New interns arrive at Parakeet, and Malika warns Phoebe to keep things professional with them. Of course, Phoebe can’t help but want to make friends. So, she invites them out with her to a bar. All night, the interns want to focus on work. They ask Phoebe’s advice about podcasting and getting steady jobs at Parakeet. Finally, she snaps and tells them to not worry about work right now. They’re young; it’s time to do stupid things and live their lives. They take her advice a little too much to heart. The next morning, Phoebe wakes up to videos with the hashtag “TraaaashChallenge” of the interns doing all the things Phoebe told them to do (like stealing a bike). She and Malika set the interns down for a talk, and Phoebe clarifies what she meant. She did stupid things when she was younger because it was just part of being herself; it wasn’t about manufacturing something for others. Malika gives her a look, expecting her to do the mature thing and finally act like a boss. So, Phoebe fires the interns for putting the company and herself at risk. She then tells them to remember this moment and use it. Phoebe later admits to Malika that she’s been looking at some of Hamilton’s old texts. Malika says she should talk to him. Meanwhile, Jayden practices a monotonous speech in front of Jessie, who encourages him to liven things up. When he gives the speech in front of a river, he lets loose. He talks passionately about taking on the companies that are fouling their waters. People are resonating with his words–until he falls into the dirty river. Jessie assures Jayden the event will blow over, but it’s on the news that night. He goes to give another speech at the river to spin it positively. But, dizzy from the helicopter he arrived on, he falls in again. Later, in facing off against his opponent, Jayden uses the incident to make jokes and relate to his audience. He gives a passionate speech about serving their community and changing things like the state of their river. After the speech, Phoebe catches sight of Hamilton. They agree they should talk.
The Episode Review
There’s something charming, if predictable, about the course of Jayden’s run for state representative. He’s an underdog through and through, but his overwhelming commitment to his community (however embarrassing that can come off for him) makes it almost impossible not to root for him. It’s Phoebe’s likability that wavers through the course of the show, and it especially dips in her treatment of the interns this episode. What Everything’s Trash portrays as some shining character growth for Phoebe is something else entirely. Phoebe gives these interns, who look up to her for guidance, terrible advice about ignoring their career dreams and just having fun. When they listen to her, she has to fire them, but faces no consequences for her own role in their actions.
