annie to stand up for herself and not let Gabe or anyone else make her feel small.

As the episode progresses, Annie's emotional state becomes more and more volatile. She's crying at work, getting angry with her roommates for leaving dishes in the sink, and lashing out at everyone around her. Even her casual hook-up, Nick (Anthony Oberbeck), can sense that something's off with her. But Annie is too prideful to admit that she's struggling, and instead just tries to push through.

When Annie discovers that Ryan has a new girlfriend named Kevin (who he initially describes as just a "friend"), it sends her spiraling. She can't believe that he's moved on so quickly, and starts to worry that she'll never be able to find someone who loves her for who she is. Annie spends the rest of the episode obsessing over Ryan and Kevin, even going so far as to stalk them online. It's clear that she's not in a good place mentally or emotionally.

In the end, Annie comes face-to-face with Ryan again, and the encounter doesn't go quite as she expected. Without giving too much away, let's just say that Annie learns another hard lesson about the danger of having expectations. By the time the episode ends, Annie is left reeling from all the emotions she's been dealing with, and it's clear that she still has a lot of work to do on herself. But there's a sense of hopefulness too, that maybe Annie is starting to see that she deserves more than what Ryan (or anyone else) can give her.