The Duprees are frantic when they discover one of their own has gone missing. Anita, Vernon and Kat take matters into their own hands. Martin makes a deal with the devil. Leslie ruffles some feathers. Naomi leans on her husband. Madison issues an apology. Jacob and Kat follow a promising lead. Derek opens up to Ashley. An unlikely duo exchange wedding vows. The kidnapper has another insane demand for their hostage. Ted surprises Leslie with an intriguing proposal. Nicole has an upsetting update for her son.
Episode 1.119
Chelsea is now a missing person. Madison immediately knew Allison was responsible. She shares everything she knows with the Duprees. She doesn't fall for any of the misdirection either. The family is grateful that she provides this viable lead. They know Chelsea would never miss the launch party for ChelseaKat. This has been her dream for a long time. Everyone is fully onboard and supportive. Chelsea is terrified when she wakes up chained to a bed. She cries out for help. The only person who arrives is her kidnapper. There isn't some grand twist. Allison did this. The only reveal is that she was already stalking Chelsea when they hooked up. This was her plan all along. She got close in order for Chelsea to fall in love with her. Of course, more explanation is needed about Craig and why Allison rejected Chelsea when she asked for more. This story is far from over. She isn't back home with her family yet. She's still trying to remember all the advice her family has given her over the years. It's partly a way to disassociate from the situation. She needs to escape from Allison. Her mind is the only way to do that. She has a game plan now.
Chelsea is told she needs to engage with Allison. She must keep the criminal talking. She has power she must wield. She isn't a helpless victim. She also needs to remind herself that her family won't stop looking for her. They have the resources to track her down. They will be relentless in their pursuit. Dani even gives Bill the approval to do whatever is necessary. That's an ominous message. She believes this situation requires it. Everyone needs emotional support. They are distraught over fearing the worst has happened to Chelsea. She has become the victim of violence. Allison had this plan. She hopes to win Chelsea over by presenting her with her favorite things. That can't take away from the abuse. Allison ruined this night. That doesn't deserve forgiveness or understanding. Chelsea lashes out. Allison can't control everything. That makes her more unpredictable. That's scary too. The episode lingers in that uncertainty. Sure, it tries to offer something more innocent with Martin and Samantha at the club. They are kept out of the loop for too long. That's somewhat of a distraction. However, the relentless focus on saving Chelsea is the precise energy needed to make this story take off.
Grade: A-
Episode 1.120
Everyone should have varied reactions to Chelsea's disappearance. However, it quickly becomes annoying when the narrative shifts away to other stories altogether. Hayley is tangentially connected. She wants to support Bill. Someone needs to be on his side while he wades into the lion's den of Duprees. No one is openly hostile to him though. Hayley's presence creates the drama. Bill tells her not to come. She does so anyway. Again, she has a point about needing to support Bill. That's what she should provide as his wife. Dani and Bill are very close throughout this experience. There is no reason for anyone to get jealous. Hayley makes a big deal about them leaning on each other. They were literally recording a video asking for help. They are desperate to get Chelsea back. Hayley makes the situation about her insecurities. Bill only prioritizes her when things are easy. When something difficult comes up, he pushes her away. He relies on the Duprees instead. They are forever trapped in this cycle of needing one another. No one can ever push Bill away for good. He's dependent on the family. He's also starting to realize how little he actually knows about his daughter.
Everything with Hayley has relevance. It distracts from Chelsea too. It's more problematic when the narrative takes time to feature the same conversation between Vanessa and Joey. Once again, she claims to want out. He appears to allow it. The story just doesn't have a reason to occur right now. Anita and Vernon don't have time to ponder what it means when they stop by Uptown. They are coordinating with the FBI. They must ensure action will be taken. That's set up. Similarly, a connection with Joey is established too. Craig was a male escort Allison hired to pretend to be her husband. He works for Joey's company. Jacob knows how dangerous it can be to seek answers from Joey. Kat is undeterred. Jacob should know better than to turn away from Kat for a second. She doesn't care about doing things the legal way. She must rescue Chelsea. That means forcefully demanding the truth without care for any of the consequences. Meanwhile, the assault continues on Chelsea. Allison's twisted version of love is corrosive. Chelsea antagonizes her. That escalates the situation dramatically. She's trapped with no where to go. Allison is ready to take things to the next level. Displaying the fantasy she created with Chelsea's posts showcases how deranged she has been.
Grade: B
Episode 1.121
Kat will do anything to rescue Chelsea. That includes committing her family even further to Joey. He takes advantage of the situation. Kat doesn't even know the full story. Plenty of people have talked about Joey's reputation. Kat understands some of that. She's not intimidated. She confronts him. She will personally shoulder the burden of this task. That's not asked of her. Instead, Joey wants to meet with Martin. He can promise this information if Martin becomes his new contact within the family. He seeks to corrupt a sitting member of Congress. Martin accepts that deal. Finding Chelsea is too important. The family can't focus on any distractions. They can't fear the repercussions of their actions. There will be time for that in the future. Joey will collect on his debts in a way that likely compromises the entire Dupree family. That has been heavily set up for awhile now. It continues to build. That will require the inevitable demand to be even greater. The family can't easily escape his influence. Now, he's needed to find Chelsea. The information Allison gave for the escort service may not even be accurate.
Love is all about control for Allison. She regrets rejecting Chelsea previously. She tries to convince herself that Madison was nothing more than a rebound. Chelsea committed herself fully to that relationship. She was clear about wanting Allison to leave her alone. Chelsea works to ensure Allison is never at peace with her decision to abduct her. For the first time, Chelsea is left alone in the cabin. The phone is still out of her reach. She promises to fight back. This isn't love. This is pure terror. Everyone continues to reassure each other that Chelsea is coming home. They have to believe that. They can't allow their fears to paralyze them. It's getting late and the family leaves Anita and Vernon's home. That has been their centralized base of operations. That's where they have all found comfort. Their lives dictate they be elsewhere. They have other responsibilities. That's frustrating when those other concerns pop up. It's random when Ashley appears just to once again be jealous of Andre and Dani's intimacy. Leslie tormenting her new neighbors is mean-spirited and vindictive. It's more rewarding when it dawns on Bill how many secrets his family has kept from him. They didn't trust him with the important details of their lives. He worries he won't have time to prove himself deserving of that connection.
Grade: B
Episode 1.122
A second wedding has now taken place in the daytime soap's debut season. Bill and Hayley's nuptials were interrupted by Dani with a gun. And now, Chelsea gets married under extreme duress. Allison threatens Madison. She never plans on leaving this cabin with Chelsea. She also teases that she can inflict a lot of damage on Madison from far away. Nothing will stop her from getting what she wants. She's frustrated that Chelsea hasn't forgotten about her past yet. She's also moved to tears by Chelsea's vows. Chelsea doesn't want to make any promises for the future of this relationship. She endures the ceremony because it's crucial for her survival. She hates every second of it. She also expresses that she will conduct herself how she has been raised. This is her following the advice of her loved ones. She aims to treat Allison the way she has been treated. She knows her family is coming to rescue her. She's been gone for an entire night now. Dani fears the outcome will only be worse the longer her daughter is missing. Everyone is working hard to find Chelsea. Some leads are promising. Progress remains agonizingly slow. It's enough for other plot concerns to increasingly creep into the story.
Nicole is served with papers that Ted will contest the divorce. He aims to drag it out as long as possible. Bill is representing him. That reopens old wounds. The family has rallied around each other during this crisis. It's easy for them to turn against each other too. Ted believes that because he can't do anything to help the search for Chelsea that there is no point in him reaching out to his loved ones. That's cynical and continues to prove that no one needs him. Andre can't physically do anything either. However, he's there to provide emotional support for Dani as she breaks down. She knows she has to be strong for Chelsea. Being there for her makes Andre more endearing and dependable. That's his role. He serves it well. Sure, one can doubt Andre and Ashley's commitments to their current relationships because they've been guided by hardships lately. It's much more sincere with Andre and Dani. At the hospital, the only thing worth noting is Derek's depression. He lost his sense of purpose. Ashley is there for him. She may be out of her depth though. Shanice accomplishes that goal much more easily. But again, the hospital drama and Leslie moving to Fairmont Crest takes away from the power of the family talking about how much they love Chelsea. Madison's monologue about imagining her future with her is incredibly powerful.
Grade: B+
Episode 1.123
Chelsea will never love Allison. Her kidnapper quickly wants to consummate their marriage to ensure no one can question its legitimacy. Chelsea fights back. She tries to obtain the knife. She fails multiple times. She tries to convince Allison to give her the keys to unlock herself and let her go. That doesn't happen either. Instead, Allison is convinced that if she can't have Chelsea then no one can. The threat of violence is more explicit than ever before. Jacob tries to calm Kat as she panics that Allison will harm Chelsea. Madison offers more evidence for how unhinged Allison has always been in pursuit of her goal. The stakes are clearly escalating. The week ends on a cliffhanger with Allison going in with the knife. She intends to kill. Jacob, Kat and Madison have found the cabin though. So, it's a race to rescue Chelsea. It's unfortunate that this story isn't resolved by the conclusion of the week. It sucks even more that the drama will be airing repeats next week due to the Labor Day holiday. That means viewers have to wait until September 8 for what comes next. That's pretty agonizing as it pertains to this particular story.
Meanwhile, Ted is so completely foolish. There's grace that comes from Nicole and Ted recognizing the end of their marriage. They accept it. It was inevitable at this point. However, Ted is still trying to screw Nicole. Eva asked him to convince Leslie not to move to Fairmont Crest. What he apparently heard was to stop her from buying the house across the street from Vernon and Anita. He offers Leslie his house. That doesn't solve any of the problems. In fact, it gives Leslie yet another excuse to invade Nicole's life and antagonize her. She quickly orders her to pack up her things and leave. It's unhinged behavior. Leslie delights in it. She's the villain everyone loves to hate. With Ted though, he's creating drama with no sense of consequences for his actions. He claims to be completely dumbfounded by how others react. Yet it's all so predictable. Him failing to see that makes him such a terrible character. Plus, it's a distraction from the sense of purpose elsewhere throughout the ensemble. Sure, Eva and Tomas' plot is mostly filler. It doesn't really offer anything. It still cements that Tomas flirts with Eva and is ultimately more loyal to Bill and his job than his relationship with Kat.
Grade: B
