“Episodes” stars Kathleen Rose Perkins and Andrea Savage talk #Bance, boob grabs and bed scenes

Episodes, the hit comedy series on Showtime has received an unexpected facelift in the romance department with the addition of its new lesbian storyline featuring Kathleen Rose Perkins and Andrea Savage. Perkins, who plays Carol Rance, the quirky, high-spirited, in-your-face-hilarious network exec undoubtedly meets her match in Savage, who slips quite nicely into the role of Helen Basch, the new number one in charge and apparently an irresistible and sassy lady lover. Mix these two together and well, you’ve got a steamy (and extra funny) Sunday evening ahead of you.

These two lovely ladies chatted with me about working together, their characters relationship (recently dubbed #BANCE) and gave me an insider look at what I believe is one of the funniest Episode scenes to date. Now sure, giggling was inevitable after almost every question and some profanities were shouted during our rapid fire round, but as far as “threesomes” go, this interview without a doubt takes the cake. I can personally guarantee that hilarity ensues—and you’re not going to want to miss a word.

MCKENZIE MORRELL: Kicking it off with something easy, can each of you tell me about your characters on Episodes. Let’s start with Kathleen on Carol. And then we’ll go to Andrea on Helen.

KATHLEEN ROSE PERKINS: Oh, can I talk about Helen, and she can talk about Carol?

MM: Oh that might be fun!

KRP: Okay… [laughs] I’m gonna do Helen then.
ANDREA SAVAGE: Oh boy.
KRP: Helen is a wonderful person [laughs] she’s very dynamic, she’s very strong. She’s powerful, she’s amazing at her job, she can turn networks around just with a smile and she’s a really awesome partner in life. She’s a pretty dynamic, amazing woman who you don’t want to cross. Now you do Carol.

MM: Yes, I’m waiting for this—the other end.

AS: [Laughs] Carol is the perennial second in command, who does not know how good she is at her job and—
KRP: Awww.
AS: I feel like you actually know what you’re doing, there’s just a lack of confidence and self-esteem. Helen thinks she is beautiful, smart, sexy, funny, she’s everything that she’s looking for in a woman. And is really, really happy to be working there. And by there I mean in your vagina.
KRP: Yes, obviously. [laughs]
AS: Carol is exploring her lesbian side, that she has never explored before and she has an issue with falling for people with power over her.

MM: That actually kicks off into the next questions that Carol is pretty notorious for sleeping with her bosses, and this time around it happens to be a woman. Kathleen, do you think in another circumstance where Carol wasn’t working under Helen, or ya know, on top, that she’d give her a chance?

KRP: She’d have to be the President of something.
AS: Yeah, I agree.
KRP: She’d have to be somehow in charge of something. Even if it wasn’t where Carol was working, she just finds that really attractive, that’s the number one priority for Carol or requisite for Carol is that the person be in a power position. A position of authority.

MM: Andrea, your boob grab was a gif even before the episode aired. The fans have really taken to the pairing of you two. How has the fan response been to this lesbian storyline?

MM: Is this foreshadowing? Is she going to get a rash in the upcoming episodes? [laughs]

Credit: Ricky Middlesworth

KRP: [Laughs]
AS: Uh. No. I don’t think there’s any of that.
KRP: We’re clean. We’re healthy.
AS: We’re definitely clean. But I will say that the response has been incredibly positive and I think a lot of it is they’re just happy to see Carol happy. And treated well.
KRP: Yeah. That’s nice. But as a fandom, I’m biased obviously because I get to play her but I’m just like anybody else who wants her to be happy. She’s been in so many dysfunctional relationships with all these awful people who just aren’t very respectful of her, don’t really like her and finally for her to be in a relationship with a really loving person is really sweet. It is nice to see that people agree with that they really want to see this person happy and it should be interesting to see how everything plays out in the next four episodes to see the response. I couldn’t wait for them to respond to third episode where the relationship started and the relationship which is I think is in a really cool way cultivated by the writers.
AS: Kathleen and I talked about this, but I’ve never had this with a role that I’ve played before where I’m sort of watching it as if it’s not me and I go ‘oh they are so cute together those two.’ I’m really rooting for those ladies. It’s weird, and I know everything that was going to happen, it’s not like I don’t know everything about it, I’m just weirdly attached to it going ‘aw they are so cute, look at that lovely lady couple.’
KRP: [Laughs] We shot it in August so it was so long ago that who remembers what we did in those rooms.

MM: There was a slight shipping name struggle on the interwebs but it looks like Carol and Helen’s official name is BANCE, not like I had any doubt that name would prevail. When can we expect t-shirts? [Laughs]

KRP: [Laughs]

MM: Maybe some blazers with BANCE bejeweled on the back?

AS: BANCE blazers!
KRP: I want a blazer with BANCE bedazzled on the back.
AS: [Laughs]

MM: Ask and you shall receive, we’ll put that out to the Internet.

AS: I want a bra that says ‘team’ on one boob and ‘bance’ on the other boob.
KRP: [Laughs]
AS: With the nipple parts cut out.
KRP: Well obviously.

MM: Yeah, you can’t have it without them cut out.

KRP: You need the good part to show while you have the support.
AS: Obviously that’s the good part, one nipple sticking out.
KRP: [Laughs]
AS: That’s practically a breastfeeding bra, like a nursing bra.

MM: Yeah, that’s a whole different show.

KRP: It’s a very different show!