Despite being in a bit of a “rebuilding year,” Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls has continued to churn out hilarious, dramatic episodes as the Essex girls struggle through their sophomore year of college. There are times when I still miss Reneé Rapp’s Leighton, but both the returning and new characters have stepped up to the plate, creating some of the show's best storylines yet. I’ve enjoyed watching all the girls grow, but there's admittedly one character I’ve been disappointed with the season.
While most of the girls continued on character arcs that originated back in Season 1, Bela (Amrit Kaur) seemed to be floundering this season, romantically and beyond. Thankfully, that has finally started to change in the back half of Season 3.
When Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls premiered, Bela was still reeling from getting kicked out of the female comedy magazine club she started in Season 2. Realizing she spent her entire freshman year making mistakes and putting sex above academics, she set out to make some changes this season. That led her to give up comedy and forge full steam ahead as the new Freshman Advisor and Friend program, or FAF for short.
Don’t get me wrong, some great storylines have come out of her new journey, including her complex relationship with Taylor (Mia Rodgers) and her friendship turned romantic relationship with fellow FAF member Arvind (Nabeel Muscatwalla), but Bela has felt like a shell of the person she once was without comedy in her life.
As the rest of the girls have inched closer to achieving the dreams they set out to accomplish in Season 1, Bela seemed like she'd pretty much given up on becoming a leading woman in the comedy scene, until...
Bela Got Her Groove Back In Episode 9
After an uncomfortable night with Arvind leaves him judging Bela for her past hookups, she decides to join a storytelling show, where she plans to joke about the highs and lows of her sex life. The second she commits to the idea, Bela’s old self begins to flourish.
She’s hunched over her laptop, writing jokes and smiling again, so determined to participate in the show that she even breaks up with Arvid after he expresses his reservations and discomfort regarding her choosing to talk about her sex life publically. That’s the Bela Sex Lives of College Girls fans met in Season 1, and the one that’s been missing all season.
With only one episode left, it’s sad that it took the writers this long to bring Bela back to her roots, but at least she’s finally there. I can’t wait for the new episode to air and to, hopefully, see Bela crush it at the storytelling showcase. Hopefully, it’ll make her realize she is indeed cut out for the comedy world, and if the show gets renewed for a fourth season, we’ll get to see her chase that dream with a new sense of purpose.
The final episode of The Sex Lives of College Girls airs on Thursday, January 23rd, which you can stream on Max. Until then, you can stream the existing episodes of one of Max's best original comedies.
