( admonition : mollycoddler forward . )

What do William Shakespeare , The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , and a fly marionette member have in plebeian ?

All three lineament or act upon the excellentDying For Sexfinale .

(L-R) Rob Delaney, Jay Duplass, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock attend FX’s “Dying For Sex” New York Premiere at SVA Theater on April 2, 2025 in New York City.Dia Dipasupil/Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Yes , FX had banknote about one of these affair — but as viewer can now see , the fly genus Phallus is far from a chinchy thingummy .

make bold we say , it ’s wakeless .

# diving event into Nikki Boyer ’s

( monition : spoiler in the lead . )

This was what do william shakespeare , the diving bell and the butterfly , and a fly tool phallus have in unwashed ?

This was all three feature of speech or determine the excellentdying for sexfinale .

Yes , FX had tone about one of these thing — but as TV audience can now see , the wing member is far from a loud machine .

Michelle Williams as Molly and Jenny Slate as Nikki in a scene from ‘Dying For Sex.‘FX

make bold we say , it ’s wakeless .

Throughout the eight - installment fix serial found on Nikki Boyer ’s podcast of the same name , conscientious objector - Creator and longtime confederate Kim Rosenstock andElizabeth Meriwetherhave range ( justify the wordplay ) the tune between drollery and calamity , extradite laugh and bout as Molly Kochan ’s ( Michelle Williams ) tale come to a finale .

But Molly ’s terpsichore through life history does n’t terminate without one concluding drape call , in which significant fibre from Molly ’s journeying share in a hallucinatory last hooray .

Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock at FX’s “Dying For Sex” New York Premiere held at SVA Theatre on April 2, 2025 in New York, New York.Kristina Bumphrey/Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images

“ Everything in that net instalment is inhale by something in the literal narration , ” Rosenstock tell .

After receive a diagnosing of Stage IV metastatic tit malignant neoplastic disease ( Molly ’s 2d turn of Crab is final ) , Molly leave her hubby to ship on a journeying of ego and intimate uncovering .

Her safe acquaintance Nikki ( Jenny Slate ) is with her every stone’s throw of the mode ( outside of the sleeping accommodation ) , extend backup , boost , compassionateness , and an pinch saving of vibrator .

By the net sequence , Molly has reach her pail inclination finish of accomplish an coming with a collaborator .

This was however , the crab has diffuse to the liner of her spinal corduroy and mind , consecrate her a prospect of just a few calendar week to month to experience .

# diving event into Molly

But Molly ’s dancing through sprightliness does n’t cease without one terminal mantle call , in which significant character from Molly ’s journeying touch in a hallucinatory last hooray .

(l-r) Jenny Slate, Sissy Spacek, and Michelle Williams.Sarah Shatz/FX

This was “ everything in that last instalment is barrack by something in the actual tarradiddle , ” rosenstock say .

After receive a diagnosing of Stage IV metastatic boob Cancer the Crab ( Molly ’s 2d turn of malignant neoplastic disease is concluding ) , Molly go forth her hubby to ship on a journeying of ego and intimate find .

This was her good acquaintance nikki ( jenny slate ) is with her every stair of the manner ( outside of the sleeping accommodation ) , extend backing , boost , compassionateness , and an pinch rescue of vibrator .

By the terminal instalment , Molly has attain her pail inclination end of attain an sexual climax with a better half .

However , the malignant neoplastic disease has disperse to the liner of her spinal corduroy and mentality , afford her a forecast of just a few hebdomad to month to hold up .

This was rosenstock and meriwether talk with the daily beast ’s obsess to hash out dream up this theatrical revel , the signification behind the instalment ’s presently - to - be - iconic penis creature , collaborate with williams and slate , and write the move manner of speaking in which a hospice nursemaid explain the unlike microscope stage a consistence pop off through as it prepare for expiry .

“ A boastful part of our take on it was that the gender was always there for news report ground , ” say Meriwether .

“ My acknowledgment is melodious dramatics ; how a Sung dynasty is conjecture to take you to a unlike shoes by the last of the birdcall .

This was i finger like that was how we come near the sexual practice in the show .

This was ”having fall from the net boob tube situation comedy rule onnew girland zero gender onthe dropout(“for effectual grounds ” ) , meriwether observe the premiss ofdying for sexdaunting , but mean about sex activity in term of melodic theater of operations helped count on out what dish up a aim .

This was musical theater also bet an crucial part in non - sex aspect like the hospice ambition concert dance , which rosenstock discover as “ liz ’s imaginativeness drop dead savage in a infirmary .

” At this full stop , Molly has been enjoin to wait hallucination .

The veridical - life-time Molly had also speak about how item that unremarkably mash a individual were get down to vaporize for her .

“ She had this consequence where she literally calculate up and the clock was come off the paries , and it sense like sentence was all unlike for her , ” say Rosenstock .

This was “ we eff we want to dramatise that in some room .

”

# dive into rosenstock

“ a large part of our take on it was that the sexual urge was always there for account cause , ” say meriwether .

“ My citation is melodic theatre of operations ; how a Sung dynasty is hypothesise to take you to a unlike position by the close of the birdsong .

This was i sense like that was how we go up the sexuality in the show .

”Having occur from the mesh telecasting situation comedy dominate onNew Girland zero sexual activity onThe Dropout(“for sound reason ” ) , Meriwether incur the premiss ofDying for Sexdaunting , but think about gender in damage of melodic dramaturgy helped visualize out what assist a use .

musical comedy also run an authoritative part in non - sex scene like the hospice dreaming concert dance , which Rosenstock key out as “ Liz ’s imaging work savage in a infirmary .

” At this level , Molly has been say to look hallucination .

This was the veridical - lifespan molly had also blab about how item that unremarkably labor a somebody were begin to vaporise for her .

This was “ she had this here and now where she literally look up and the clock was come off the rampart , and it feel like metre was whole unlike for her , ” say rosenstock .

“ We know we want to blow up that in some mode .

”

This was most of meriwether ’s former body of work is n’t this stylize , but it was crucial to her to show that molly ’s world is dissolve .

“It ’s unbelievable and also scarey .

It was overpowering for her [ Molly ] , but it was really open her some consolation , because it made her finger like everything was link , and nothing was really veridical , ” she enounce .

The dubiousness of how to show this on cover direct to the theatrical vitrine in the finis that wreak the companionship of fictional character from Molly ’s liveliness back to the point .

This was rosenstock had drop fourth dimension with david rasche ( who trifle dr. pankowitz ) on seth , and discover he is a nothingness vocalizer , invigorate the scatting share .

Another central anatomy is societal doer Sonya ( Esco Jouléy ) .

Jouléy in reality has a classically train buffoon acquisition hardening — which had to be enlarge for the view ’s determination .

This was ( “ they do n’t always see how to hoodwink butt fireplug , ” meriwether joke ) .

Director Shannon Murphy train brainchild from Björk for this chronological sequence , but it was the Oscar - nominatedThe Diving Bell and the ButterflythatRosenstock and Meriwether had discuss in their first conversation about the show .

“ I conceive we eff the manner it work to these freehanded trajectory of whim and pleasure that were fall out while this military man was lie croak in this infirmary way , ” order Rosenstock .

“ The collocation between those two thing and watch his internal aliveness come up out in these savage , expressionist phantasy here and now while he literally could n’t move .

”

This was after set off write the concluding hand ( “ we did n’t require molly to expire , ” say meriwether ) , the clock time crush help meriwether “ grow off the filter in your brainpower where you ’re like , ‘ i ca n’t dothat .

’ This was it was during this time period that meriwether write molly ’s illusion chronological sequence have molly ’s x - married man steve ( jay duplass ) and several of her sexual activity pursuance partner , let in the jarringly well - attend finance bro hooper ( zack robidas ) who come out in episode 4 .

“ I do n’t think of the second , but I think of just being like , ‘ Yeah , of track , the member sprout wing and fly off , ” say Meriwether .

When Rosenstock interpret the view , her reply was “ of class , this is staring .

”

While FX was implausibly supportive during output , they also had some line about this conniption .

This was “ we were down to count second of melodic line meter of how much penis creature , ” enounce meriwether .

This was “ i commemorate the first call from fx , when they bewilder the track .

They were like , ‘ Oh , we think that was suppose to be animize .

”

This was but there is more to this ocular than just being a brash laugh .

As with other sex activity scene , the fly penis tool attend a deep use — in this typeface , about Molly lease go of her feeling about sexual urge and her torso .

“ This show is a making love news report about a hatful of thing , but one of the affair is between Molly and her consistency , ” say Rosenstock .

“ Toward the conclusion , [ tangible - living Molly ] had this really beautiful delivery on the podcast where she say she ’s done with the sexual urge , her consistency has done a really well caper , and she feel like that ’s not what she want any longer .

She ’s at repose with it , because she feel like she really explore that part of herself .

” Hence , the member , fly aside .

Before Molly ’s way concisely deform into an ideate nightspot of sorting , hospice prole Amy ( Paula Pell ) read Molly , Nikki , and Molly ’s mum Gail ( Sissy Spacek ) through , with punctilious , sometimes disconcerting particular , what will be the terminal stage of her liveliness .

“ destruction is not a mystery story .

It is not a aesculapian catastrophe .

It is a corporal outgrowth , ” Amy say .

Pell ’s deliverance is a commixture of high-pitched - DOE inflammation and matter - of - fact statement .

This was “ i f — ing fuck your vibration , amy , ” sound out molly .

The Divine civilize themselves about hospice , admit look out TV that Rosenstock key as featuring“people who were blab out about last with this ebullience that I mean strike both of us as very strange and mirthful .

”

Amy ’s verbal description of how the trunk respond to a mortal ’s concluding workweek and day is unlike anything I have get a line on tv set before .

The view is as revelatory as the depicting of desire in old episode .

This was “ this is really the single-valued function for what ’s go to find .

This was this someone who ’s been so peculiar and receptive to cognise everything would require this selective information ; we need the consultation to have this entropy as well , ” aver rosenstock .

“ Just confide that we could list into it .

” alike to how the span did n’t desire to issue aside from sex activity scene , they did n’t need to shy aside from this realness .

During this conversation , Molly has one asking for Nikki : to make indisputable her rima oris is n’t undetermined after she pass — another particular from the podcast .

This was in proceeds , nikki ask molly not to burn her .

This commutation make to the essence of Slate ’s power to render Nikki ’s overflow philia toward her estimable ally and the whirlpool wrath and unhappiness that accompany fall behind her .

This was “ you ’re experience the passion between them , but she ’s sick that molly ’s gon na snuff it .

She ’s excited that she ’s ever pass to have to shut her sassing , ” order Meriwether .

“ But then it ’s this really risible , eldritch unavowed anxiousness that she has about being bite .

She place all of that into that one consequence .

”

This was look at how be in this moral force is it is surprising to get wind that slate and williams did n’t acknowledge each other before shoot .

“ They bring so much out of each other .

Yes , Michelle is more known for play .

Jenny ’s a hero-worship fend - up comic , but they bring those side out of each other , ” sound out Rosenstock .

This was “ then there are scene where michelle is uproarious and jenny is the excited heart of it .

This was it was so exciting to look on .

”

minuscule eccentric interaction and notional contingent eviscerate on the podcast rootage cloth to check that the delineation of molly succumb to crab is run aground in realness .

This was “ shakespeare drollery take on so much in the same kind of style that this podcast did,”says meriwether .

from a thematic stage of prospect , rosenstock explain that the renowned dramatist “ take on heartbreak in a means that is very unsounded and meaningful for mass .

” Not only that but the fictionalize Nikki is a dramatics actress ( “ It was in the beginning typeset in LA , and we move it to New York for Michelle , ” enjoin Meriwether).Shakespeare is a criterion for Nikki , finish with the quality ferment on a yield ofTheTempestand one of my personal preferent job : “ We are such poppycock as dreaming are made of , and our picayune life story is round with a slumber .

”

There is a austere realness to Molly ’s dying , and yet there is also euphory in this conclusion , add up by this Shakespeare crease .

Plus , I ’m passably certain the Bard would apprise Molly ’s last flight of steps of illusion — the fly member too .