Things You Should Have Done

Dependent pest and stay-at-home-daughter Chi is once again forced to contend with life and death, and a long list of things she really ought to have done by now. Her dysfunctional family navigate the fallout of yet another unexpected bereavement, with mixed results. Chi turns to her list of ‘things you should have done’ in this time of need and opts to do ‘get therapy’, something her parents always knew she’d need to do anyway. This sees her path collide with Ruth, a totally unhinged, tough-love grief counsellor, whose questionable methods leave a lot to be desired. Ruth manhandles Chi’s list and vows to help her get over her grief and move on from being able to see her dead parents.

Karen has not only left the family in emotional turmoil but also serious debt. There’s no way Dave can keep up with the mortgage on his single wage, and he faces the very real threat of having to move in with Chi. Out of answers, the family seek advice from grief counsellor Ruth, who advises them to think outside the box and be entrepreneurial. Chi’s not entirely sure what this means, but she needs money. Dave reveals he has a very rich estranged sister, Claudia, whom he hasn’t spoken to since Brexit. It’s risky reaching out to her - she’s a bit of a snob - but if he plays his cards right, he thinks she may well clear his debts.

Grief counsellor Ruth has had enough of Chi feeling down in the dumps due to multiple bereavements in a short space of time, even though it’s a perfectly natural way to feel, and Ruth is literally paid to listen. Ruth sets Chi the task of comparing herself to those less fortunate and instructs her to help out at a food bank, something Ruth does to make herself feel better. Meanwhile Dave and Lucas are feeling the financial squeeze and settling for a dinner of bread and cress, with only ten pounds left to their name. Chi informs them that she’s giving back by going to the food bank and asks if they want to come along.

Chi is rightfully asked if she’s ‘thick’ for bothering an electrician working on an out-of-order lift. For once in her life, Chi is forced to reconcile with her own intelligence. At her weekly grief counselling sessions, Ruth doesn’t exactly hold back, telling Chi she is indeed simple and not to bother seeking adult education. Chi sets out to prove her wrong and breaks into Ramsgate College in search of an education.

Chi’s ghost parents tell her she should really be worried about dying alone and encourage her to find a life partner. Chi casts a very wide and desperate net for potential love interests, approaching almost everyone in Ramsgate with her phone number. Meanwhile Lucas has gotten himself a job at the cinema but is crumbling under the pressures of the job and the perfectly normal expectations of his manager, Kenneth. Lucas resorts to stress-eating the pick ’n’ mix when nobody is looking.

It’s Chi’s last free therapy session, and Ruth wants to know whether Chi can still see her dead parents or whether she’s learned anything at all from the counselling. But Chi can very much still see her dead parents; in fact, they were just in the hallway, wearing outdoor clothes and discussing what will become of them if they leave the house. Will they pass on to another plane? Will this be the end of them?