By a Thread

39-year-old Ally Morales works her shift at George’s Village Pizza. Annoyed by Dominic’s entitled behavior, she writes FU in pepperoni on his pie. Dominic complains to her boss George, who fires Ally on the spot. On her way out, sympathetic customers give Ally cash. She accepts it because she’s worried about money.

Ally walks to the bus stop feeling overwhelmed. She’s been having money troubles since moving to New York City from Colorado. She’s living at her dad’s in New Jersey but works five different gigs to cover her bills and debts. She’s been picking up freelance graphic design jobs but they don’t pay enough. Now she isn’t sure what she’ll do without her serving job. Before the bus comes, Dalessandra appears, apologizes to Ally, and offers her a job at Label.

Dominic reports to the Label office on Monday and greets his assistant Greta. She worked with Dominic at his last job and he brought her to Label when he took over for his father Paul as creative director. Dominic doesn’t want to work in fashion but needs to help Dalessandra cover Paul’s scandal. At his desk, he stews on what happened at the pizza place, accusing himself of being like Paul.

Dominic takes a meeting with the beauty director Shayla Bruno and managing editor Irvin Harvey. They discuss the next issue. Dominic doesn’t have much input. He just wants to preserve the family name.

Ally hacks into someone’s Wi-Fi to work on her graphic design projects from her dad’s house. A neighbor, Mrs. Grosu, stops over to bring her food and again offers her a loan. Ally again refuses. However, she does accept when Mrs. Grosu and Ally’s dad’s friend Mr. Mohammed offer to take her clothes shopping for her new Label job.

Ally reports to Label on Monday. In the elevator, she meets a friendly assistant named Gola who leads her to reception. From there, she reports to Dalessandra’s office. Dalessandra explains that she hired Ally “for [the] admin pool” (43)—Ally will be responsible for completing administrative tasks. Dalessandra, worried about morale, then asks Ally about her impression of the office so far. Since Paul left, the company has been transitioning to new management and policies. Ally withholds her questions about Paul’s departure and assures Dalessandra that Label is fine except for Dominic’s attitude. Dalessandra seems amused.

Dominic is shocked when he runs into Ally at Label. He tries to fire her when she reveals Dalessandra hired her, but he doesn’t have that power. They bicker as they walk to HR.

Ally completes her paperwork with HR. When she names Faith Vigoda as her emergency contact, she realizes how long it’s been since she’s talked to her best friend. She silently calculates how long it will take to get her paycheck before she can finish renovating her dad’s house for sale and take a break from work.

Ally finds a desk in the admin pool. Gola introduces her to some of the other women, including Ruth and Malina. Later at lunch, Ally sits with Gola and Ruth. They like her immediately.

Ally tells her new friends about how she met Dominic and Dalessandra. They’re thrilled by the story and tell her everyone is in love with Dominic but hated his father. Paul had sexual relationships with many of the employees, including Malina. No one is sure why Paul left, but they suspect it was because he had a history of sexual harassment. The company covered up his abuse. Since Dominic’s arrival, Label has a new “harassment and fraternization policy” (62), but Paul got another job in the industry at the magazine Indulgence. When lunch ends, Ruth and Gola suggest they all go out for drinks after work. Ally can’t—she has to teach a dance glass. She explains her financial situation. Gola and Ruth decide to attend her class and go out afterward.

Dominic leads a meeting with the design team. He hates these meetings because he’s unfamiliar with fashion. However, Ally is there and he enjoys bickering with her. Afterward, he warns her not to get too comfortable at Label.

The next day, when Dominic doesn’t see Ally in the cafeteria, he goes to the admin pool. He finds her at her desk working on freelance assignments and eating a banana. Dominic is unnerved that she isn’t eating more food and has to work more than one job. Afterward, he has HR send food to admin and spends the afternoon reading Ally’s file.

Dominic tries avoiding Ally over the following days but he can’t stop thinking about her. Since reading her file, he’s wondered why she left her life and graphic design job in Colorado to come to New York. Eager to see her again, he has her attend an out-of-office meeting with him. On the drive, Ally suggests they try being friends or at least air their reasons for disliking each other. Dominic rattles off everything he hates about Ally. Ally reciprocates, reassuring Dominic that he’s not her type even though she likes the vests he wears.

Ally and Dominic arrive at Christian James Designs for their meeting with Christian James, an up-and-coming designer Label is backing. Christian takes an immediate liking to Ally, leading her through the studio and showing her his new project. Ally suggests Label feature this work.

Dominic appreciates Ally’s good eye but feels annoyed with Christian’s attentiveness to her. On the drive back, they argue about whether Label should feature Christian’s new project. Then Ally gets a call—she has to get to New Jersey for a family emergency. Dominic suggests she take the car, but Ally argues the train is faster. He gives her money for a cab back.

Ally races to Goodwin Childers Nursing Home where her dad is a resident. He has dementia; he fell out of bed and hurt himself. Ally notices how distressed and confused he is, asking about her mother Claudia who hasn’t been in the picture in years. She talks to the nurse about his condition before returning to his house. She eats ramen, doesn’t turn on the heat to save money, and bundles up in bed. She receives several texts from Dominic asking if she’s okay. Ally doesn’t give him specifics about her emergency, but they send flirtatious texts saying goodnight.