My Mad Fat Diary S2:E3 review

The end of episode 2 saw our heroine Rae make a difficult decision to split up with her boyfriend Finn. The beginning of episode 3 sees Rae and Finn meet in a park for Finn to return Rae’s CDs. She tells him she still wants him as a friend, but Finn tells her he can’t be her friend right now. Rae realises she is going to have to give Finn time to feel comfortable around her as a friend not a girlfriend. This also means that Rae will have to distance herself from the rest of the friendship group that she and Finn are in.

In college Rae begins her new life of having no friends to hang around with by listening to music with headphones and reading. In this episode we discover Rae hasn’t eaten in front of anyone outside of hospital for 8 years apart from her mum, but she doesn’t count her. At lunchtime Rae retreats to the library on her own to eat her lunch which usually consists of chocolate and crisps. She has a penchant for walnut whips but takes the walnut off and throws them away.

An incident happens when the college bully taunts Rae and is about to snatch her plastic bag of chocolate treats when Stacey and the cool girl group come over and scare the bully off. Rae’s friend Chloe has got in with this social group. Stacey seems keen to get to know Rae and the first attempt of Rae chatting with the group doesn’t go as well as she hoped. Rae decides to try to befriend the group. The girls are into clothes labels, especially a brand called Morton.

Rae’s mum, who in the previous episode revealed that she wasn’t going through the menopause at all but was actually 5 months pregnant(!) has joined a pregnancy group, and is organising a jumble sale for them. Rae spots a Morton top in amongst the items for jumble. The next day she wears it to college, and the girls begin to accept her as an addition to their friendship group. Rae gets invited along to Stacey’s house. Throughout the episode there are occasions where people offer her food but she makes an excuse and declines those escaping from her own fear of having to eat in front of people. While hanging out with the girls they ask her questions about her new Morton top and it turns out when one of the girls looks at the label inside of the top that it is in fact a fake saying Mooton instead of Morton. Rae feels embarrassed and makes an excuse to go to the toilet. Stacey goes to check on her and says they weren’t laughing at her just at the fact the top she had on was fake. Rae feels better.

Rae’s mum finds the binned walnuts and says she is locking the treats cupboard. Rae now decides that to get her fix she will have to buy from the vending machines in college, turns out her new status of knowing more people means that whenever she tries to buy chocolate someone she knows comes along and speaks to her. One day Rae ends up not eating during the day and goes to her group therapy session and faints. Kester the councillor gives her a stern talking to. Again hiding in the library one day eating her lunch Stacey comes along and wonders why Rae is there on her own. Rae opens up to her and wonders why she was able to, she doesn’t know Stacey that well.

Rae has been invited to Stacey’s birthday meet up. It turns out that they are going to a restaurant, and Rae realises that Stacey is just a bitch and she likes to talk about her “friends” behind their back. Stacey planned the visit to the restaurant so she could make Rae feel awkward about eating in front of people. Rae stands up to her and eats a bit of pizza in front of everyone. At college Rae questions her friend Chloe why she hangs around with Stacey. It turns out that it is Chloe’s turn to stand up to Stacey. At the meal unbeknown to everyone else Chloe recorded some bitchy comments that Stacey had made at the meal. This puts in her place.

Meanwhile this episode sees Rae’s friend Archie still not being himself; he has actually been seeing Lois from the cool group. Lois has no idea that Archie is gay, and Rae decides to tell her when she sees them together. Archie is unable to deny it on the spot and Lois is upset. This could mean trouble for Rae’s friendship with Archie.

Overall this episode was good. It dealt well with female friendship groups and the activities girls do in order make friends. I hope the upcoming episodes can continue to develop Rae’s character and make her confident. I’m sure we’d all like her to get back together with Finn!