Recap 'Episodes' Season 3 Before Season 4 Debuts

Whether you're interested in Episodes because you're a Showtime completist or you love a show-within-a-show — or you're thirsty for any and all opportunity to spend more time with Friends stars now that you've already binged the entire original series — you want to be up on your recap of Episodes Season 3. Personally, I'm the type of snob who was thrilled to see Britcom veterans Tasmin Greig (of Black Books!) and Stephen Mangan (of Green Wing!) get a break in U.S. television. But even I'm not immune to the Friends love that's going on right now. There aren't even any episodes of The Comeback left to scratch that itch!

All right, here's the basic setup: Sean and Beverly, creative collaborators and extremely British married couple, move to Los Angeles in the pilot episode to work on their own pilot episode — an adaptation of their highly successful British comedy about a private school. Over the course of Season 1, they realize the Hollywood is nothing like rainy, quiet, London, and when Matt LeBlanc (imagine the actual Matt LeBlanc, but 10 percent less smart and 15 percent more of a Hollywood stereotype) is cast as what should be a professor, but turns into a hockey coach, and the title is rebranded as Pucks! OK, from there, the show gets a lot more complex, especially romantically. A lot of entanglements there. But let's get going on Season 3:

Episodes 1-2: A New Old Opening

The Season 3 opening is all about putting back together things that were broken. Sean and Beverly attempt to get back together and resume their marriage, even after their separation and both dated other people. Soon to be former network executive, Merc, tries to get his wife, Jamie, back from Matt, who is caught in a cycle of damaging, immature behavior that's ruining his relationship with his sons

Episodes 3-6: Meet Castor Sotto

The new head of the network is Castor Sotto, who looks a bit like Luke Perry. His hatred for Pucks! is only matched by his hatred of NBC, which is attempting to woo back Matt LeBlanc for a "brilliant" new pilot. But Castor places his scissors over the single thread keeping Pucks! alive.

Episode 7: Stalking Pays Off

Matt meets up with, starts dating, and then becomes enamored with his former stalker in his subplot for the season, which is… not thrilling. Oh, and her name is Labia. Making Matt a ladies man has made for the show's worst storylines.

Episode 8: Pucks! Is Dead. Long Live Pucks!

Castor officially unofficially cancels Pucks! to the delight of the beleaguered Beverly, while her friend and another executive, Carol, tries desperately to get her and Sean to stay and work on another script.

Episodes 9-10: Where Everything Left Off…

The Season 3 finale shook things up — halfway. Beverly managed to wrestle Sean back to London, even though the head of NBC desperately wanted to pick up their new, creatively satisfying script. But paranoid about losing LeBlanc to NBC, Castor greedily greenlit more episodes (ha ha, get it? No, seriously, he ordered more episodes) in order to prevent the new show. So the show is set up to pick up with all of the characters unwillingly forced to maintain the status quo. With Pucks! back, Beverly and Sean will be back in the room with Matt within five minutes of the Season 4 premiere.

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