Dani pushes Nicole to make a bold move. Anita and Vernon have a long overdue discussion with Martin and Smitty. Chelsea and Kat's candid conversation causes Samantha to enact an impulsive plan. Vanessa makes her priorities clear to Dani. Ted and Leslie try to forge a new path forward. Tyrell defends his sister's honor, which impresses Jessica. Hayley is rattled by a run-in with Joey. Madison is upset with Chelsea for butting into family business. Eva gets a touching offer.
Episode 1.159
Tomas feels pressured to work even while recovering from an injury. He's also subjected to jokes from Bill in front of Kat. The boss especially waits for her to arrive to reveal he knows about the injury. It's completely unprofessional. The firm was sued for harassment previously. Nothing has really changed even though Bill has expressed more responsibility. It's all meant to be played off as a joke too. It's not something to linger over as a plot point. Tomas goes back to work while Kat storms off. She lands at Uptown where she must update Izaiah about all that Eva has done in Fairmont Crest since she arrived. She's not wrong to warn a friend about a situation they could be entering into. Kat doesn't owe the benefit of the doubt to Eva. Leslie is more invasive and destructive. Eva has her moments as well. She didn't act maliciously towards Tomas. She still set out to ruin Kat's relationship. That can't easily be forgotten and forgiven. The sisters would love to blame each other for everything that's wrong in the world. It's a simplistic mindset. It's understandable too. It hasn't resulted in much healing or maturing. Any progress is slow to occur. Izaiah believes he can handle Eva. He hasn't seen any red flags. Kat's guidance is noted.
It's also more enticing for Nicole to focus on the future instead of indulging in the same petty squabbles of the past. Dani is willing to defend her no matter what. She even jokes about being honored for it at the club. It's awkward for them. This place has been a refuge for their family. It's now been invaded by the two woman who destroyed their marriages. It's fake whenever Leslie or Hayley approaches them. Hayley doesn't express sincere sympathies about Nicole and Ted's divorce. She walks across the room to say something nevertheless. Leslie recognizes Hayley as a con artist. She doesn't mean to demean that ambition. She believes they can accomplish great things together. Hayley leaves. She's conveniently establishing a narrative that if anyone had a grudge to kill Bill it would be Leslie. She's smart and subtle that way. Those seeds are planted. Meanwhile, Nicole and Carlton are going to explore romantic possibilities. It's awkward because they've been friends for a long time. Nicole fears what this will do to Carlton's partnership with Ted. That's too much pressure to place on one date. They laugh about it. They go into it with full clarity of expectations. That's in contrast to Samantha who insists she knows best even when June says Nathan is trouble.
Grade: B-
Episode 1.160
Kat and Chelsea immediately recognize they made a mistake talking about sex while Samantha could overhear. They got carried away. It was more stimulating than their conversation about Eva. The inferences made about Kat potentially caring about Izaiah are intriguing. It fits into the familiar dynamic of Kat professing that Eva destroys everything she touches. Chelsea points out that her cousin wants to ruin Eva just as much. They return to being friends who can share everything when the topic changes. They should have reasonably assumed Samantha would be there. It wasn't her entrance into the scene. They acknowledged her presence. She went to the bar to grab menus. That only took a few seconds. Kat and Chelsea carry a ton of responsibility for Samantha. They are adults. The teenager remains impressionable. They believe she is smart enough not to do anything impulsive afterwards. They are wrong. Martin and Smitty immediately catch her trying to have sex with Nathan on the family couch. That causes more trouble. Samantha took all the wrong lessons from hearing Kat talk about how empowering sex has been for her. Kat regrets waiting so long. She carried that mentality for a reason. Expressing herself so freely now also carries consequences.
Izaiah has people looking out for him. He was offered a prestigious job. His father remains disappointed. Izaiah doesn't try to change the family dynamic. Jacob is the golden son. Elon plays favorites. Izaiah stands out. His troubles are always mentioned and used against him. A great opportunity has been presented. He's fighting with his father instead of the family celebrating. Jacob is on the outs with his dad too. He sees the corruption Joey wields. Elon is caught up in that. He's powerless to stop it. That concern is brought up anew. Izaiah's presence interrupts that conversation. Meanwhile, Ted inserts himself and immediately destroys what Nicole and Carlton wanted to explore. He claims ownership over her. Carlton wants to defend her. She demands her own autonomy. Nothing has truly been solved. She finds herself in the same situation all over again. That's why she was destined for divorce. The family wanted a reconciliation. It wasn't going to happen. Martin and Smitty put in the work and remain level-headed about the future. Vernon and Anita see that. They beam with joy as a result. They accept the role they played in the secret. It's healthy communication that acknowledges everyone's shortcomings. They aim to focus on the future. Samantha is the immediate problem though.
Grade: B
Episode 1.161
High expectations from parents have caused their children to rebel. Izaiah knew his father's high standards were unobtainable. He decided to pursue a new path altogether. It caused more tension. Elon used Marcel to expunge a drug arrest from Izaiah's record. He was more than willing to employ the services of a dirty cop to help his family. That didn't make Izaiah realize how much his father loved him. Elon claims he would do anything for his children. Meanwhile, Izaiah and Eva commiserate over their exhausting relationships with their parents. The focus still remains on romantic intrigue. That's still a possibility. It's not acted upon yet. Eva calls Izaiah out for falling into stereotypes. He needs to be more original with his brooding after a breakup. Elsewhere, the audience realizes that everyone shouldn't have great expectations from Samantha. She was reasonable when it came to navigating her relationship with June. Now, she's making constant mistakes as she's distracted by Nathan. Martin and Smitty are enraged upon catching her about to have sex. The teenagers are bad at lying. The outrage does little to get the message across either. Samantha is right back to trying to find a way to be with Nathan. Everyone warns her away. She rebels instead.
Nicole and Carlton could have been great together as a couple. Nicole isn't ready to explore that. She asked him out on a date. They were excited. Then, Ted came along and created a scene in public. That was embarrassing. Carlton feels compelled to apology for his immaturity. Nicole accepts that. She also realizes she shouldn't jump into a relationship so soon after her divorce. She needs to be grounded in who she is before exploring something new. Carlton is willing to wait. She doesn't ask that of him. Their kiss is passionate. It's largely untapped potential. And finally, Vanessa shares her ambitions with Joey to Dani. The Duprees treat her as family. They care about her. Dani provides her the space to open up. She doesn't lead with judgment. She listens to how Vanessa feels when she is with Joey. She doesn't want to get married. She aspires to be his partner in every aspect of business. That's an even more daunting prospect. Dani is just as concerned as the rest of the family. Her approach gets this confession out of Vanessa. She knows what it's like to be reckless. Now, she's on the other side trying to navigate through someone making an insane decision that will have vast and costly consequences.
Grade: B
Episode 1.162
Ted and Nicole love Halloween. Neither is particularly happy right now. In fact, they are miserable during the holiday. Nicole cancels her big party. She's content spending time with her father watching scary movies. That's all she needs. She's then called upon to be a therapist for Samantha. The teenager believes she can win her grandmother over to her side. She will obtain her freedom by moving in with her. She can't live under her parents' oppressive rules any longer. It's Martin and Smitty's responsibility to care for her. They remain livid. They are angry upon learning it was Samantha's idea to have sex. They are upset with Kat for planting the idea in her head. Nicole rationalizes that everyone needs to calm down. None of these issues will be solved if they escape. The family must remain under the same roof. That's the only resolution found. Everyone rightfully recognizes Nathan as a player. He wants to have sex with Samantha to brag about doing it to his friends. Tyrell stands up for his sister. It impresses Jessica. That's heartwarming. A connection is growing between them even though he has doubts about his attractiveness. He needs more confidence. Samantha is completely reckless. Her parents fear they have a wild child just like Anita and Vernon did with Dani.
At Uptown, Ted has a pleasant experience with Leslie. He treats her kindly because she provides him with an update on Nicole. He is completely in love with his wife. He also provides Leslie with everything she's craved for years. He claims she is a completely different person now than when they first met decades ago. He wants to see the waitress he relied on during a difficult time. He wants to thank her for how she raised Eva. He appreciates the sacrifice and hard work. Leslie can never turn her personality off completely. All of this suggests that something could happen between them once more. Nicole is moving on. Ted is told to do nothing. He must stay clear from her. He still professes ownership. He refers to the house as his. He wants to know that she is suffering too. He was given hope. He can't toss that aside. Things would have to take a dramatic shift for that to occur. That's not being blatantly telegraphed like it is with Derek and Ashley. Him becoming a villain is the only way they would break up. Andre doesn't know the truth. His words still provoke Derek into action. He wants that control. It's desperation in the hopes of being good enough. That lack of confidence as well as the manipulation makes this a self-fulfilling prophecy of disaster.
Grade: B-
Episode 1.163
Madison's consideration of Chelsea's feelings can't come at the expense of her own. She needs that validation from Nicole. The pair need to be honest. Madison should be upset when Chelsea does something she doesn't like. Chelsea reached out to Madison's estranged mother. Kat immediately recognizes that was wrong. The conversation between the cousins shifts back to Kat's relationship. She's using sex as a way to keep a hold on Tomas. Every interaction now is focused on his injury. She wants to speed up the healing process even though he's recovering as expected. It's frustrating. Both Chelsea and Kat are taking actions that push their partners away. They can be salvaged. Both Madison and Tomas are given independence to interact with others. That results in Eva learning Izaiah is Jacob's brother and Jacob was previously investigating Leslie. Eva didn't know that. She benefits from that privacy being violated. Eva and Tomas objected to it when their secrets were exposed. This is now beneficial information. Eva needs plenty of validation. Ted can't just expect her to know how much he appreciates her. She needs to hear it from him. It's heartwarming that he wants her to call him dad now. That's about their relationship. Others make it about themselves. That too has the potential to cause more drama. It's most prominent with Leslie and Kat. It's not limited to them though.
Hayley is capable of making Bill believe in her performance. He is blindly in love. She's looking online for her getaway after he dies. She manipulates the situation so that he buys the vacation home for her. It's entirely in her name. She didn't even have to try very hard. She panics when it comes to deceiving Joey. He isn't blind to her behavior. Her outrage is heightened. It's over-the-top too. Randy gave him one story. Now, she's saying something different. That will cause him to investigate deeper. That may be the true threat to their scheme. It was reckless for Joey to welcome Randy back into his orbit. He may already be regretting that now. And finally, Halloween is over and the Duprees start planning their annual Winter Fest. The audience has no expectations about this event. Anita declares she wants to change things. She wants to highlight Barbara and her struggles with mental health. The proceeds will go to struggling musical artists. That also sets the family up for another confrontation with Leslie. She has learned she doesn't need to be forceful all the time to get what she wants. Her objectives with the Duprees are different than what she wanted between Ted and Eva though.
Grade: B
