Flushed

Flushed
Season One, Episode One
Air date	12 May 2000
Written by	Steven Moffat
Directed by	Martin Dennis
Episode guide
Previous First episode	Next Size Matters

Flushed is the first episode of the first season of Coupling. It aired on the 12 of May, 2000.

Summary

Jane resists Steve's various attempts to break up with her. In the meantime, Susan and Patrick are also breaking up. Susan and Steve meet, and Steve asks her out. Steve intends to break up with Jane once and for all just before dinner with Susan. Jeff is on hand for reasons nobody is quite sure of and Susan arrives early, as her beautician friend Sally cancelled her facial appointment in order to have dinner with Patrick at the same restaurant.

Plot

Two guys, Steve and Jeff are talking about Steve wanting to dump a girl. Jeff is trying his best to encourage Steve. Steve has tried to dump the girl many times but every time, she brings up the word, Sex. She even wears Steve's favorite lingerie when he wants to breakup, something which she has never done before during their relationship. Elsewhere, two girls, Susan and her beautician friend, Sally are talking about Susan probably receiving a proposal. On a completely different subject, Sally keeps worrying about growing old and wrinkles appearing on her face. We are lead to believe that Steve is talking about dumping Susan. Steve enters a bar and Susan says Hi.....to a guy named Patrick. Steve is supposed to meet Jane. Steve says that it is finally over between him and Jane but she refuses to accept it, much to his shock and continues talking about her sister who has a habit of saying No. Susan and Patrick are talking, with Patrick saying that they need to take some time off from their relationship. Susan says that there was never a relationship between them and it was only about sex. Patrick is visibly hurt by this. Steve is still trying to dump Jane. He says that "It is "not" about you, but me." and begs her to dump him. Jane again refuses to do so. Susan unknowingly admits that she was seeing other men, unaware that Patrick viewed them as a couple. To even the scales, Patrick also admits to "seeing" other women, which actually causes Susan to fume on him for "cheating" on her. Steve is getting ready to leave and Jane is trying every weapon in her arsenal to stop him from leaving. She even suggests that she had a relationship with a woman named Elizabeth, which stops Steve right in his tracks. Jeff appears at the bar and Steve says that he was this close to dumping her. Jeff it seems, knows Susan too. Steve and Jane run to the female bathroom to hook up and Susan leaves for the bathroom too, leaving Jeff to embarrass himself in front of Patrick. Steve tumbles out of a cubicle just as Susan walks in. Steve invites Susan to a date and runs into the cubicle again. This time he tries to get away from Jane no matter what she might do, but fails yet again. Sally introduces herself to Patrick, now that he's single.

Sally and Patrick meet for the first time.

Steve and Jeff are playing a video game and Jeff dubs Steve the new King of The Zone. Steve calls up Susan and sets up their date. He calls Jane to dump her on the phone but only manages to say how impressive a girl Jane is, before the call gets cut. Steve goes to the restaurant one hour earlier to prevent Jane from meeting him. She and Susan do arrive at the restaurant just a few minutes from each other. Jane is hurt that Steve is on a date and ends things with Steve. Susan is early to the restaurant because Sally cancelled her appointment. Sally also ends up coming to the same restaurant, with Patrick in tow. Jeff insists that he would be staying with them on their date as he doesn't want them discussing about him. Susan irritatingly remarks that would she have to show her breast for him to go away. Jeff agrees to it. Jeff along with Patrick, Sally and Jane line up at a corner to see Susan flash her breast. Steve too slowly joins them much to Susan's shock. She ends up flashing not just the group, but also a waiter at the restaurant who comes to take their order. The group which consists of Steve's ex(Jane), Susan's ex(Patrick), Steve's best friend(Jeff), Susan's best friend(Sally) end up having dinner together.

Embarrassing Moments

Steve trying to prevent Susan from entering a toilet cubicle, where Jane is awaiting him in state of moist anticipation. "Sorry... erm... still using it... haven’t finished... I was on a break."

Jeffisms

• Unflushable
• Porn buddies
• The Zone

Cast

Main cast

• Jack Davenport as Steve Taylor
• Sarah Alexander as Susan Walker
• Richard Coyle as Jeff Murdock
• Kate Isitt as Sally Harper
• Ben Miles as Patrick Maitland
• Gina Bellman as Jane Christie

Supporting and guest cast

Raji James as Waiter.

Background information

• "Flushed" would be redone as the first episode of the US version of the show titled, "The Right One".

Trivia

• The opening song is "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps", sung by Mari Wilson.
• When Susan shows her breast to her friends, you can see in one shot through her shirt that she is wearing a bra.
• The main characters are called Steve and Susan, after the writer Steven Moffat and producer Sue Vertue (who are married in real life).
• Steve comes out of the cubicle to buy a condom, but since he meets Susan there he doesn't get it. After his return he and Jane immediately "get going" without -as we have to believe- the condom.
• Steve and Sally first met at her office party (Susan works with Steve's best friend, Jeff).

Quotes

• Susan:  Sally, does it ever occur to you that age brings wisdom and greater confidence?
  Sally:  "Susan, age brings you more to shave.
• Susan: I want you to remember, I intend this breast satirically.