Commentary: A Plot Hole In ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ Proves The Show Must Go On

Even casual audiences are aware of what a plot hole is and can spot them if they are big enough. A plot hole is, essentially, an aspect of the story that doesn’t quite make sense. This often happens when events unfold contrary to logic or when characters act in a rather suspicious way to move the story along. But just because a plot hole exists doesn’t mean the entire story should be discredited. Such is the case with Your Friends & Neighbors.

The series follows Andrew “Coop” Cooper (Jon Hamm), a rich and high-powered stockbroker who loses his job after a one-night stand with a woman who works at his firm. Even though the woman didn’t work directly under him, the fling had repercussions with his boss, who utilized it as a means to fire Coop when the woman complained. He eventually learns that there was no complaint and that his boss merely used it as an opportunity to get rid of him. Out of a job and desperate to keep up his wealthy lifestyle, Coop turns to a life of crime, stealing from his friends and neighbors.

Coop is a very savvy character. He had to have been in order to rise to the level he did within the financial industry. However, he doesn’t find out that his boss fabricated the woman’s complaint until much later. If he were to really challenge his firing and take the issue to HR, the ruse would have fallen apart much sooner. He would have learned there wasn’t any complaint, and therefore his boss wasn’t justified in firing him. Unfortunately, Coop waited too long to discover this and wasn’t left much of a choice. The fact that he didn’t uncover the truth earlier is a plot hole that had to occur so he could begin his life of crime. So in this case, even though the plot hole exists, it could be forgiven so that the character can get to the meat of the story.

Your Friends & Neighbors is now streaming on AppleTV.