: Flashbacks detail Libby’s time at The Atlantic (or its fictional equivalent), where she was underestimated and eventually quit to write a novel she hasn't touched in two years.
: The episode explores the "malaise" of middle age, where characters often mistake the closest person to them (their spouse) for the source of their own internal misery. "Fleishman Is in Trouble" Vantablack(2022)
The episode’s title refers to an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History featuring Vantablack, a substance that absorbs almost all light and appears as a "lightless void". : Flashbacks detail Libby’s time at The Atlantic
: Toby takes his children to the exhibit to combat his loneliness, finding a visual representation of his own inner void. : Toby takes his children to the exhibit
: Through a character named Nahid, Toby is confronted with the idea that "being divorced doesn't make you any less married," highlighting how past commitments continue to shape present identities.
: The narration describes the future not as something to be feared, but as a "lightless void you must walk into blindly".