Anita surprises her fans with a major revelation. Nicole lays into Leslie for crashing the concert. Ted confronts Doug about his latest misstep. Vanessa's extra cashflow draws some unwanted attention. Hayley calls in a mysterious favor. Naomi clashes with Bill over his involvement with Joey. Dani rushes into action during an emergency. Elon makes a decisive move in the Stance Park murder investigation. Hayley shares news with Bill that affects their future. Doug recruits Randy for a scheme of his own.
Episode 1.104
Anita had something she still needed to do during the concert. Tracy and Sharon were surprised. She made this decision all by herself. They are thrilled with what it turned out to be. It was a celebration of Barbara. Her contribution to the group was finally acknowledged. Anita delivered a standing ovation for her fallen friend. The family is proud of her. She shines upon letting go of the pain of the past. It still haunts her though. That's why she sneaks anyway from the after party. She must return to the stage and speak directly to Barbara. It's a slightly contrived moment. Tracy and Sharon speak freely about how liberating this experience was. They no longer hold any resentment towards Anita. They are grateful for what she delivered for them. Anita could earn their forgiveness. She struggles forgiving herself for all that occurred with Barbara. She hopes she provided some peace. She receives some reassurance. She's grateful for what Andre achieved. He was the only person who knew about the surprise. He delivered even though he didn't know the full context of this moment. He can't take a compliment. It's meaningful to the Articulettes. They are finally celebrated as the four girls who dreamed big all those years ago.
Martin hopes it won't take decades for Smitty to forgive him. It's daunting to imagine carrying that pain for that long. Smitty makes a brief appearance at the after party. He's still part of this family. He hasn't been cast out because he is no longer with Martin. The family accepts him and the kids fully. Smitty doesn't know if he can forgive the years of lies. He celebrates Anita. He praises what she accomplishes. He still carries pain from what she and Vernon did to his marriage. That can't easily be forgotten. Similarly, Nicole and Kat always believe Leslie is scheming to ruin their lives whenever she appears. She delights in their suffering. They panic. They expect the worst. Eva tries to manage the situation. She also wants her mother to forget about this animosity. She is capable of so much more. That would require her to get away with the crimes she has committed. Those can't be overlooked. Leslie deserves the consequences that have come her way. Her presence means Nicole can't devote herself entirely to celebrating her mother. She has to confront the woman who continually invades her life. She refuses to believe Leslie has a genuine bone in her body. That's fair. It also causes Nicole a great deal of pain that takes her away from the family who supports her completely.
Grade: A-
Episode 1.105
Nicole and Ted offer help to Vanessa and Doug. They aren't willing to accept it. In fact, their lives are imploding in different ways. Doug lashes out. He demands respect despite being distracted on the job. He presents as a liability. He quits instead of admitting he's struggling. He believes everything can be made right by blackmailing Joey. That's a foolish endeavor. He doesn't receive that threat. Vanessa does. She fears her new partnership has alerted the IRS. She needs a more convincing story for her new success. Joey tests her. Neither Nicole nor Vanessa feel free to tell the other about their connections to Joey. Nicole wants to protect her best friend. Vanessa remains focused on the danger. She believes she can lie to Joey. He is always one step ahead of her. He makes that known. She will never be able to fool him again. He will know if she does. The danger escalates. It still builds to Vanessa and Joey acting on their sexual attraction. That's no longer a rewarding element of their dynamic. It's just something inevitable that happens.
Meanwhile, Jan and Dani offer caution to Ashley and Andre about their relationship. Dani appears to be the only sensible one in the conversation though. Andre downplays the dates he's already gone on with Ashley. He has put the effort in to make her feel special. She romanticizes the possibilities of so much more than she was ever allowed to dream. Jan is absolutely projecting her own history onto her daughter. She wants to keep her safe and small. Ashley's self-doubts are an extension of what her mother raised her to be. Jan requires her daughter to be secure. Ashley doesn't want to be limited in that way. She wants the freedom to explore. It's all happening in the context of a guy. Of course, Jan's comments are as well. She believes Derek is the perfect guy when he most certainly isn't. Plus, everyone believes they have an understanding of who Andre is. He shows himself to be so much more. Dani enjoys being in public with him and spending the night together. Their chemistry remains the strongest out of this mess. She's suddenly the sane one. Her comments have an impact on Andre. That requires him to be more cautious with Ashley. Yet she wants comforting from him after being hit with some blunt comments from her mother.
Grade: B-
Episode 1.106
Naomi can't believe her father would orchestrate a murder. Bill believed it was the only way to handle the situation. He has no regrets. He views his daughter's opinion as evidence that he did a good job as a parent. He instilled the right morals. He's letting Naomi down now. He isn't a good man. They agree not to talk about it. Naomi couldn't forgive herself if she was estranged from her father and something happened to him. She was there for the stroke. She fears something like that could happen again. He doesn't really exhibit any lingering side effects. His recovery has been pretty quick. He's moved on to beaming with joy about being a father again. It's just so blatantly obvious that Hayley is scheming. She has mysterious phone calls. Her mood shifts the moment she spots Caroline. She uses emotional manipulation to redirect the conversation. Hayley is a skilled operator in that regard. She once again finds herself in a confrontation with Dani. They both seek out this drama. It's the same argument over and over again. It offers nothing new. Hayley presents a story of the stress causing issues with her pregnancy. Dani refuses to believe it. She's the only one in the room with a personal connection to the person screaming for help. She must reluctantly take action.
Ashley cannot make a decision about what she wants. She listens to Jan when she is with her. She listens to Andre when he comes over. She wants a distraction when Naomi stops by. That too only adds to the uncertainty. Ashley has her suspicions about Hayley's pregnancy too. She has different legal obligations to fulfill. Naomi pries for details. That offers some agency. However, the episode largely delves into Ashley and Derek mourning the end of their relationship. Shanice doesn't want to play tricks anymore. It's more important to maintain a healthy workplace with Ashley. She likes having Derek as a friend. They reach that conclusion. Ashley tries to cut Andre out of her life completely. She offers no reason. He made her dreams come true. And now, she rejects him. He has made up his mind about what he wants. He spent a night with Dani. He wants to break up with her for the chance of something grounded and real with Ashley. He doesn't expect that from Dani. But she confides in Pamela about her jealousy. No one else deserves Andre. It's messy. It's not exactly compelling. It's mostly just lame plot points that have been hit before.
Grade: C+
Episode 1.107
Things aren't adding up with Hayley's pregnancy. It was insane initially for Dani to suggest it was fake. It's surprising Naomi never heard her mother mention that theory. Ashley shares that. It lines up with Hayley refusing an ultrasound. She feared it would reveal her deceit. It's dangerous for Ashley to share her suspicions. Naomi asks her to be vague about her patient. She understands the context. Hayley immediately accuses Ashley of revealing her health records when Naomi confronts her. Naomi doesn't receive an answer either. Bill returns home and Hayley discloses a miscarriage. That would seemingly put an end to this story. Her behavior suggests something more is going on. She inflicts psychological damage on Dani. She purposefully sought her out to stage this distress. Dani is genuinely emotional when she calls Bill. He deserves to know what's going on. That's her instinct. Hayley refuses to let Dani care for her. She isn't wrong to express that opinion. It's alarming that Randy is at Uptown under an alias. He could just be hiding to avoid Joey's wrath. He's suddenly connected to characters he's never been with before. That could be significant. He shares one side of the story. He dropped Hayley off at the hospital. Yet Naomi discovers her at home quickly thereafter. So that diagnosis came rather quickly.
At the casino, Jacob walks in on Elon and Joey shaking hands. He leaves being reprimanded to desk duty. He finally caught a dirty cop in the act. The image of his father was shattered. He had to confront Elon for compromising his loyalty to the job. Elon knows exactly how to turn this conversation around on his son. He targets him with the personal information he has gathered over the years. Jacob leaves diminished. Elon takes charge. He attacks Jacob. Jacob's morals have been rather resolute and one-dimensional as of late. He's not above being called a hypocrite. It's all out of self-preservation on Elon's part. Meanwhile, Vanessa convinces Doug to stop threatening Joey. She knows the lengths this criminal will go to. She doesn't want her husband killed. She cares for him despite their strained dynamic. Doug listens. The mood shifts once he knows his car has been bugged. He must be more careful. He's not smarter than Joey. A new phone appears to be his plan to get around this new obstacle. That too leads to the reveal that Randy is still in town. Doug didn't know that. And so, he continues to wade into danger with a casual disregard for the consequences to his well-being.
Grade: B-
Episode 1.108
Hayley insists that she never intended for anyone to get hurt by falling in love with Bill. She still required the Dupree family to be in close proximity to every action she has taken. She has inflicted a whole lot of damage. It's impossible to think it wasn't planned. She deliberately sought Dani out to inflict this psychological trauma. Dani believes her vicious words triggered Hayley's miscarriage. She's apologetic. She leans on Andre for support. He doesn't want to stop being friends. However, he wants to tell her he's going to pursue something more with Ashley. That's why he wanted to meet. Dani knows she's always dramatic. Andre would never have time to talk if he waited for a better time for her emotionally. They kiss when Ashley stumbles upon them. That's as far as Andre allows the intimacy to go. Dani needs to be held. She needs comforting. Andre provides it. This could all trigger Ashley to return to Derek as the safe option. She rejected him again. Derek and Jan essentially conspired to make it happen. It's futile. And yet, this relationship is really the only thing that provides Derek with importance in the narrative. That's not an effective way to establish him as someone heroic or deserving of prominence. It may be forced upon Ashley. That's not healthy or meaningful either.
Naomi chooses to believe Hayley too. She accepts that the pregnancy was real at some point. Hayley declined the prior ultrasound because she didn't want to believe she lost her baby. She's perfectly willing to stage that scene now. Bill is the one grieving. She needs him close. She wasn't prepared to answer Naomi's questions. She provides enough to assuage her biggest fears. It doesn't seem like the full story though. It doesn't account for all the scheming she has done as of late. She has used people to serve her delusion of being pregnant. That's devious. Joey is the more outwardly villainous character. Doug and Vanessa have to target him carefully. Vanessa shares all that she confided with her husband to get him to back off. It was unsuccessful. He reaches out to Randy for help. The fact that Randy failed to kill Kenneth wasn't a point against him apparently. In fact, Randy will now lead the charge against Joey. He hopes Doug will follow his plan. That's unlikely. All of this continues to suggest massive consequences. Joey mixing business with pleasure may be his downfall. More actions are needed to keep elevating the stakes.
Grade: B-
