5 taboo booty calls in The Sex Lives of College Girls S3

The Sex Lives of College Girls (SLOCG) introduced us to four first-year roommates at Essex College: Soccer star and senator’s daughter Whitney Chase (Alyah Chanelle Scott), sex-positive wannabe comedian Bela Malhotra (Amrit Kaur), working class white girl Kimberly Finkle (Pauline Chalamet, sister of Timothée), and closet lesbian rich girl Leighton Murray (Reneé Rapp). 

The four have been comparing notes on their sexploits and cheering each other on for the past two seasons. As Season 3 begins, they’re entering their second year with a firmer grip on what they want and who they are, having weathered (and even enjoyed) the results of all their bad decisions. Alas, we’ll be saying goodbye to one roommate early in the season as Leighton wins a spot at MIT to study mathematics (in real life, Reneé “Regina George” Rapp wanted to focus on her music career). So a new fourth will enter their dorm – Christian mean girl (trust us, it’s a really specific vibe), ex-child pageant star, and wannabe theatre kid, Kacey (Gracie Larence).

Binge The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 1-3

Now, as our college girls sally forth to further their education, here are five big no-nos that threaten to turn their stride of pride into a walk of shame.

1. Kissing the bestie’s ex

A persistent buzzkill raised its head in Season 1, episode 1, when Whitney hooked up with Kimberly’s hot campus coffee shop co-worker, Canaan Green (Christopher Meyer). Kimberly had been crushing on Canaan since day one, since he’s the first guy her age who’s actually treated her like a human being and a friend. Both women have big, stupid, complicated feelings for Canaan that they need to work through, so anyone dating him is going to be problematic. 

The Whitney-Kimberly-Canaan drama finally boiled over at the end of Season 2, wrecking Whitney and Kimberly’s plans to live together after Whitney saw Kimberly kiss Canaan, who was Whitney’s ex at that stage. As a result, at the start of Season 3, Whitney decides to move out of their shared dorm and into the Kappa Sorority house, which is packed with mean girls who immediately start calling Kimbery a slut for “stealing” Whitney’s ex. That’s not only girl boss deficient, it’s unnecessary because Kimberly and Canaan are in for some chemistry karma. And we’ll see Kimberly running to a handful of dudes including Eli (Michael Provost), the partying bi guy, and fellow nerd Brian (Michael Hsu Rosen), while Whitney finds herself falling into the arms of Mr Perfect-but-not-for-her Isaiah (Devin Craig), a piano-playing billionaire trust fund baby who bores her to tears. 

Break the girl code, kiss a toad.

2. Swiping right on dad

We’ll finally meet Whitney’s absentee dad, musician David Chase (LeRoy McClain), when the second Essex Parents’ Weekend rolls around in episode 5. Normally a handsome dad at the dinner table wouldn’t be a big deal, but Bela has handed her friends “clickers” for a psychology experiment in which she wants to prove that “women are just as horny as men”. They’re meant to click in every time they have a “happy” thought. And yes, everyone can hear the click. 

So it’s mayhem when David Chase enters the room and the friends, who’ve never met him before, start hitting their clickers for science. Cue Whitney’s meltdown on the group chat, because of course everyone has their phones ready under the table so they can keep their cover stories straight in front of mom and dad.

Could this dinner get any more awkward? We’re so glad you asked. Whitney calls an emergency meeting in the ladies’ room to tell her pals that she’s found her dad’s dating profile. And when she shows it to them on her phone, Kimberly accidentally swipes right, and the app sends him the message “Whitney Chase thinks you’re HOT 🔥”. That’s normal. Oh so normal. Not awkward at all. 

3. Yiffing for furries

While carrying out community work on campus in episode 3, Bela meets Essex University’s mascot, Franklin the Fox, and the two flirt their tails off! With Bela declaring herself a Franklin fan and defying anyone who even thinks of kink shaming her, Whitney still asks whether she’s ever met him out of costume and Bela retorts, “Do we ever really see anyone, outside of a costume?” Well, no, but also in a more literal sense, yes.

One hookup in the library later, Bela has become intimate with every part of Franklin aside from his head. The shelf-rattling library pound down is great, but it helps Bela to realise that she’s hung up on another guy. Even when Franklin takes off his fox head to reveal the pretty-boy face of actor Blake Manning, Bela still feels meh about him. Only her new friend crush, Arvind (Nabeel Muscatwalla), will do. Bela, loca, are you okay?

Fun fact: Franklin is played by three credited actors. Blake Manning is the face of Franklin, Andreas Alfaro and his ripped abs play library hookup Franklin, and Zeke Nicholson gives Franklin his voice. As for “furry” fun, actress Amrit Kaur warns that you have to be prepared for hair everywhere. She chewed gum between shots to get the stray strands of fake fox fur out of her mouth.

4. Bodycount bro woes

Bela has been openly sex positive and sought out a variety of fun, sweaty experiences since arriving at Essex (don’t tell her parents). And while sparks fly when she meets sweet, funny Arvind (Nabeel Muscatwalla), Bela is adamant that she’s into the Jafars, not the Aladdins. She wants a bad boy who can throw her around in bed like a WWE wrestler. Bela can’t resist flirting, though, even though Arvind is dating someone else. 

On paper, Arvind is a perfect fit for Bela culturally as well as spiritually. She describes him as “Indian parent catnip”, and he passes Kacey’s secret Good Partner Test with flying colours. So what’s the pickle? Alas, in episode 8 as the two are about to go “all the way”, Arvind reveals that he’s been cautious about creasing the sheets with Bela because that’s been his general approach in his previous two sexual relationships. Both of them react poorly. Bela is visibly astounded, and Arvind turtles into his shell when he finds out that she’s had sex with 20 different partners. Before they go any further he suggests (in an insulting rather than in a sensible-for-your-sexual-health kind of way) that Bela go to the campus clinic for a full STI panel before they go any further. Even after they get through that awkward patch, just wait till Arvind hears Bela’s sexplicit standup act in episode 9.

5. The straight girl delusion

Season 3 brings us a second new girl-gang member as Bela takes queer British first-year student and problem child Taylor (Mia Rodgers) under her wing. We’ll see a lot of Taylor as she starts hanging out at the dorm so she can avoid her own roommate and straight-crush, Chloe (Kyra Tantau). Bela tries to help Taylor by hooking her up with a queer speed dating event in episode 6, but despite getting giggly with Ash (Ruby Cruz), Taylor is still pining. That’s a downer for her, because normally her favourite hobby is “seducing and sexually dominating beautiful women”.

Is Chloe really straight, though? In episode 7, Taylor, who’s suffering from undiagnosed gaydar malfunction, invites her to the queer rodeo fundraiser in the hope that it’ll encourage Chloe to come out to her … and then date her. Whitney’s lesbian soccer teammate and friend Willow (Renika Williams) does her best to get Taylor to back off the straight girl, but Taylor is convinced that Chloe is sending signals by playing with Taylor’s hair and touching her leg. You know, just girly things. Alas, Taylor should listen to her queer elders – especially when a good dorm room is at stake.

Also on academic probation: Hooking up on a Disney adult bed, and guys who refuse to delete nudes. 

Cum laude: This season’s soundtrack. Our Essex crew will be getting down to everything from Cher’s Believe, to Chappel Roan’s Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, There Will Be Blood by Kim Petras, Can’t Lose You Now by Riah, and Mind on Fire by Haute & Freddy. Hunt down the full list because it’s Insecure-level amazing.