No Reason

## Episode guide

"**No Reason**" is the first episode of the second season of *Melodrama* and the ninth episode of the series overall. It was released on October 18, 2021.

## Synopsis

As winter break comes to a close, Meghna reckons with the consequences of her actions, Walter stops by Ty's house in a moment of crisis, and the Shulman family considers the way forward.

## Plot

Over winter break, Dina experiences withdrawal symptoms from quitting her antidepressants cold turkey. Jude comforts her as she vomits in the bathroom. In the dining room downstairs, Daniel and Ilana sit across from each other in silence. Neither of them touches the plate of dinner in front of them.

Walter knocks on Ty’s front door and Ty’s mother, Septima, opens it. Walter, who has had too much of an edible, worries that he might have a heart attack and asks to come inside for some support. While preparing late night pancakes for Walter, Septima reminisces on her childhood friendship with Gus.

Meghna spends all her time in her room, texting Inés and watching women-led action movies. Meghna’s parents reacted negatively to Meghna opening up about being raped at the end of the previous season, victim blaming her. Neil’s family later threatened the Menons with a trespassing lawsuit, but Meghna’s father was able to diffuse the situation. Meghna ultimately skipped school on the next two nights of the play and sent Ms. Martinez an email announcing her dropping out of the drama club. While providing Meghna emotional support, Inés prepares for the upcoming track and field season through regular visits to the gym.

Amar ponders his relationship with Islam. Though he told Dina he wasn’t interested in pursuing her last semester, he imagines abandoning his religion and hooking up with her. He also imagines himself as a religious scholar and imam. While preparing dinner with his father Wasif one night, Amar asks him what exploring relationships was like before he met Amar’s mother. Wasif discusses his experiences with religious temptation and the importance of centring God and the goal of marriage when exploring relationships.

Hearing the commotion from the kitchen, Ty comes downstairs to find Walter and Septima together. He teases Walter about his edible consumption. Flashbacks show Walter, Ty and Ash spending much of the winter break together, during which the relationship between the three developed into an informal polycule and Walter was introduced to alcohol and cannabis for the first time.

Addie visits the Shulman household. Observing the awkwardness between Daniel and Ilana, she joins Dina and Jude upstairs, where she commits to reinventing herself in the spring semester and encourages Dina to do the same. She asks Jude how she’s feeling about her final semester of high school, about which Jude expresses a relative apathy and uncertainty.

Filo downloads a series of dating apps, but uses them only to swipe. Whenever she receives a DM from someone who has matched with her, she deletes the app in question. During confession at her church, Filo confesses to being cruel and weaponizing other people’s trauma against them.

While Walter eats the pancakes Septima has prepared, Septima and Ty talk in private. Septima advises Ty to be cautious when spending time with Walter, especially considering the fact that his father is an addict. Ty defends Walter’s character while refraining from mentioning that Walter got the drugs from him and Ash. Septima reminds him that even being affiliated with drugs puts his future as a Black boy at risk. She insists that she doesn’t mind Ty being friends with Walter but tells him to keep his guard up.

Dina, Jude and Addie go downstairs together for dinner. Ilana asks Dina what she thinks treatment will look like for her now that Carolyn Michaels is no longer her therapist. Dina doesn’t have answers. Daniel implores her to find answers, given that the alternative is her death. He then turns the conversation to Jude’s final semester of high school, but Jude only provides the most curt answers.

Sitara enters Meghna’s room and lectures her daughter on being melodramatic. Meghna’s attempts to defend herself end with her sobbing, which her mother does not respond to kindly, accusing Meghna of immaturity. She leaves Meghna alone in her room to continue crying.

Addie leaves after dinner, thanking the Shulmans for letting her spend time with them in the midst of the turmoil unfolding in her own home. After she leaves, Ilana asks to speak to Dina in her room. Once there, Ilana unveils a belated Christmas present to Dina: a brand-new cello. Ilana promises to turn over a new leaf as a mother going into the new year if Dina will give her the space to do so. Dina and Ilana hug.

## Credits

### Cast

#### Starring

* Chana Wilson as Dina Shulman
* Joshua Hollis as Walter Fleming
* Ralph McCowan as Ty Norton
* Constance Presley as Addie Nadeau
* Saraswathi Radhakrishnan as Meghna Menon
* Flávia Baptista as Filo de Sousa Teixeira
* Maya Levin as Jude Shulman
* Gabby Mendoza as Inés Montoya
* Shahid Nawaz as Amar Khan
* Nadia Orenstein as Ilana Shulman
* Barry Reiss as Daniel Shulman
* Zoë Bird as Ash

#### Featured

* Alissa Davis as Septima Lowell
* Aaron Degrazia as Priest
* Isaac Fortenberry as Neil's father
* Sandy Murad as Wasif Khan
* Suvarna Natarajan as Sitara Menon
* Nanji Parekh as Jayesh Menon
* Alexandra Torrey as Neil's mother

## Trivia

* The title is a reference to both the Tōth song "No Reason" and the Arlo Parks song "Black Dog".