Both Sides debuts to mixed-to-bad reviews that fault its length, split design, and tone, with praise largely limited to Myre Landing’s visuals and Zoe Cadogan’s score. First-week sales are a fraction of Ichigo’s. Marx remains optimistic and pushes more marketing, while Sadie, ashamed and overwhelmed, leaves work intending to numb herself with Dead Sea.

At home, Sadie ignores voicemails from Dov and Sam until Sam arrives and forces a conversation. They argue over the failed launch and public perception: Sadie accuses Sam of avoiding promotion and taking credit when things succeed, while Sam insists he supported Both Sides and invested himself in Mapletown. Their blame spirals into accusations about the Opus deal and Sam pushing Sadie toward Dov to secure Ulysses; Sadie ties years of distress to that choice, and Sam denies responsibility for Dov’s actions.

The fight turns personal as Sam references the signs of Sadie’s harmful relationship, and Sadie says she sometimes hates him. Pressed about her long-standing resentment, Sadie reveals that her severe depression at MIT followed a secret abortion, and that Ichigo’s themes are as much about her loss as Sam’s. Sam responds with tenderness, but Sadie laments that they avoid “real” truths behind their work.

As emotions crest, Sam feels a phantom-pain episode coming on. He smokes a joint to manage it; Sadie opens the window, and the tension softens in the haze. She reaches for the joint, and Sam passes it to her, leaving them in a tenuous, quieter truce—exposed, wounded, and a little more honest than before.