This story contains major spoilers for Season 2 Episode 4 of Hulu's 'Shrill' titled 'Freak'

In a desperate slump unable to find herself work as a freelancer and then not finding a new job, Annie Easton (Aidy Bryant) returns to The Thorn. After quitting The Thorn in a very dramatic sequence with her boss Gabe Parrish (John Cameron Mitchell), Annie had sworn never to return to the wretched office. But with few options left, Annie requests Gabe for her job back when she meets him at Ruthie's (Patti Harrison) birthday party.

Surprisingly, Gabe is immediately on board. But when she comes to the office, she is told that she will not be taking care of the Freak of the Week Column. She also feels like she has lost her friends and connections at The Thorn with Amadi (Ian Owens) being swamped with work all the time owing to his promotion and the new people on the team.

While Annie's professional life seems to be in shambles, her personal life is doing far better, especially with her boyfriend Ryan (Luka Jones). They go for dinner with Annie's parents Bill (Daniel Stern) and Vera (Julia Sweeney), where they seem to have taken a liking for him.

It is still a tense dinner with Annie and her mother's issues from the previous season being brought to the dinner table. Vera feels like she cannot say or do anything or react in any manner without Annie feeling personally attacked by it. Annie, on the other hand, still doesn't know the truth behind Vera simply fleeing to Vancouver.

Elsewhere, Fran (Lolly Adefope) is trying her best to focus on herself - taking herself for an evening out in the city. She doesn't flirt with anyone and then indulges herself in a beautiful karaoke rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's 'Shallow'. Fran comes a long way from Season 1, embarking on this journey of self-discovery and not seeking validation from the outside world.

All episodes of Season 2 of 'Shrill' are currently streaming on Hulu.