‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ Ending Explained: Why Is Toby Getting a Divorce?
Welcome to the Ending Explained for Fleishman Is in Trouble, a new drama miniseries now available on Hulu. The miniseries stars Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, and Claire Danes. The miniseries is an adaptation of the bestseller of the same name written by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who also serves as the creator of the show. It tells the story of Toby, a doctor, and father of two, who finds himself getting a divorce. This plunges him into a bad place in life, but soon Toby discovers that there might be light at the end of the tunnel and that life and love, might not be over for him.
Fleishman Is in Trouble is one of those quirky little shows that comes up every once in a while. The show labels itself as a drama, and while there are many dramatic moments, the story never takes itself too seriously, and there are plenty of moments of levity. Getting into the dating world past the age of 30 can be a very scary prospect, so the series takes this subject and executes it with an attitude full of hope and possibility, instead of fear and anxiety. Fleishman Is in Trouble might be one of those shows we all need to see to get into a good mood every week.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Fleishman Is in Trouble. Read at your own risk.
Why Is Toby Getting A Divorce
The series begins with the introduction of Toby. He is a hepatologist, which means he is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and curing illnesses related to the liver. He is successful and respected, and he loves his job. Unlike many other doctors out there, Toby is also very good with patients. He goes around with his interns, teaching them the ropes of the job, but also teaching them that they should care for their patients. For Toby, the job is its own reward, and he is proud of the job he has done.
However, not everything is good in Toby’s life. He is getting a divorce from her wife, Rachel. Rachel is a theater agent, and also the agent of one of the most successful new artists on Broadway. In the universe of the show, she basically discovered the new Hamilton, so yeah, she is very successful but also very busy. She also has very high standards for herself, and she wants to reach the richness and status of her richer friends, who mostly became rich through inheritance by making some very sketchy moves in their business.
The series shows very well that while at some point the two of them might have been in love, their relationship has deteriorated to the point that it is no longer viable. They visited a couple’s therapist and more, but things haven’t really improved. And so, they decide to get a divorce. Meanwhile, Toby discovers that, after 15 years of marriage, he has actually become a catch for the women in the city. He is in shape, he is a doctor with a six-figure salary, and he is available. In a matter of a day, he passes from being no one to being one of the most solicited men on dating apps.
Toby also reconnects with his long-time friends, Libby and Seth. They haven’t seen each other for years after Toby got married. Toby didn’t even go to Libby’s wedding, but now his therapist has to counsel him to reconnect with the people he cares for. Libby serves as the narrator of the show. She is a writer, and it is clear that what we see in the show is actually her own version of the story, interpreted through her writing. She describes things from a distance, and sometimes she also includes herself in the story.
Where Is Rachel and Is She In Danger?
Besides the conflict involving Toby and Rachel getting a divorce and Libby not feeling like herself, she sees Toby’s new life as a reflection of her own life, where she is only a housewife. There is also a bigger source of drama. The disappearance of Rachel. It all starts one day when, at 4 AM, Rachel leaves the kids with Toby one day earlier than scheduled. She leaves Solly and Hannah in Toby’s apartment and leaves. Solly is a very sensible boy, and Rachel worries about his masculinity, while Hannah is embarrassed by her status as a non-rich person when all her friends are.
From here on out, Toby has to manage his tight schedule at the hospital while dealing with the kids. They have Mona, their babysitter, but he ends up firing her after Solly spends hours and hours watching porn without any supervision. Toby goes around taking and picking up the kids from school over and over again and taking them to their extracurricular activities. He helps Solly with his science project and tries to manage Hannah’s increasing hostility toward him.
However, when Rachel has to come back and take the kids to the Hamptons so that they can spend the summer there, Rachel doesn’t appear. Her assistant, Simone, doesn’t know where she is, and she is not answering any calls or texts. Hannah even begins to fear her mother is dead when she doesn’t answer her calls. Hannah ends up blaming Toby for her mother’s disappearance, saying that Rachel hates him so much that she might not come back ever again.
In a meeting with Libby and Seth, Toby begins to realize that Rachel has been absent for too long and that she might be in real trouble. This, combined with the stress from his job where he just got a promotion and sending his kids to camp away from him, generates a high level of anxiety in Toby. He has a clear panic attack until he finds Rachel’s friends at the supermarket. There, they tell him that they saw Rachel napping in the park. We have only gotten one side of the story, but it is clear that Rachel has been equally affected by the divorce in ways that might be even darker and more disturbing than we imagine.
