Sylvia (portrayed by Rose Byrne) attended law school in her college years. After meeting her husband, she opted to get married, have children, and become a full-time housewife, and she now has three kids.
In her younger days, Sylvia had a very close male friend named Will (played by Seth Rogen). He even took on the role of a bridesmaid at Sylvia's wedding.
Yet, after getting married, Sylvia grew apart from Will. This was due to her dissatisfaction with his choice of partner, along with the pressures from her family and marriage, and eventually, they lost touch.
More than a decade later, upon hearing that Will had divorced his wife, Sylvia saw it as a great chance to reconnect with him.
After a casual chat during their meeting, Will suggested that Sylvia come by his bar sometime.
Will now runs a boutique beer bar. However, his ex-wife openly showed up at the bar with her new boyfriend, which made Will so angry that he hurled insults outside the store.
Sylvia, who was about to leave, noticed the upset Will. Instead of leaving, she stayed and went over to comfort him.
The two, reuniting after a long time, headed to another bar. Will naturally poured out his marital miseries to his long-time friend.
Sylvia comforted the distressed Will. Looking at the other girls in the bar, she suggested that Will needed a new relationship and that she could make a comeback as his wingman.
They got hungry from hanging out and went to a restaurant for a meal.
Having not been in contact for over ten years, the two had endless things to talk about. Even while eating fries at the restaurant, they couldn't stop chatting.
Will looked at Sylvia and finally asked the question he was most curious about: "How's your... sex life?"
Sylvia complained that it took her and her husband half an hour each time. Will joked that it was about the same as an episode of Modern Family with commercials.
Will then recalled a funny sexual story from his past.
Once, he was too drunk to reach orgasm. The girl punched him from behind, and somehow, it was like flipping a switch—he climaxed right away.
After telling the story, he quickly invited Sylvia to punch him to give it a try.
In this way, with Will's divorce as a turning point, the two rekindled their long-lost friendship.
Everything from household chores to private secrets is a topic of their daily discussions.
Sylvia and Will seem to prove that platonic relationships do exist. But in Will's ex-wife's eyes, the overly close relationship between them was one of the triggers for their divorce.
It's certainly possible for people of the opposite sex to be friends, but maintaining a certain distance and sense of proportion is fundamental to the longevity of such friendships.
The reason for their estrangement in their younger years was that Sylvia intruded too much into Will's private life. She disliked Will's wife a lot and openly said that she wasn't right for him.
This attitude undoubtedly put pressure on Will to choose between his wife and his good friend.
Now that the two have regained their lost friendship, the sense of boundaries in their friendship will be discussed again in a more mature manner.
Additionally, the show's characterization of Sylvia is quite meaningful. In "a time when feminism is like a fashion accessory", Platonic depicts Sylvia as a highly educated woman who voluntarily became a housewife.
While her husband was promoted to partner at the law firm, Sylvia found out that a female classmate of hers, who hadn't given up her career back then, had also been promoted to partner. What's even more surprising is that this classmate had just given birth to her fourth child.
Seeing a woman who was once at the same starting point as herself balancing both family and career, Sylvia, who had been a housewife for 13 years, couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
Admittedly, the mainstream view of feminism encourages women to work outside the home, participate in social division of labor, and gain social value. However, Sylvia's self-contentment in Platonic just proves that feminism is about giving women full freedom of choice, rather than blindly devaluing the worth of housewives.
Overall, the show has a very relaxed atmosphere. It explores the true meaning of friendship through two middle-aged people in different situations, while also touching on some women's issues.
As a critic from A.V. Club noted, "it strikes a good balance between light-hearted and serious storylines". Platonic is indeed a great comedy with a novel and interesting theme and a simple, relaxed plot.
