Welcome to Essex

**Welcome to Essex** is the first episode of the first season and the first overall episode of *The Sex Lives of College Girls*.

## Short Summary

As they start settling into college life, first-year suite mates Kimberly Finkle, Bela Malhotra, Leighton Murray, and Whitney Chase navigate relationships, extracurriculars, and culture shock; the girls hit an exclusive party to blow off some steam.

## Full Summary

A guy and a girl make out and talk about how much they want to have sex. Carol Finkle interrupts and asks from her mini-van if they can stop because she's trying to drop her daughter off at college. From the backseat, Kimberly Finkle chastises her mother.

Evette Chase asks her daughter, Whitney Chase, if she had to pick a college that was 3000 miles away. Whitney hints that she did it on purpose, but she's happy that her mom made the time to drop her off. Evette's phone buzzes, but she ignores it. When it buzzes again, she answers it and says she's dropping her daughter off at college, but when she hears that it's CNN, she takes the call.

As Bela Malhotra enjoys the scenery, her mother, Reena Malhotra reveals that she brought Mr. Busby, her teddy bear, as a surprise. Bela is horrified and tells her mom she's in the middle of her reinvention. Four months ago, she was an Indian loser with cystic acne, sweaty armpits, and glasses. But thanks to Lasik, Accutane, and botox in her armpits, she's normal. Reena asks if she should throw Mr. Busby away. Bela tells her to take him home and put him on the shelf in her bedroom.

Dale Finkle starts to tear up as they prepare to enter Kimberly's dorm. She begs him not to cry as he says how proud he is of her. Carol sends him to get himself together. When Carol notices Kimberly watching a boy get out of a car and warns her about certain kinds of people she's going to meet. Kimberly is worried her mother is being racist, but she actually meant rich people. They can be a bad influence. It happened to a kid they know and she doesn't want that to happen to Kimberly.

Henry Murray waxes poetic about New England as he drives his daughter, Leighton Murray, to campus. Leighton says he sounds likes he wants to have sex with it. She checks her phone to see that Esme and Francesca haven't texted her back yet. She's worried they have a bunch of new inside jokes already. Henry asks if it's the best idea to be roommates with her high school friends. It might be time to branch out. Leighton says Esme and Francesca are her soulmates. Henry reminds her of the time Francesca abandoned her in Cape Cod. Leighton says she was having a tough time because her dad had just gotten audited. Henry doesn't think they're the best influences. They're kind of mean. Leighton says it's already done.

Kimberly, Dale, and Carol move Kimberly's things. Kimberly watches a group of boys running shirtless.

Kimberly enters her dorm to find Bela already in there with her parents, who have set up food. Bela introduces herself and pretends that her parents are their other two roommates, Leighton and Whitney, before telling Kimberly she's kidding and they're her parents. Carol and Dale are awkward with Reena and Nevaan. Kimberly sees Bela's Seth Meyers poster and says she likes it. He's Bela's dream guy. Bela's excited they're living with Whitney Chase, the daughter of Senator Evette Chase. Bela would love it if they were still rooming together in a few years, but Evette was president. Kimberly isn't sure she's respected enough to be president, but her remark is overheard by Evette and Whitney, who have arrived. They introduce themselves and Evette has her bodyguard close the door so she can explain some things privately.

Henry is excited to bring Leighton to North Con Hall. He has lots of great memories there. He knows Leighton will love it there.

Evette says because she is a public figure, it's important that Whitney doesn't get into any trouble at school. Bela and Kimberly's parents are quick to say their kids aren't like that and won't be a problem. Just then, Leighton comes in. She's confused when she sees them and asks where Esme and Francesca are. When she sees they aren't there, she backs out of the room, followed by Henry.

Leighton bangs on a door with three names on the door: Esme, Francesca, and Siddhartha. Esme answers and is horrified to se Leighton. Francesca Bromley and Siddhartha are behind her.

Esme and Francesca says they just showed up and she was their roommate. They're as confused as she is. They think maybe she messed up her answers on the roommate questionnaire. Leighton promises to sort it out as soon as possible.

Reena and Nevaan say goodbye to Bela and leave. Evette does the same with Whitney. Kimberly's parents drive by on their way out. Her father is sobbing.

The residents of North Con Hall gather together. When Leighton enters the room, Frude Rasmunssen welcomes her and says to take a seat. Whitney asks if that means she's their roommate after all. Leighton insists she isn't staying, but does need a place just for the night. They chose rooms, so she's in with Bela, who wants to sidebar about a system for what to do if one of them brings a dude home. Frude introduces himself as their residence advisor. He asks them all to share a time they felt scared to break the ice. He starts by telling a story of an avalanche during a family reunion, which killed some of his family and left him entombed for days. Jocelyn says she's scared of her stalker. She's kind of a big deal on Tik Tok. All the others pull out their phones to find her. She has 200,000 followers. Kimberly is kind of nervous for her work-study interview. The others are surprised she has a job. Frude says lots of students do, but no one else in their dorm does. Leighton starts to say that sharing their fears won't bond them, but then Travis stands up and comes out to the group. He was closeted all through high school and hated it and so vowed to come out as soon as possible in college. Tyler says he's also gay. He's been out since he was 12, which wasn't easy in Oklahoma. Frude is happy they're bonding.

Kimberly asks why they picked Essex. Bela says she's there for The Catullan, the school's comedy magazine. A bunch of writers on SNL got their start there. Kimberly came because of the prestige. She plans to graduate with honors, then go to law school, then move to DC with Max, where they'll be a power couple. She asks if any of them are in relationships. Bela happily isn't. She didn't date in high school, but now she's in college and sex positive and ready to get started. Kimberly says she and Max are waiting because he said he isn't ready. The others find that weird.

Whitney has soccer practice with her team. She scores a goal. From the sidelines, Coach Woods and Dalton watch. They agree Whitney's good.

In the locker room, Willow sees Whitney smiling, like she's so proud of herself. Whitney tries to demure, but Willow tells her to own it because she's good. Whitney sees the equality rainbow sticker in Willow's locker and says she likes it. Willow says she just saw it and liked it and Whitney tries to explain what it means, but Willow says she was joking and she knows. She's gay. From the other side of the locker room, they can hear Jena speaking negatively about Whitney.

Whitney goes to see Dalton in his office and asks if she can talk to him about something. She starts talking about how distracting it is to see him when she wants to have sex with him. Dalton's worried about someone seeing, but she says no one's around and climbs into his lap. They start kissing and confirm plans for that night.

Kimberly is excited to hear she got the job. Roger explains how to submit her time sheets. He thinks they'll get along. He has issues with the other students having attitude. Kimberly says that won't be her. He takes her out front to meet Lila and Canaan. Kimberly has the idea to have festive pictures on the menu that change every day. Like leaves because it's September. Roger likes it and asks Lila to come in early to do that because she's artsy.

Leighton tells Pat, she's Leighton Murray, like the Murray Library next door. Pat slipped there last winter. Pat checks the computer and says she got a 99% match with Esme and Francesca, but they specifically requested not to room with her. Leighton wonders why they would write that.

Ryan Hutton and Eric Miller welcome Bela and the other Catullan hopefuls to their first meeting. They explain the process by which they'll select new writers. They have to submit 3 pieces of 600 words. They have a video from recent alumni. The first is Oliver Roni, who is now a writer's assistant on a new animated show. Bela is impressed.

Kimberly watches Lila and Canaan interact. She approaches Canaan and asks if he likes Jay-Z. She tries to bond with him over it. She's excited to have a Black friend. She asks what it's like being Black at Essex. He says it's hard because not a lot of people here get him. They've led different lives. His mom is addicted to crack. He works three jobs to send money back to her and his baby sister. Kimberly says he's dealing with so much. But it's nothing compared to Lila. Kimberly asks for her story.

Leighton confronts Esme and Francesca. They tell her they never felt like they really got to know her, because it was like she had a wall around her and wouldn't let them in. Leighton says she tells them everything, but they don't think that's true. They think she could open up more. Leighton tells them they hurt her feelings.

Kimberly finds Leighton sulking in bed. She brought Leighton a burrito from work, but Leighton doesn't want it. Kimberly wants Leighton to give them a chance even though it wasn't her first choice. She invites Leighton to join their game, but Leighton's not interested.

Bela says they can borrow any of her clothes that they want, including underwear and asks if they're okay with the same. Kimberly says she'll think about it and Whitney says the same. They look up as Nico Murray knocks on the door and asks if it's Leighton's room. He tells them he's Leighton's brother. Bela hugs him and admires his muscles. Leighton comes out and asks what he's doing there.

Outside, Nico tries to tell Leighton it's not so bad. Her friends from high school kind of sucked anyway. Nico doesn't talk to anyone from high school anymore. Leighton says that's because he doesn't have to. Things aren't the same for her. He says she's the strongest person he knows. Even he's scared of her. She'll crush Essex. She's a good person. He tells her Cory keeps asking about her. He's excited she's finally on campus and asks what he should tell him. Leighton doesn't want to discuss her dating life with her brother. Nico tells her she can handle her roommates. They seemed nice to him. Leighton's worried because she's been so mean. Nico tells her to do something nice to show she'll be a good roommate.

Kimberly steps out of her closet. Whitney is shocked she was changing in there, but Kimberly denies that's what happened. She's never lived with anyone before, so she doesn't know what to do. Whitney saw her checking out Nico, but she says she's in love with Max. Whitney should go for it if she likes Nico though. Whitney says she likes men, not boys.

At Sips, Kimberly tells Lila she's inspired by her. She couldn't imagine being in Lila's shoes, working and going to school while raising a child. Lila says she doesn't have any kids. Kimberly realizes Canaan was messing with her. Kimberly is upset with him for that.

Whitney and her team practice again. Whitney and Jena get into a scuffle over the ball. On the next play, Jena runs into Whitney, who falls to the ground. Whitney gets up and shoves her. Jena grabs Whitney's hair and pulls her to the ground. Dalton breaks up the fight and says Jena's done for the day. Coach Woods escorts her off the pitch.

Whitney goes to Dalton, upset that he benched Jena over what happened. She doesn't want him protecting her. She wants him to let her fight her own battles.

Bela finds Eric on campus and introduces herself. She asks if she can film her submission instead. He warns her not to be too disappointed if she doesn't make the staff her first year. With everyone applying, there won't be many female spots. Bela is horrified. They already have two women on staff. Bela points out that that's out of fifteen people. He tells her to keep her chin up and says there are other comedy groups on campus.

Leighton gives Whitney, Bela, and Kimberly each an iPad. It looks like she'll be staying and this is her apology for being mean. She wants them to have a positive living experience. Leighton answers a knock at the door to find Max. Kimberly is excited to see him. He took the train up from Princeton to see her and wants to spend the weekend with her.

Kimberly asks if any of them have plans. Bela says she might and asks what a "Drop It Like It's F. Scott" party is. Leighton explains that it's F. Scott Fitzgerald and they're meant to dress like '20s sluts. Bela says The Catullan is throwing the party, but she's not sure she should go because of what she learned from Eric. The others are horrified. Kimberly says to report it, but Leighton says Bela should impress them instead. Go to the party and let them see how fun she is. Whitney agrees. From across the room, Max calls to them that desserts are out.

Whitney comes home to find a bouquet of kit kats and a note apologizing and telling her to fight her battles.

Bela enters the party dressed as a flapper. She spots Ryan and stops him to tell him she loves his work. He realizes she's a freshman and tells her to take it easy. She follows him and tries to suck up to him. He says he's high, so whatever she's saying is wasted on him. She says she just wants to be on The Catullan. He says they all vote, so she should try to impress the other members.

Bela happily tells her roommates she gave six hand jobs at the party. She talked to each of the guys, told them she was a writer and liked their work, and serviced them in exchange for their votes. Leighton says that's not what she told Bela to do. Bela thinks it's a win-win for her. She's ready to explore her sex positivity.

Dalton and Whitney dress after having sex. He says he likes her skin tone, which she says could be problematic. He says he likes Black girls and finds them attractive, but he mostly has a soccer fetish. They hear noise and he says they should go.

Max says he likes Kimberly's roommates. She's happy to see Max. She didn't expect everyone to be so rich. Max says Princeton is the same way. His roommate's family brought help on moving day. But they can be poor together. They kiss.

Kimberly joins Max on the pull-out couch bed and says everyone else is asleep. Max proposes they have sex and Kimberly agrees.

The next morning, Kimberly gets dressed and says she has to work until ten, but they can meet up for a late breakfast afterward. Max says he thinks they should both be free from each other. She realizes he's breaking up with her. Max doesn't see it that way. Kimberly is upset that they had sex and now he's dumping her. Bela and Leighton stand in their doorway and agree that's messed up. Kimberly asks if he came there to have sex and dump her. She says she never wants to see Max again and leaves. Max apologizes to the others, but they tell him to get dressed and get out.

Bela records a message to herself, saying it'll be okay if she doesn't make The Catullan. She listens to it as she walks to check. She's excited to see her name on the list and takes a selfie next to it.

Whitney is out running when she runs into Dalton. She sees that he's eating tapitio doritos and asks if that's on a healthy on-season diet. He should lead by example. They're interrupted by Michelle, who introduces herself as Dalton's wife. She tells Whitney she's a big fan of her mom. Whitney excuses herself, saying it's nice to put a face to a name she's heard so many times. Whitney starts to cry as she walks away.

Canaan is sweeping the floor when Thatcher throws a piece of trash on the floor next to him. Kimberly sees this and calls Thatcher out for this. She tells him not everyone on campus has money. Some of them have to work because they're poor, but they're still people and should be treated like they matter. Thatcher goes over and picks up his trash.

Bela and Leighton exit a bakery. Bela offers Leighton a bite of her donut, but Leighton says she doesn't eat for enjoyment. They run into Nico and Cory. Cory offers Leighton a tour around campus. Bela asks Cory to lift his shirt and show her his torso. He does so as he walks away. Nico says if they're not doing anything, they should stop by the party at Theta Pi Delta. Once they're gone, Bela celebrates Leighton being able to sleep with a ten.

Whitney and Kimberly are working on the iPads when Bela comes in and says they got invited to a frat party. Kimberly doesn't want to go because she had a bad day. Whitney also decides to stay in. Bela is insistent that they come. She says Max really sucked, even though he was Kimberly's first love. Bela says they can't control when guys treat them poorly, but they can control how they react to it. They should go out, get tanked, and maybe they'll meet a guy who doesn't treat them like garbage. But it doesn't matter because at least they'll be having fun. Bela is delighted when Kimberly agrees to go.

Whitney, Kimberly, Bela, and Leighton do a shot together in their suite. Then they get dressed for the party and walk there together.

Kimberly is cold and wishes they'd let her wear her anorak. Bela says no one in history has gotten laid wearing an anorak. They see Nico peek out and Leighton calls out to him to have the door guard let them in. As they go to enter, Leighton says she left her phone in the room. She leaves to go get it and sends them inside without her. After they're gone, Leighton pulls out her phone and checks it.

Bela, Whitney, and Kimberly are excited to be inside the party. Bela spots Jo and Evangeline from The Catullan. She decides to play it cool instead of going to talk to them. Whitney makes eye contact with Canaan, then looks away. Austin serves them drinks. Kimberly objects because they're open containers, but Whitney overrides her and says they'll take them. Kimberley gets a text from Max checking in on her and asking if he can keep using her Netflix password. Kimberly gets knocked over buy someone coming down from a keg stand. Whitney and Bela help her up and she tells them she just wants to go home and be alone.

As Kimberly goes to walk out, Nico stops her. He says he noticed her checking him out on move-in day. Kimberly denies it. He asks if the party is so bad that even freshmen are leaving early. She says she's just having a bad day and tells him everything she's gone through. He says he can help. He'll get her a dry shirt and she can stay. She agrees to do that. He goes to get her a shirt.

Bela approaches Jo and Evangeline and introduces herself. She's excited to work with them. Evangeline is angry and calls her a slut. Jo says she should have checked first if any of the guys had girlfriends.

Nico tells Kimberly that he and his friends used to steal from Walgreens all the time. Kimberly says her dad wouldn't be happy about that. Bela runs into them and asks Kimberly if they can go because the party's lame. Kimberly asks if they should take Whitney and Leighton, but Whitney said she wanted to stay and Leighton never came back to the party.

Whitney introduces herself to Canaan and asks him to show her his room. He's surprised at her forwardness, but agrees.

Leighton sits at a bar and drinks. Kimberly texts her and asks if she's okay. Leighton orders another drink and then opens a dating app on her phone, revealing women's profiles. She matches with Jillian, who is really close.

Leighton pushes Jillian into the wall and kisses her. She pulls off Jillian's shirt and tells her to get on the bed. Leighton undresses herself and walks toward the bed.

## Cast

### Starring

* Pauline Chalamet as Kimberly Finkle
* Amrit Kaur as Bela Malhotra
* Reneé Rapp as Leighton Murray
* Alyah Chanelle Scott as Whitney Chase
* Gavin Leatherwood as Nico Murray
* Chris Meyer as Canaan Greene
* Ilia Isorelýs Paulino as Lila Flores
* Renika Williams as Willow
* Lolo Spencer as Jocelyn

### Guest Starring

* Rob Huebel as Henry Murray
* Nicole Sullivan as Carol Finkle
* James Morosini as Dalton
* Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier as Reena Malhotra
* Mueen Jahan as Nevaan Malhotra
* Craig Cackowski as Dale Finkle
* Stephen Guarino as Sips Manager
* Jillian Armenante as Coach Gertrude Woods
* Kim Matula as Michelle
* Matthew Gold as Max
* Mekki Leeper as Eric Miller
* Conor Donnally as Ryan Hutton
* Sierra Katow as Evangeline Hashima
* Maya Rose as Jena
* Colby Strong as Cory
* Lex King as Jillian
* Sherri Shepherd as Senator Evette Chase

### Co-Starring

* Betti as Travis
* Kennedy Slocum as Esme
* Samantha Dockser as Francesca
* Scott Lipman as Frude
* Cheyenne Perez as Jo
* Aza Sharavnyam as Siddhartha
* Danielle Kennedy as Pat
* Derek Cano as Tyler
* Tyler Joseph Ellis as Thatcher
* Jack Buckley as Austin
* Jake Regal as Oliver
* Shifra Zuckerman as Make Out Girl
* Collin Miller as Make Out Guy
* Lacy Hartselle as Drunk Girl