The team behind Starstruck has a preternatural understanding of rom-coms. We know this not just because creator Rose Matafeo and her writing partners Alice Snedden and Nic Sampson have peppered in great rom-com references throughout and flipped familiar tropes on their heads, and not just because they gave us such a swoony, smart love story with Jessie and Tom — but also because they knew exactly when it was time to move on from that central couple. More importantly, they understood that for us to buy it, they’d need to offer the possibility of a more satisfying happily ever after.
While Jessie’s new season-three love interest Liam — an electrician she meets at a wedding — will win you over immediately with his easygoing charm and appreciation for exactly who Jessie is, it’s not a completely straight line from rooting for Jessie and Tom to rooting for Jessie and Liam. Starstruck is too good for that. As Jessie and Tom, who break up during a montage in the first few minutes of the season, figure out how to move on from each other, Starstruck sends us on a rollercoaster of emotions in which you may find yourself pledging undying support for a different couple within the same episode. Hell, there might come a point (or two, embarrassingly) in your viewing experience when you say, “To hell with it. I’m rooting for Ian.”
If you, too, found yourself swaying and swooning in different directions throughout Starstruck’s latest (and maybe final?) outing, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s track all those changes of heart episode by episode to figure out who ours really belongs to.
Who I’m rooting for in Episode One …
At the start: Obviously Jessie and Tom. I mean, we kick things off by reliving their epic kiss in the pond and dive right into what seems to be a fun little montage of their relationship that includes Tom playfully putting Jessie’s mascara on her. I’m single, but I’m pretty sure that’s love right there.
Oh wait, what’s this? Surprise! This is not a cute montage about two people falling in love, but a horrific montage about two people falling out of love. It takes all of two minutes for Jessie and Tom to go from happily ever after to resenting each other for (1) wanting different things and (2) long-distance issues. By the end, Jessie moves out, and I am sad. The mascara is ancient history.
By the end: You’d think seeing Jessie and Tom standing next to each other at a bar — like the night they first met! — at Kate and Ian’s wedding two years after their breakup would instantly get me excited about the prospect of them getting back together, but no. They are awkward, Tom has a new actor girlfriend named Clem, and they are “jokingly” making swipes at each other that clearly points to some lingering pain they haven’t dealt with. How can we root for people who make each other so sad? But more importantly, how can we root for Jessie and Tom when we’ve now been introduced to the prospect of Jessie and … Liam.
Sure, I’d like to know why someone invited their electrician to a wedding and why that electrician said yes, but also who cares because Liam is immediately disarming and lovely, and when he tells Jessie that she needs a “palate-cleanser kiss” to forget about her ex showing up, he doesn’t volunteer for the job, but seems tickled when Jessie asks. Their first kiss makes my stomach do flips whereas Jessie and Tom sharing an awkward kiss before he tells her he’s engaged and runs off makes my stomach want to unload its contents everywhere. It feels wildly fast, but I’m rooting for Jessie and Liam now.
Who I’m rooting for in Episode Two …
At the start: I’m already all-in on Jessie and Liam. It’s not just that this man has mastered the art of the first phone call, it’s also that he immediately reveals that he has something Movie Star Tom Kapoor does not: the ability to make this whole thing as easy as it should be. It took Jessie and Tom an entire year of running into each other and wondering if getting together was a good idea before they even made their first attempt at making a go of things. Did I love watching every second of that? Obviously! I am a human being! But for Liam to simply call Jessie and even more simply just ask her out on a date … maybe my bar is low, but wow, I needed to sit down after that.
At the end: Admittedly, there’s a point in this episode when I am rooting for Ian and Ian alone, and that point is when he hilariously but quite seriously confesses that were someone to put a gun to his head, he would choose Clem over Jessie. Mostly, however, I’m torn between the two points in Jessie’s love triangle. On one hand, Jessie and Liam go on an adorable first date in which Liam continues to make us all swoon. What does it the most? Is it his absolute shit bowling skills? The way ‘Tom Kapoor’ sounds in his Scottish accent? The fact that he is obviously smitten with Jessie even when she repeatedly gets her fingers stuck in a bowling ball and he has to ask for the spray to get them out? Let’s not forget: Liam would NEVER call Jessie “kooky” and he knows how to both build a bed and handle weird but harmless roommates like Joe. Those are some high marks for our electrician. On the other hand, that text from Tom Famous saying “Hey” and indicating that the post-wedding kiss has some real and troublesome meaning does induce some sparks for both me and more importantly, Jessie. Still, in the end, Jessie admits that Liam makes her nervous, and if that’s not a sign that they belong together, I don’t know what is. I am very sorry to that man (Tom), but I’m still riding that Jessie and Liam high.
Who I’m rooting for in Episode Three …
At the start: Initially, I’m rooting for Jessie’s description of The Phantom of the Opera, which has changed me as a person. (“I won’t [kill him] because I love you so much, but I’ve got low self-esteem but, like, you’re never gonna love me.”) But it’s not long before I’m sucked back into Jessie and Tom. They both clearly have some unresolved feelings for each other. Yes, Tom invites Jessie to visit him before his play, but Jessie is the one who ditches her (admittedly terrible) date with the cyclist to go see him. And sure, Tom is the one who kisses Jessie first during his theater tour, but Jessie kisses him back, okay? They are both back in this! We all are! Is this villain behavior? Don’t answer that because I don’t care!
By the end: Okay, yes, it is adorable that Liam clearly left his other date early and is very smiley when Jessie asks if he wants to be exclusive once she realizes that what she’s doing with Tom is a terrible decision. And yet, all my energy winds up focused on Tom’s sweet fiancée Clem. Not even Clem and Tom, just Clem. She is so lovely to Jessie, she doesn’t let Kath get away with shit (most especially when Kath tries to undercut Jessie in front of her), and she seems really, really good for Tom. She deserves everything she wants. How wise of Starstruck to make Tom’s new love interest wonderful instead of a monster. Don’t hurt Clem!!
Who I’m rooting for in Episode Four …
At the start: Tom is out here getting drunk and telling people he’s still in love with his ex at his own stag do; the man is a menace to society. On the other hand, Liam shows up at Jessie and her friends’ country weekend getaway and not only seamlessly fits in with the group but is so fucking adorable when the twin beds he and Jessie pushed together start sliding apart while they’re making out; the man is a dream. I’m back to Jessie and Liam. Yes, mostly for the twin bed thing! It’s very cute!
By the end: Once Ian spills the beans about what Tom said, all hell breaks loose. Jessie is so undone by the shitty spot Tom has put her in since, you know, he’s supposed to be getting married, and he’s the one who keeps pulling her back to him. It’s a shame for several reasons. First and foremost, Steve is an excellent narrator for Werewolf, and his skills really go unnoticed because of the commotion. Second, once Liam sees how messy things remain between Jessie and Tom, he decides to bow out. He politely asks Jessie if they can break up and then holds her close to comfort her before giving her a sweet good-bye kiss. I think … he might be the best man on the planet? Finally, Jessie winds up taking most of her frustration with Tom out on Kate, and the two have a huge blowup that feels like it could do some real damage to their friendship. This after a sleepy Kate asked Jessie if she’ll still tell Kate all of her secrets because she’s worried about how a baby will change their relationship! This is dire! Jessie’s love life is one thing, but if Jessie and Kate don’t make it, what are we even doing here? I’m rooting for our girls — the purest, truest love story in this entire series — with every bone in my body.
Who I’m rooting for in Episode Five …
At the start: Amelia gets a little nod since she is the only person to show up for Jessie’s birthday drinks (although she does bring balloons that say 34 when Jessie is turning 33, but they aren’t that close of friends, so it’s fair) and because she’s the one person to tell her to appreciate what she has instead of complaining about what she doesn’t. I will always root for the Get A Grip friend. And yeah, we all want Jessie and Liam to make up, but come on, with Jessie and Kate not speaking to each other, we have bigger priorities. Once Ian tells Jessie that Kate has expressed how much she misses and needs Jessie in every way except verbally, you know this fight is legit!
By the end: What a reversal! When Kate’s water breaks while Ian is off playing squash with Tom (and consoling him after he confessed to Clem that he kissed Jessie), Kate calls Jessie. It’s not by accident that this rom-com’s big run-to-your-soulmate grand gesture is Jessie rushing to be with Kate. I mean, she immediately gets a cramp and has to call Liam for a ride, but it is the thought that counts. Kate might be in active labor, but she knows making amends with Jessie is more important — and so they do. I’ll always be rooting for them, but by the end of the episode, I’m back to rooting for Jessie and Liam.
The reasoning is two-fold: Jessie is wildly warranted in her anger and exasperation regarding Tom showing up everywhere and making her life difficult. Now this man is at the hospital! He had to give Ian a ride, but still! I love you, Tom Kapoor, but please leave!! More importantly, Liam is back to being the swooniest human alive: He drives Kate and Jessie to the hospital, and when Kate tells him that she peed a little on his seat, he is totally cool about it. I love him.
Who I’m rooting for in Episode Six …
At the start: Almost immediately upon entering the hospital room, Ian removes his shirt to prepare for skin-to-skin with his baby, who is, at the very least, hours away from being born. I will never stop rooting for that weirdo.
By the end: Listen, I am 100 percent rooting for Jessie and Tom, just not as a couple. They finally get to have an honest heart-to-heart — in front of the altar in the hospital chapel, no less! — and it is gorgeous and heartbreaking and cathartic and so wonderfully bittersweet. Jessie admits to having thought about what her and Tom’s wedding would’ve been like, which is surprising for Tom who always believed Jessie never wanted to get married. Vin Diesel would be their officiant, and Rowan Atkinson would read a long-winded poem, and when it was time for the ‘I dos’ Jessie would remind Tom that she is not the right person for him. She would remind him that they love each other very much, but that they want different things and there’s not much you can do about that. She would remind him that it’s “pretty stupid to think [finding love] can’t happen with someone else because it has, hasn’t it?” And although Tom points out that those are “pretty shit vows,” they are the truth. Tom loves Clem. He and Jessie might always love each other, but his person is Clem, and they all need to move on. There are tears and hugs and a perfectly timed entrance by a man who sees them sobbing in each other’s arms and says, “Sorry for your loss.” It’s a loss in some ways, yes, but ultimately it’s a win for them and for us: Both of them realizing there’s something better out there and being at peace with it is a perfectly satisfying way to tie up their love story. So, yeah, I’m rooting for them.
But HOLY HELL, I am also very much rooting for Jessie and Liam. This closure with Tom allows Jessie to focus on the person who, as it turns out, is the first person she wants to call with the good news that Kate had her baby (and was considering giving it the middle name Jessie, until Jessie pointed out it’s a terrible middle name). When she’s done leaving that late-night/early-morning voicemail, she looks down into the parking lot and realizes Liam has been waiting there for her the entire time. He! Never! Left! Hours and hours of just making sure he was there if Jessie ended up needing him. I think this is what they invented fainting couches for. By the time Jessie runs through the rain, hops in the passenger seat and so earnestly says, “You stayed,” I am in tears. And when this dude hands her a birthday gift that he admits he got at the gas station just because he wanted to get her something, well, is there anything better? After everything, Jessie finds someone who loves every bit of her and who shows her that when love is right, it should be easy. Now that right there is an ending worth rooting for.
