Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls has seen some big changes, from Reneé Rapp's departure to the introduction of two new characters in Kacey (Gracie Lawrence) and Taylor (Mia Rodgers). But as a result of these changes, Whitney's (Alyah Chanelle Scott) character has slipped through the cracks, and with just two episodes remaining, the show still has no idea what to do with her character. Both Bela (Amrit Kaur) and Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) have more clearly defined arcs in Season 3, but Whitney's is all over the place, introducing new conflicts that are either quickly resolved or abandoned completely. In Season 3, the time The Sex Lives of College Girls spends fleshing out its new characters comes at the expense of Whitney’s development and speaks to a larger problem with the series’ lack of cohesion and connectivity to the previous seasons.
Whitney Has No Defined Arc in 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' Season 3
The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 3 introduces a string of new challenges for Bela, Kimberly, and Whitney, but Whitney has no defined arc compared to those of her roommates. In Season 3, Bela becomes an FAF, develops a friendship with Taylor, and grapples with her feelings for Arvind (Nabeel Muscatwalla). Kimberly strives for academic perfection and works hard to prove herself in her law symposium. Even their new roommate, Kacey, has more of an arc than Whitney, struggling to adjust after transferring to Essex to be with her boyfriend, only to find out he's been cheating on her. As for Whitney, the biggest conflict she faces in Season 3 is the fact that she's always busy juggling school, soccer, and her social life.
Season 2 ended with heartbreak for Whitney after she spotted Kimberly kissing Canaan (Christopher Meyer) just as she was ready to go back to him, and we find out in the Season 3 premiere that she and Kimberly hadn't talked all summer. The girls make up rather quickly, however, which makes sense given the circumstances. With Leighton (Reneé Rapp) leaving Essex, dragging out unresolved tension between two of the remaining roommates would further mess up the dynamic. Season 3 experiments with a few different conflicts for Whitney, but doesn't follow through with any of them except her evolving relationship with her new love interest, Isaiah (Devin Craig).
In the first few episodes of the season, Whitney is outshined by a new player on the soccer team to the point where her coach moves her out of her normal position, but this never comes up again after Episode 3. Also at the start of the season, Whitney and Kimberly take an African American Studies class together, and when their professor suggests Whitney consider it as a major, Whitney accidentally insults her, drops the class, and eventually rejoins the class by the end of the episode. But neither Whitney nor Kimberly are ever seen attending the class beyond Episode 3, and it’s never even referenced again until Episode 8, when Whitney mentions it in passing.
Whitney’s Lack of Development Reflects a Larger Issue Within 'The Sex Lives of College Girls'
Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls does introduce a potentially meaningful storyline for Whitney pertaining to her mental health, as she is clearly overworked and struggling with anxiety. Isaiah suggests she talk to someone, and Whitney even calls the mental health center, but ultimately decides against actually seeking therapy. This would have been the perfect opportunity to address the lasting effects of her Season 1 relationship with her soccer coach, who constantly lied and took advantage of her, and Kimberly’s betrayal at the end of Season 2, but The Sex Lives of College Girls seems to have moved on from both of these storylines completely.
Whitney's lack of a clear arc reflects one of the most glaring issues with The Sex Lives of College Girls in that it fails to establish a connection between the events of the previous seasons to those of the current one. This applies not just to Whitney but to Bela and Kimberly as well, whose past mistakes are never brought up as a reference point for their decision-making in Season 3. The fact that Bela cheated on Eric (Mekki Leeper) in Season 2 is never addressed when she discusses her fears about messing things up with Arvind. As Kimberly tries to make sure she doesn't make any mistakes that may jeopardize her future, her cheating on her economics exam in Season 1 also isn't mentioned as something she's worried about possibly coming back to haunt her.
Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls has been messier than the first two for a number of reasons, but it's Whitney's character development that has suffered the most as the show brings new characters into the mix. With just two episodes left in the season, time is running out to establish a clear direction for Whitney's character going forward.
The Sex Lives of College Girls is available to stream on Max in the US with new Season 3 episodes airing on Thursday nights.

The Sex Lives of College Girls
- Release Date
- November 18, 2021
- Showrunner
- Mindy Kaling, Justin Noble
- Writers
- Mindy Kaling, Justin Noble
Cast
-
Pauline ChalametKimberly Finkle
-
Amrit KaurBela Malhotra
-
Alyah Chanelle ScottWhitney Chase
-
Renika WilliamsWillow
- Seasons
- 3
- Creator(s)
- Mindy Kaling, Justin Noble
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