REVIEW: ‘Physical’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “Like It’s On Fire”

Physical Season 3 Episode 3, “Like It’s On Fire,” both complicates Sheila Ruben’s (Rose Byrne) life and opens it up. A theme of Physical has been the dueling nature that Sheila has in herself, the inner voice, and the choices she think is right. While that ugly inner voice demonizes her and shames her, it also pushes her toward making boundaries and standing up for herself. It’s been her biggest weakness and her biggest strength, captured in a way oh so familiar for those of us who have used that voice to propel ourselves as much as harm. This episode dives even deeper as Sheila begins to understand who she is without a husband dictating the choices she makes and the things that she likes.

Sheila Ruben is succeeding on television with a spot on Wake Up San Diego and her new curated personality for TV. But while she’s become a household name in fitness, she’s also begun struggling even more in her eating disorder as a no-fat cookie brand reaches out to collaborate and her now corporeal vicious inner voice in the form of Kelly Kilmartin (Zooey Deschanel) grows stronger. The dynamic between Sheila and Kelly is phenomenal. Both actresses give performances that lean on absurd as they communicate, and Byrne specifically shows her chops in jumping between the side that her characters show the world and the vulnerable and ashamed version she keeps behind closed doors.

That said, she’s not wavering, still leaning on her support group, but the cracks in her recovery and psyche are clearly forming as she struggles to maintain success and get her mental health in line. That starts by getting a hold of her life, keeping her ex-husband Danny out of her house, and setting boundaries with him.

Physical Season 3 Episode 3 is a complicated episode that balances Sheila’s need for recovery and her ability to value that against her unhealthy competitive drive and inner voice pushing her harder towards things she thinks will bring success. A core part of the episode is Sheila learning about her likes, all based on one question from a cookie maker. But Sheila doesn’t have to do this alone. She has Greta (Dierdre Friel), not just the voice in her head.

Additionally, “Like It’s On Fire” takes time to explore what understanding your preferences means. While we’ve seen Sheila have an affair, there was power involved facilitated by an unhealthy push for it. But now, as she begins to explore a new relationship, she’s exploring her own wants. She’s picking someone she wants instead of just picking someone off a menu that she already doesn’t like. It’s an interesting dynamic, with the series highlighting Sheila’s new romance as something wholly different than last season’s affair. Over the course of the episode, Sheila bounces between a healthy exploration of her “likes” and being plagued by the voice in her head, egging her on to break her steps toward her growth.

Physical Season 3 Episode 3 also pulls Maria Breem (Erin Pineda), John Breem’s (Paul Sparks) wife into focus. She is surrounded by people she doesn’t want to be around and is essentially held hostage by her husband. The most interesting thing about Maria is her moments of rebellion that crack the perfect housewife demeanor run parallel to Sheila’s life, at least in a way. Connected by Maria’s husband, the two are separated by life but similar in narrative, only Maria knows the direction she wants her life to be set towards and is only physically restrained by her husband. While Sheila was emotionally restrained by Danny, Maria is in a mini-mansion of a prison but she isn’t afraid of pushing back, “baby blues” and all.

At only 35-minutes, it’s a bit rough to capture the larger moves the series is making in its final season. With each episode feeling like a small bite of Sheila’s struggle and story, each one leaves you wanting more. While the first two episodes did so in a great way, this one left me wishing that the series had been released all at once instead of week-to-week for better pacing and impact.

That said, Physical Season 3 Episode 3 is still another good episode, if only a bit empty in guiding the trajectory toward the season finale. A set up for the future that isn’t giving the audience any major leads, there is a rumbling in Sheila and Maria’s life that is sure to be thrilling to watch rise to the surface, even if I’m not sure that, that is the point of the season.

Physical Season 3 Episode 3 is streaming now on AppleTV+ with new episodes every Wednesday.