Abby’s Client Vanishes as Avantika Breaks Down ‘NSFW’

In “Not Suitable for Work” Season 1, Episode 7, Abby’s decision to strike out on her own costs her the one person keeping her styling dream alive—then Avantika Vandanapu explains why Abby saw it coming, how her boundaries shape her, and what fans can watch for

For Abby. the move that was supposed to look like independence in “Not Suitable for Work” turns into a shock in Season 1. Episode 7. After leaving Vanessa (Constance Wu) to go out on her own. Avantika Vandanapu’s Abby has one job that matters most—until her only client. Austin Blanchett (Harry Richardson). walks away and leaves her with a roster of none.

The loss hits hard, and Vandanapu doesn’t dress it up. “You lose them how you get them,” she told TheWrap of the rejection. “It’s not a great feeling. but I also think in an industry like the styling world. I think she probably heard enough stories about people leaving … some part of her is mentally prepared for that.”.

Abby’s heartbreak gets an extra edge because she drew a clear line with Austin in the first place: she kept him as a client and refused to let things slide into romance. She admits the betrayal still hurts, just less than it could have. “the betrayal hurts a little less. at least.” And she added. “I just can’t imagine dating someone and them betraying you like that.”.

That boundary contrasts with what’s happening with Abby’s best friend and roommate. AJ (Ella Hunt). who has been involved in a secret relationship with her boss. Bill (Jay Ellis). Vandanapu said Abby has been “more successful at drawing” her line than AJ has drawn hers. and she’s blunt about why Abby’s instinct feels safer. “Abby has very free-spiritedness about her. and is sort of making mistakes as part of life ethos about her. but I don’t necessarily think she thinks … messing around with Bill. is the smartest move for AJ’s career or for her life. ” she said.

What drew Vandanapu to the series in the first place was the friend-group messiness—failures. growth. and all the messy learning that comes with trying to build a life in Murray Hill. She previously starred in “Mean Girls” and “Pretty Lethal. ” and she said the show felt “very reminiscent of my first few years in New York”—even down to the occasional rental fraud and the comfort Asian takeout restaurant shown in the early episodes of the Hulu series.

There’s also something personal in how the story sits alongside the real world around her. “This whole show just kind of feels like me in an alternate universe — it just feels like a parallel lifestyle. ” Vandanapu said. pointing to her proximity to the fashion world. She also connected with Kel’s (Nicholas Duvernay) arc of dropping out of medical school to pursue a dream like acting. calling the situation similar to what many Asian families deal with when plans collide with expectations.

Before filming began. the series had been in trades under the working title “Murray Hill.” Vandanapu remembered it sounded like a “dream. ” with the extra pull of filming in New York. She also clarified how her expectations shifted once she walked into the ensemble machine: “Abby wasn’t a character. ” she said. “By virtue of it being an ensemble, a lot of characters were sort of switched around.”.

Working with creator Mindy Kaling was another major draw. Vandanapu praised Kaling for her record of championing brown voices in American film and television. saying. “She’s pioneered and championed brown voices in American film and TV almost her entire career. ” and adding that she appreciates how Kaling “stands her ground” and champions brown voices in “every project that she does.”.

On casting. Vandanapu described a process that felt both professional and deeply human: she completed a chemistry read with Hunt before landing the part. then did one with Duvernay after booking it. “It’s very stressful being in a chemistry [read]. because it’s not just about how well of a job you’re doing. but how well you’re melding and gelling with the people around you. and how the executives and showrunners are perceiving that. so it’s not always in your control. as is no audition process. ” she said. She added that she “lucked out” with Ella and Nicholas. describing the moment she walked into the room with them as “sort of instantaneous.”.

Now. romance is waiting in the background—at least. it looks that way on-screen with Abby and Kel moving toward a slow burn. But Vandanapu believes the timing isn’t right for Abby to fully lean into that feeling. “I think it’s just easier for her to have him as a support and as someone by her side and someone she can rely on in a platonic manner. ” she said.

She also points to the hesitation that comes with risking something steady for something uncertain. “The best relationships start off as friends. but I also think there’s always the hesitation of … is it worth losing what you have in hand for something that might potentially work out?” Vandanapu said. “But … it’s not fun to watch a good thing go either, and he’s a catch for sure.”.

Even with that emotional tension. the show keeps circling back to ambition—and Vandanapu respects Abby’s decision to step out of her role as Vanessa’s assistant. In her view, career hunger can push people into rooms that feel too big at first. “a lot of wanting to make it in your career. and hustling and being ambitious is stepping into rooms that might be too big for you. and hoping that you’ll rise to the expectation.”.

She said Abby’s approach is exactly what many viewers recognize in themselves: “I think it’s better to do things scared than to not do them at all. and to do them imperfectly than to not do them at all. ” Vandanapu said. “That’s very real. right. for us to sort of jump the gun a little bit with our careers. that’s part of just dreaming big.”.

Still, Abby isn’t fully ready to cut loose completely. Vandanapu said Abby isn’t “ready to fly the bird’s nest quite yet,” and she expects more learning, including more mistakes. “I think there is room for more guidance for far more mistakes as well, which I’m excited to see her do,” she said.

If “Not Suitable for Work” returns for future seasons—renewed by Hulu—Vandanapu sees plenty of runway. She described the show as letting viewers taste where characters are living. working. and chasing opportunities in a world shaped by “network TV. ” fashion. and constant momentum. She also said she hopes the cast can bring in more people: she wants them to “rope some of our friends in as fun guest stars.”.

Her biggest wish is that Abby’s story keeps testing her ability to say no. “I feel like you just get a taste of where these characters are living…. ” she said. then leaned into her hopes for what comes next. specifically the “push and pull” between Abby and her clients. “what if she found it a little harder to say no.” She also wants more deep relationships in the “complex neighborhoods. ” saying. “I would also just like to see her have a deeper relationship with any of the boys in the complex neighborhoods. ” and adding. “I would like to see her sort of thrive in the neighbor space.”.

For now, the damage from Episode 7 hangs over Abby’s brand-building dream: one client gone, one boundary tested, and the question of what ambition costs when you step out too soon.

“Not Suitable for Work” drops new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu.

Not Suitable for Work Avantika Vandanapu Abby Constance Wu Harry Richardson Ella Hunt Jay Ellis Mindy Kaling Hulu Nicholas Duvernay Murray Hill