Episode 2 of HBO Max’s *Stuart Fails To Save the Universe* sees Stuart search for Denise after the group is transported into an alternate reality. He finds her married to Gary in a society controlled by an AI that shocks people for expressing negative emotions, prompting Stuart to declare his love and urge her to leave with him. The episode matters because it marks unexpected assertiveness from Stuart and advances his relationship with Denise.

Denise’s marriage is portrayed as unhappy, with the AI-enforced positivity leaving her unable to voice her feelings and driving her to drink. By the episode’s end, she joins Stuart, Bert and Kripke as they move to another universe, holding Stuart’s hand; however, actor Lauren Lapkus says Denise still has some affection for Gary despite recognising he is wrong for her. Gary, previously killed in the post-apocalyptic reality, is again left behind, underlining the show’s darkly comic treatment of Denise’s repeated relationships with him.