‘Not Suitable for Work’s Avantika & Mindy Kaling Break Down Abby’s Breakup With Austin
What To Know
- Not Suitable for Work‘s Avantika and Mindy Kaling address Abby’s work breakup with Austin in the latest episode.
- The duo opens up about subverting expectations when it comes to blurring professional and romantic lines onscreen.
Not Suitable for Work‘s latest installments delivered a professional twist for Abby (Avantika), who had left her job working under stylist Vanessa (Constance Wu) to work alongside Austin Blanchett (Harry Richardson). Warning: Spoilers for Not Suitable for Work, Season 1, Episodes 6-7 ahead!
The decision to leave behind her gig for what she believed was a quicker path to success turned out to be anything but. Instead, Austin revealed to Abby that he planned to work with a different stylist after she bent over backwards to get him a brand ambassador deal and blew up her steady job for an unknown future.
When Austin came to reveal the news at Abby’s apartment, she was quick to throw him out. The question is: Did his decision have anything to do with the fact that Abby wouldn’t cross the workplace boundary? It was clear Austin was interested in her romantically, but Abby was strong and maintained professionalism until they cut ties.
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As for subverting expectations with their dynamic, Avantika tells TV Insider, “I think what’s interesting is when I was doing the season, we were coming up with it as we [went] because this whole show is so relationship-driven and so, I think Mindy [Kaling] and Charlie [Grandy] didn’t want to do anything that… felt like it was forced, but I think with Austin, it was really fun because Harry and I didn’t really know what was going to happen with us.”
“We would read the episodes and be like, ‘OK, guess this is where we are right now,’ and so I think it’s interesting that not only were your expectations diverted, but ours too, frankly,” Avantika continues. “And I think it’s very, very cool that Abby draws that line and sticks to it.”
When it came to that unexpected avenue for Abby, Mindy Kaling admits that she and her writing team are always thinking of new ways to deliver stories with a format like Not Suitable for Work. “I think when we go into it, we’re thinking, ‘What feels new?'” Kaling says. “Obviously, doing a show about five twentysomethings living in New York City is not an original concept. So [we’re] constantly trying to say what feels original, what feels fresh in the way that they act with each other.”
In other words, don’t get too comfortable attempting to predict what’s next for the young professionals at the center of this comedy. Stay tuned to see how Abby and Austin’s work breakup might impact her moving forward and don’t miss the remaining episodes of Not Suitable for Work, which land on Hulu June 23.
Not Suitable for Work, New Episodes, Tuesdays, Hulu
