Chelsea and Joey receive unwelcome blasts from their pasts. Eva puts Tomas' insecurities to bed. Kat is dealt a devastating blow. Nicole and Carlton share an intimate moment under watchful eyes. Donnell McBride shows up and demands answers. A passionate lip lock leaves emotions hanging in the balance. Bill's ex plants seeds of doubt while Hayley looks toward the future. Naomi has a tense exchange with her newest family member. The Hawthornes receive news that could change their lives forever.
Episode 1.139
Allison once again disrupts the launch of ChelseaKat. It's not as devastating as the first time. She's still locked up. Yet she obtained access to a phone to call into the livestream. Once again, Chelsea is paralyzed with fear. Kat and Samantha immediately spring into action. This jarring invasion doesn't derail the progress she has made. It highlights how minor the relaunch was. The stream ended with Chelsea and Kat promising more to come. Instead, they pivoted to caring for Chelsea and sending Kat away to extend a peace offering to Eva. Chelsea has sensible advice. Kat cannot hate Eva and love Tomas at the same time. That hatred is ruining her relationship. It was doomed long before she went over to the apartment. Tomas gave up on it. He thought he was bad in bed. Eva provides him solid feedback after they have sex. Kat visits with pure intentions. She doesn't listen when Eva says it's a bad time. She witnesses what has just occurred. Eva and Tomas can't hide what they did. That will only fuel the hatred more on Kat's part. She said the right things about wanting a sister. They could work towards that. That glimmer of hope disappears just as quickly as it arrived.
It's also notable that Kat knows Eva moved and Ted didn't. It's convenient so Ted is struck with Leslie once more. It doesn't change the tone of the conversation. Ted insists he will never be with Leslie again. She doubts that he means it. She concocts schemes to keep him engaged in her life. They will have more reasons to run into each other now that they're at the same hotel. Kat was bound to walk into some uncomfortable situation no matter which location she visited. The storytelling simply opted for the more personally significant for her. It's similarly ridiculous that Randy returns to the casino wanting his old job back. Joey has reasons for accepting the offer. It's insane given what just happened to Doug. It's clearly being done for a reason. Randy being aloof isn't great for consistency. It's mostly just a way for Vanessa to walk in on Joey saying he staged an "accident." He could find a way to get out of that. She's trusting. She also blames herself for making Doug's addictions worse. Jacob has some answers for her. An autopsy will reveal more. That's all the clarity that can be offered right now.
Grade: B-
Episode 1.140
Kat walks into the aftermath of Eva and Tomas having sex. Despite that, she refuses to break up with him. She can't allow Eva to win. Her entire relationship is defined by Eva's intrusion. Kat is constantly thinking about her half-sister. She finally acknowledges her as such. It's meant to be a weapon against the person who has so deeply betrayed her. None of this is meant to support a healthy relationship. Chelsea points out that Kat doesn't actually like Tomas. Kat foolishly believes she is in love. She is forcing herself to believe that. It's not real. It's toxic that Kat and Tomas continue to insist they are happy together. It's most personally destructive for Eva. She thought she was offering all that Tomas needed. They clicked in a way he never did with Kat. She waited for the right moment to strike. Tomas isn't worthy of this attention. He suggests he made one mistake. It was a lapse in judgment to sleep with Eva. Yet he's constantly been betraying Kat by sharing her most personal secrets. He needed a friend. Eva provided that. She uses that information to fight back. She won't let Kat beat her either. Throughout all of this, she has become her mother. She recognizes the pattern. She can't do anything to prevent it from occurring the same way.
With Leslie though, the narrative has provided a lot of history. It's story that happened in the past and is constantly having consequences in the present. While Kat and Tomas' relationship has been seen this season, it has never been deep. They go through the actions without any meaning behind them. They attribute these big emotions to what's going on. It's frustrating. In fact, the show struggles with depicting consistency with what these characters want. Smitty still relies on Martin for sexual satisfaction. He gives those hints. Those are confusing for Martin. Now, he's the one unsure of whether or not they will come back together. It's a struggle where they have to be on a level playing field. They have to be working together towards the same goal. This is a little dismissive of Smitty given all that he has endured from Martin's secret. He has a right to be unsure of his feelings and time to process them. That came and went for Ted. He's still inserting himself into Nicole's life when she has made her boundaries known. She is moving on. He's upset. He betrayed her constantly too. He messed up the best thing in his life. Andre shouldn't be so quick to defend his uncle. He feels he must align with him because Dani responded so poorly to his marriage to Dani. It's a mess where Nicole is rightfully the aggrieved party in one aspect and lashing out inappropriately in the other.
Grade: B
Episode 1.141
Anita fears Dani got married to Andre because she has a drinking problem. She confronts her because of Doug's tragic death. The show has teased Dani's issues with alcohol before. She points out that Andre helped her through them in the past. She hasn't quit. Many are concerned about her blacking out drunk for days. However, Dani and Andre decided to stay married while sober. It's all in reaction to Bill and Ashley. They are trying to make themselves unavailable so they don't focus on these feelings elsewhere. They aren't great at hiding it. Marriage doesn't stop them from taking steps in pursuit of rekindling these former flames. Dani and Bill kiss while trying to get over each other. Ashley basically admits that she's glad Andre is staying married. She doesn't want to be tempted. That in no way justifies Derek's decision to lie to her. Shanice opened his eyes to the pain he was causing. He still decides to feed his insecurities. He's right to be worried. Ashley deserves better. Anita and Nicole don't believe Dani and Andre can be happy together as a couple. They only see the problems. They are in love with other people. They wish to analyze this behavior. It's impossible to believe happiness can blossom. Some of these concerns are valid. That doesn't mean the unconventional relationship can be dismissed so casually.
Meanwhile, Donnell arrives in Fairmont Crest to get a better understanding of his father's life before his death. He's shocked to learn he quit working months ago. Vanessa tells him about Doug's gambling and alcohol addiction. It's difficult for her to share. Moreover, Donnell blames his mother for letting things get this bad. She could have helped him before it was too late. Vanessa places that blame on herself too. She feared she was too cruel to her husband because of her attraction to Joey. She pushed him away. She made his life more miserable. He died believing she betrayed him. Bill seeks clarity from Joey about his involvement in the accident. Joey continues to deny his role. Bill's conscience shouldn't be eased. He's directly responsible for multiple murders now. The information he shared got people killed. That conveniently solved momentary problems. It reveals just how much Joey feared what Doug could expose. And now, Donnell is in the casino. He demands answers. Joey will play him just like everyone else. Randy is more genuine. Even then, he risks his own life if he reveals too much. Donnell has been shielded from the truth for too long. He's just a kid who wants to understand his father. To do so, he must work his way through the mess that his parents have caused across many months.
Grade: B
Episode 1.142
Naomi is the latest Dupree to express her disdain for Dani and Andre's marriage. She doesn't believe it will work. It's silly and impulsive. She unloads on Andre. He continually has to defend his relationship. No one thinks it can be genuine. And yet, it works for them. Dani enjoys teasing Bill. She doesn't pull away when he kisses her. She steps into her own power. Bill no longer has control over her. He wanted her to be pining after him for the rest of her life. He can't fathom that she has moved on. Of course, she hasn't. Bill still has a hold over her. She appreciates all that Andre has done in helping her explore herself. So much has suddenly become possible because of this relationship. She no longer feels the shame of it. She defends it too. They are willing to see what happens. It's still pointed that Dani doesn't share that the kiss happened. That probably sets the couple up for failure. Andre proudly details the total honesty he and Dani have. Naomi sees the rebound nature of rejection because Ashley got back together with Derek. She refuses to let the pattern continue of her parents marrying people from her personal life. Andre can stand on his own two feet. He didn't set out to hurt anyone. In fact, he champions what he and Dani can build together.
Naomi is completely devastated by the news she is pregnant. It's miserable. She previously stated that she didn't want kids. And now, she's pregnant and Hayley is not. Dani warns Bill about the facade of helplessness that's always on Hayley. She never believes it. She thinks Bill has clocked it too. Hayley puts so much effort into trying to appease her husband. Everyone is right to be skeptical of her intentions. Their mysterious nature prevents her from fully being realized as a character. It's much more engaging when the audience can engage with the honesty. Hayley is potentially manipulating Bill again by sharing that her pregnancy test was negative. She wants him enthralled in her. She wants to be a lasting part of this family. She will make it happen no matter what. Meanwhile, Naomi reckons with the reality of having a child. She embodies all of her parents' worst qualities. She weaponizes that against Andre. He doesn't deserve all of that vitriol. Naomi is sweet too. She understands the affection for how Dani sees the world. More people should delight in being part of her orbit. Yet it's too difficult to ignore everything else that is happening.
Grade: B
Episode 1.143
Jacob always told Naomi what she wanted to hear about having kids. She thought they were on the same page. They didn't plan on having children. However, he lights up upon hearing that she's pregnant. He immediately imagines a whole life. He gets ahead of himself. It's the opposite reaction to Naomi. He continually tries to convince her to change her mind. He paints a vivid picture. She appreciates that. She understands his perspective. It's significant that they are having this honest conversation now. It's in direct contradiction to what they previously talked about. She was so careful. She got distracted because of everything going on with her family. She can't believe this happened. She's not happy. That remains clear. Jacob believes they could be so much more as a family. This is a celebration. He doesn't consider Naomi's feelings right away. He doesn't understand all that she would be giving up. That's all informed by Bill demanding Dani quit her job to raise their children. Naomi may not even know the full story. She simply say the resentment within her mother about all that she lost as a result of this decision. Dani is only now discovering herself again. Naomi is passionate about the law. She wants to make a difference in the world. She can be successful while having children. That's simply not something she wants. That needs to be respected.
Dani and Andre don't have second thoughts about their marriage. They've endured a week of people telling them it was a mistake. They aren't even living together. It's unconventional. It works. They set clear boundaries. That ensures Dani doesn't repeat the same mistakes as her first marriage. They continue to suggest they don't have genuine feelings for one another. They care. They passionately defend all of this. Dani is capable of providing Andre with a drawer. He becomes more involved in her life. It's slow progress. That's what made marriage so extreme. They skipped over these steps. That doesn't immediately doom them to fail. Instead, the true concern comes from Bill's fixation on Dani. He can't stop thinking about her. He denies Hayley's accusations. Hayley is perceptive. She knows her husband. A walk around the neighborhood isn't enough to forget Dani and all that she represents. And so, they continue to clash. It's not as neatly deceitful as what Joey concocts at the casino. He tries to step into a fatherly figure role for Donnell. It's way too fast for that to be effective. The effort is being made. It's partly to cover his tracks. It's also trying to dictate the emotional fallout for Vanessa and her family.
Grade: B-
