Entertainment

This 'New Adventures Of Old Christine' Episode Will Feel SO Real If You're Single

by Tatiana Tenreyro
Warner Bros. TV

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is extremely relatable as Elaine in Seinfeld, but nothing quite beats her realness in the underrated, short-lived CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine. There are plenty of stand-out moments throughout the show that you might find yourself strongly identifying with. But for those who are struggling with singlehood, this episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine might be the most relatable of them all.

In this episode from the show’s first season, Christine is trying to cope with her ex-husband Richard dating a younger woman who shares her name and is referred to as “New Christine” throughout the show. When Richard visits Christine to take their son Ritchie to school, he begins singing Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way.” Christine immediately recognizes it as the song Richard used to sing right after they’d have sex, so she’s understandably uncomfortable.

She confronts him about it and he admits that he just had sex that morning, but points out that it has been three months since he’s been with New Christine, so it should hardly be surprising. He also lets Christine know that New Christine isn’t actually the first person he’s had sex with post-divorce and tells Christine it’s evident she hasn’t been with anyone in three years since their marriage ended.

Christine, in a truly relatable manner, tries to keep it cool and brags about all the sex she’s been having, but Richard sees right through it. So after her conversation with Richard, she naturally asks her friend/co-worker Ali for advice. She vents about her woes in the struggle to find someone decent to date. But Ali reminds her that she doesn’t need a boyfriend to have some fun with a guy — she just needs to find someone who’s willing to sleep with her.

This is pre-Tinder, so instead of suggesting picking up guys at the bar or through online dating, Ali has an unconventional suggestion: Whole Foods. Christine makes her way to Whole Foods wearing her most stylish outfit and spending hours doing her hair, enlisting her brother Matthew to accompany her for moral support and to not “look whorey.” Matthew tries giving her advice, telling her to act sexy, but Christine is absolutely clueless. She then feels confident enough to approach a guy looking at produce, but in true Christine fashion, it goes awry.

Matthew decides to give her some pointers and tells her to instead let the guy do all the talking first. Christine approaches the next cute guy she sees, flashing a big smile waiting for him to initiate the conversation — but that proves to be a bust, too. Just when she’s about to give up on finding a fling while grocery shopping, she’s approached by Stan (Andy Richter). He immediately compliments her hair and notes how long it must’ve taken her to get it to look like that. She instantly feels elated as she has finally found someone who appreciates her and is willing to sleep with her.

The next morning, she’s the one singing “Baby, I Love Your Way” while taking Ritchie to school. But her joy doesn’t last very long. After divulging to moms Lindsay and Marly about her steamy hookup, she finds out that Stan is actually dad to one of Ritchie’s classmates and nicknamed “Sad Dad.” When he approaches Christine giving her a huge, long-lasting hug, the identity of her latest conquest is revealed — much to the moms’ horror.

Christine tries to avoid his calls and attempts to move on, except Stan doesn't give up that easily. He visits her at work, set on winning her back. And even though Christine explains that their one-night stand was a big mistake, he gifts her a mixtape with her favorite band Supertramp. Since it’s been a long time since anyone’s shown that they care so much about her, Christine falls for it and ends up sleeping with him again.

But now, she has to find a way to break it to Stan that she doesn’t want to see him again, so she decides the best thing to do is just approach him at school and tell him how she feels. But just when she’s about to dump him, he turns things around and tells her things are going way too fast for him. Instead of being happy that she no longer has to deal with him, Christine is super hurt and angry, calling him out as the moms watch. It's a scene, to say the least.

In Seinfeld, Elaine became extremely relatable with her dating woes, but in The Old Adventures of New Christine, it’s driven even further, showing that there’s no shame in regrettable hookups and going through the awkward process of getting back out there after a breakup.