Eli (played by Michael Provost) is a supporting character in the third season of the Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021-). He is a bi student at Essex College who briefly dates Kimberly Finkle, one of the series’ main characters.
Eli first appears in season 3, episode 2, as a housing clerk at Essex College. He describes himself as an open-and-out bi person. He is also a rave enthusiast and easygoing, contrasting with Kimberly’s usually uptight demeanor. Their relationship provides a great avenue to explore their sexual comfort zones and the dynamic of dating someone with different experiences and preferences.
His relationship with Kimberly starts after their initial interaction. Kimberly goes to Essex Housing to apply for a bigger room for her and the girls, and Eli asks for her phone number. As their relationship develops, Kimberly is made aware of Eli’s sexuality, which prompts her to reflect on her lack of “bi knowledge” and starts to question her comfort levels since she feels that she has less sexual experience than Eli, prompting her to visit a sex shop to explore new ways to connect with him.
However, this leads to a misunderstanding, as Eli expresses disinterest in being pegging. He mentions that he is with her now, and although he is into both guys and girls, he knows exactly what he wants from her, so they make up. Following this misunderstanding, Kimberly promises Eli that she will stop assuming, communicate more, and apologize for stereotyping him.
In the following episodes, Eli and Kimberly drift apart after Eli invites her to a rave and accidentally gives her Molly-spiked water, causing Kimberly to freak out and Eli to run for help. Eventually, she calls her friend Lila to pick her up after running around and not finding Eli, who seems to have abandoned her mid-freak out to return to the party, thinking it was not a big deal and that her high would eventually wear off.
In episode 5 of season 3, Kimberly’s mother visits for a weekend, leading to a series of funny but awkward interactions. Although Kimberly has been contemplating breaking up with Eli after the rave debacle, her mother invites him to dinner. Throughout the meal, Robin (Kimberly’s mother) expresses her admiration for Eli, as she finds his openness and candid personality refreshing. This makes Kimberly uneasy, as she struggles to find an appropriate moment for her to break up with him, especially after Robin mentions that Eli was just telling everyone that he is bi, and wants to invite him to a tour of the old library on campus. Kimberly feels that he is getting along too well with her mom, and blurts out that she wants to break up with him in the middle of the restaurant.
Eli continues to appear in other episodes. Although his appearances are brief, his character leaves a lasting impression on Kimberly and leaves the audience to ponder the misconceptions and stereotypes bi people usually face. His interactions with Kimberly, especially the misunderstanding at the sex shop and the awkward family dinner where Eli mentions to Kimberly’s mom that he’s bi, offer some humor, education, and commentary on how being bi is perceived in relationships and family dynamics.
You can find an entry about this show in our Bi Media section.