Since Girls5eva graced Peacock's streaming platform last year, fans of 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt have rejoiced to have another joint production from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Created by frequent Fey/Carlock contributor Meredith Scardino, the comedy follows Girls5eva, a four-member 90s girl group composed of Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Gloria (Paula Pell), and Summer (Busy Phillips) as they work toward their revival in modern-day -- but one of the biggest mysteries that has remained throughout the series is the fate of the fifth and final member of the group, Ashley (Ashley Park).
Multiple characters have stated that Ashley died after falling out of an infinity pool and her group commemorated her with a bench, but like many other great streaming series, the true circumstances of her death were questionable, leaving room for speculation about what her true fate was. However, the show's "Leave a Message If You Love Me" addresses these suspicions head-on, sending the girls on a new trajectory as they navigate their feelings about their former member.
The episode is the 5th in Girls5eva's extremely funny second season and begins with the introduction of TK, a popular new masked singer clad in a glitzy beekeeping outfit, due to be recording in the same building as Girls5eva. TK's keenness on keeping her identity hidden forces Gloria to spiral as she begins to theorize that TK is Ashley in disguise. This marks the second time Ashley's death has been challenged on screen, the first being the Season 1 Finale, which ends with Gloria telling her group mates that she suspected Ashley faked her death as they walk off into the night.
Gloria crafts a strong initial argument for her belief: Ashley's funeral housed a closed casket, she was last seen with her magician boyfriend, and she died in Las Vegas (which as Gloria puts it, "all deaths in Vegas are suspicious"). Regardless, Gloria's credibility very quickly falls when she begins to compare Ashley's extremely auto-tuned voice with TK's, and her skepticism snowballs into obsession when she almost confronts TK as she exits the building and asks to measure her feet.
While the rest of the group is vehemently against the theory, Wickie agrees to help Gloria unmask TK as a means of proving Ashley is actually dead. The two corner TK in a bathroom where TK's identity is revealed to be Beth (Amber Ruffin), a DJ's daughter in need of a gimmick. Even with Ashley still thought to be dead, Wickie and Gloria bond over their love for their passed friend in one of the most touching moments in the show, where Wickie reveals she missed Ashley's bench dedication because she was reeling from the loss.
Unlike other Fey/Carlock mysteries, the curiosity surrounding Ashley's death is a little more resolved with the episode directly addressing it and the girls performing a song as a dedication to her. It's unclear whether Ashley is due to appear in the series again with the show focusing on Girls5eva recording their album, but her death serves as a fantastic catalyst for the girls to grow and continue to grow together.
Watch Girls5eva's second season on Peacock.