The 9th Caller
Episode 3 of Little America Season 2 starts with us following Sachini, a woman who happens to be the 9th caller through to a radio show to win a car. Although the contest is actually not as cut and dry as we’re first led to believe. There are 9 other callers too and each have to keep their lips on the winning prize. Quite literally. Each of these guys have to keep their lips on the car. Those who give up will be out. Every hour the gang stop for a short break of 10 minutes. During these segments of kissing the car, we flash back and see more of Sachini’s upbringing, including her father (Hashan) offering words of encouragement at various intervals. It’s a nice way of contextualizing Sachini’s endurance, with each of the individuals in this contest reminding her of moments with him. It’s been tough for Hashan, with him struggling financially and unhappy about Sachini’s grades, given she’s got a B-. Now, Hashan happens to work as a janitor at the same school Sachini is at, but unfortunately the test is so difficult Sachini ends up walking out of her ochem midterm. If that wasn’t enough, she also drops out of school completely and ends up working at a restaurant. Back in the present, Sachini manages to last 27 hours, whittling down to the final 4 people. She ends up hallucinating her father during this time, which gives her inspiration to stay and follow this thing through to the very end. In doing so, Hashan ends up liking her pictures on Facebook, with a whole profile dedicated to her too. The contest goes on for far longer than the host and the company director were expecting, and as such, the three remaining names are drawn out of a hat. Sachini wins by pure, dumb luck. However, she Sachini drives her new motor home for the whole family to admire. Once there, she picks up her father, who heads out for a drive with her, heading over the bridge and spending time together just like in the past. As the episode comes to a close, we learn that Sachini decided to go back to school, selling the car for tuition. However, her father saw it as a good luck charm and decided to buy it for her anyway. Sachini received a degree in nursing, where she’s now presumably working as a nurse.
The Episode Review
While not as strong as the earlier episodes, there’s still enough in this chapter to get behind and enjoy. The entire story is essentially an endurance test, a way of showing that you need to stick it out until the end no matter what you choose to do in life. It can be difficult and at times outright painful but if you hold in there, lady luck will shine on you. Although there’s still tension between Sachini and her father, the symbolic way they drive over a bridge (mending bridges and all that) is a nice way of contextualizing their relationship.
