‘Not Suitable for Work’ Episode 4 Recap & Ending Explained: “The Jawline of Your Dreams” Ends With a Kiss That Changes Everything

The fourth episode of ‘Not Suitable for Work‘ arrives at what feels like the show’s first real turning point. The Hulu comedy divides itself up pretty evenly among the cast in Episode 4, but several subplots are developing surprisingly quickly. Mindy Kaling’s Murray Hill ensemble comedy is officially picking up speed, and the cracks in everyone’s carefully constructed professional lives are starting to show.

The show follows the intertwined lives of five work-obsessed twenty-something professionals as they balance career ambitions with their private lives in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. With “The Jawline of Your Dreams” now streaming, the series makes clear it has absolutely no intention of slowing down the chaos anytime soon.

Kel’s Secret Finally Comes Out

The episode’s most emotionally charged storyline belongs to Kel, and it begins with a truly mortifying discovery. A cheapo photoshoot he did to advertise jaw surgery has resulted in his likeness being licensed, so he’s now the star of a giant billboard advertising services he has never even used. The official episode synopsis puts it best: the handsome guy is on a billboard, but the twist is he didn’t want to be.

The billboard tips Kel’s parents off that he’s dabbling in things outside of med school. When they confront him about having taken on the work for money despite medical students receiving a stipend, he has to confess to having dropped out, which, predictably, they don’t take well. But this forced confession turns out to be unexpectedly freeing.

Standing on business does Kel some good. At the very least, it allows him to understand that pursuing your passions is a good thing, which makes him a better teacher. However, he’s still too focused on Abby to have realised that his colleague is basically throwing herself at him at this point.

Josh’s Deepfake Conspiracy Subplot Introduces a New Love Interest

Over at The Wes Dryden Show, Josh finds himself in the middle of one of the episode’s sillier but surprisingly effective storylines. Josh ends up working closely with a colleague to dispel the ridiculous rumour that his boss, Wes Dryden, is dead, and that his daily TV appearances are actually deepfakes designed to cover up his demise.

This consists of staying up all night arguing with incels, but Josh, cavalier as ever, ends up using his own social media account to do it. When people look him up and realise he works for Wes, the conspiracy is legitimised.

Wes’s only option is to lean in and pretend to be a ghost live on air in order to take the power out of the scandal. It’s a silly subplot, but it’s clearly here to introduce the idea of Josh finding love at work, even if his new beau still calls him Joffrey for now. The nepo-baby nickname drama from earlier episodes isn’t going anywhere, but Josh’s romantic arc is quietly becoming one of the more watchable threads in the ensemble.

Abby and Austin Edge Closer to a Line They Can’t Uncross

The professional-boundaries drama between Abby and Austin continues to simmer in “The Jawline of Your Dreams,” and this episode pushes it closer to a boiling point. Abby is still trying to maintain a professional boundary between herself and Austin, which becomes even more difficult when he asks her to personally style him for George Clooney’s upcoming humanitarian awards.

He’s rightly getting sick of Vanessa, who continues to treat Abby like an indentured servant, and while she initially rebuffs the idea, the possibility of striking out on her own, especially with Austin, eventually becomes too compelling to ignore.

Abby agrees, and almost crosses a line, but one assumes the real violation of personal and professional boundaries is coming later in the season. It’s definitely coming, though. The show is doing a smart job of stretching this particular tension without deflating it, and Avantika continues to bring a grounded warmth to Abby that makes you root for her even when she’s making questionable decisions.

The AJ and Bill Kiss That Changes the Game

The bulk of the saucy drama in “The Jawline of Your Dreams” comes from AJ and Bill. Even though Davis is still playing a long game, assuming that AJ will magically fall in love with him via osmosis, she only seems to have eyes for her new boss, so when the opportunity to insert herself into an acquisition presents itself, she’s there.

The CEO of Spanx is trying to acquire a girdle company using Bill’s firm as an intermediary, but back in the day, Bill insulted the CEO of the girdle company with an offhanded misogynistic remark. To seal the deal, AJ also has to stand up to Bill and teach him the error of his ways.

Davis, ever the sycophant, is dead against the idea, but it somehow results in Bill and his entire team wearing girdles to show solidarity. As a result, the deal goes through. It is exactly the kind of absurdist workplace comedy that ‘Not Suitable for Work’ does best, and it lands beautifully.

It turns out that Bill is pretty keen on women who get things done, or perhaps he’s just pretty keen on AJ, but either way, her success earns her a deeply inappropriate smooch in Bill’s office. Things are moving pretty quickly in this area, so it seems virtually guaranteed they’re going to go badly wrong sooner rather than later.

Jay Ellis continues to bring an unpredictable edge to Bill that makes it genuinely hard to read whether his interest in AJ is admiration, attraction, or something more calculated. The kiss lands as a genuine shock, but in hindsight, the episode was steering toward it from the first scene.

What the Episode 4 Ending Really Means

The closing moments of “The Jawline of Your Dreams” work as a status update for every character, and the picture it paints is deliberately precarious. Everyone has taken a step forward, but every single one of those steps is balanced on very thin ice. Most of what happens here has the distinct shape of a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off in someone’s face.

The show examines the next stage in young people’s lives after high school, as seen through these career-focused characters. That framing feels especially relevant here. Kel’s confession to his parents, Josh’s accidental conspiracy amplification, Abby’s near-crossing of a line with Austin, and AJ’s kiss with Bill are all the kinds of choices that feel like progress in the moment but are loaded with consequence.

‘Not Suitable for Work’ is setting up dominoes with impressive efficiency, and Episode 4 makes it clear the show knows exactly when to knock them down. Whether you’re most invested in AJ and Bill’s dangerously charged dynamic or Kel finally owning his truth, this episode rewards your attention, so share your thoughts on which storyline has you most gripped heading into next week.