Nicole comforts Dani during a crisis. Andre draws a line in the sand. Naomi needs an urgent favor from a friend. The Duprees rally around one of their own while Nicole spirals. Ashley goes on a date with a co-worker. Joey consults with Bill on a legal matter. Vanessa shows up for a friend in need. Dani and Hayley clash. Ted has a request for Eva. Anita reaches her limit. Chelsea has major news to share with her family. Naomi feels pressured by Jacob. Things heat up for Ted and Shanice.
Episode 2.007
Dani needs a moment to care for herself. Anita is the only one officially diagnosed with cancer. That's scary. The family fears losing their matriarch. Dani learns she carries the same gene mutation. She's still healthy. Naomi and Chelsea will get tested. Dani needs as much comfort from the family as she can get. They are all there for her. They are strong as she faces the unknown. The test doesn't mean the worst will happen. She can take proactive steps to remain healthy. Right now, all she needs is a bath to decompress. Nicole offers support for the family. She locks into therapist mode. She's there for Naomi and Chelsea when Dani can't. Dani doesn't have to be strong. She has the right to be vulnerable. Naomi and Chelsea do as well. Work is a convenient distraction. It's enough to get Chelsea's mind off of things. She calls Bill. He rushes over. Even though Chelsea reached out, Dani is his prime concern. It sucks that he acts with more urgency than Andre. Dani's current husband didn't know the results came in. He's there for her too. He also needs Bill to know he doesn't control Dani any more. His responsibilities lie elsewhere. His focus should be on his daughters. He's actually being selfish in this moment by making the situation about him.
Naomi wants to schedule her lab work immediately. She's frustrated over the online system not working. She hopes for someone at the hospital to help her. Fortunately, Ashley is there to provide the insight she needs. She's actually a well-intentioned friend in this moment. That's a remarkable change of pace. She asks Naomi to take a moment. The test will happen. Ashley will ensure it does. Naomi needs to process her emotions. She's pissed off. So much has happened this year. She feels like she has lost control. She can't confide in anyone. She leaves the pregnancy scare off her list of major events. That revealed tension within her marriage. She doesn't look to Jacob for support. She wants to be proactive too. She's looking out for Chelsea. She needed to let out her emotions. It's only a brief moment. It's enough to provide dimension. She wants to throw herself into work. That's not beneficial. Even when she's in charge, her intentions aren't always pure. Sure, things worked out for the best when she broke the terms of a closed adoption. She was making the decision. She's in the right now as well. The narrative can't casually look past that with Ashley's love life as a distraction. Naomi needs some more soul-searching. She was reluctant when Jacob brought up therapy just for her though.
Grade: B+
Episode 2.008
The messiness makes Anita and Dani's lives more real and interesting. Nicole believes the test results only reaffirm an existing narrative. She's perfect while Dani's a mess. She would trade places with her sister in a heartbeat regarding this gene. She believes she can shoulder the pain and misery better. However, Nicole is the true mess throughout this episode. Dani and Anita have the resolve to face adversity head-on. All of the Duprees are stubborn. That's why Vernon continually extends advice to Andre. The duty of joining this family is in providing a safe place for this family to experience all of their emotions. Andre is completely committed to Dani. Nothing scares him away. Even with the past trauma of losing his parents, he's not running. Dani is home. This unexpected connection developed. They refuse to let go. Meanwhile, Nicole feels others would run away if she ever let her true self be free. When she tries to let go, she believes anything Carlton says only supports that narrative. She's a trained therapist. She's terrible at navigating the dynamics of her family. She doesn't want to be seen as the one needing attention. She struggles while Anita races to hug Dani following the diagnosis. Carlton is there for her at least.
The test also awakens something new within Chelsea. She realizes she has been missing something ever since Allison took her. She was smart to be cautious. She used her platform to advocate for other women to be safe as well. She misses spontaneity. That adventurous side of her life was taken away. Madison sees a wonderful recovery. In fact, she's uncertain about this latest revelation. She's terrified. It's not Chelsea running away from the truth. She faces the potential gene alongside Naomi. She doesn't want to stop living. She's taking ahold of her life. That's a powerful statement. It also leaves one anxious over whether Chelsea and Madison's interest continue to align. That's worrisome given how strong they've been as a couple. They've been more engaging than Naomi and Jacob. It doesn't even seem like Naomi has been updating her husband about all that she's feeling. Instead, she's focused on something new. That means encouraging Ashley's date with lab tech Grayson. She's ready to move on too. The intensity is present. It also confirms that the Duprees are the stars of the show. The other characters don't quite match that some electricity. The show is committed to Ashley though. So maybe a storyline with a daytime soap veteran will fuel something more engaging with her.
Grade: B
Episode 2.009
Bill calls Hayley's tea poison... metaphorically. He's tired of drinking something he hates. He understands she's trying to keep him healthy. He hasn't grown to like tea. He hates it every day. The audience knows Hayley is poisoning her husband. It's grown quite tedious watching her spike his drink all the time. It has become the only thing she does. It was intriguing when Tomas overheard her talking to Randy on the phone. That presented a new direction to pursue. No follow-up occurs. Any progress with Lynette's case has happened offscreen as well. Instead, the situation pivots around the same drama of Dani leaning on Bill and Hayley being jealous. It results in her yelling at Dani to get her hands off her husband. That moment was real. The episode began with Dani daydreaming about Hayley delivering bad news in the most devious way possible. That's not too far removed from the truth actually. The fake niceties are largely boring from Hayley. Her attempts to mend her friendship with Naomi are equally lackluster. Moreover, Bill is a much more engaging character with Dani and Joey. Those dynamics work because they don't require each other to be significant. Their stories elsewhere add to the overall dimension of the narrative while Hayley is mostly stranded on her own.
Nicole wakes up hung over to Vanessa caring for her. Vanessa is a good friend. As such, she expects Nicole to return the favor by liking Joey. Nicole refuses to see Joey differently. Yet she agrees to a double date. She can't use Carlton as a convenient excuse to get out of something she doesn't want to do. She fears he doesn't want to see her anymore. He's not leaving because she unloaded on him while drunk. Nicole's ego is fragile though. She has the expertise to analyze why people behave the way they do. That doesn't make her endearing as a friend. People tell her they don't want to be deciphered in that way. They want their friend with them. She doesn't have to be their doctor. It's all so transparent. Vanessa sees through it. She's blinded with Joey though. He feels guilty about killing Doug so he could have Vanessa all to himself. That scheme is obvious too. Yet Vanessa still falls for the charm. The danger escalates. That's largely perceived through Leslie grabbing Marcel's gun. She knows how to handle it. It's still a precarious image from an unpredictable character.
Grade: C+
Episode 2.010
Ted tells Eva everything about what's been happening with the family lately. It's not just the good news of Nicole testing negative or Martin and Kat not having to worry. He details all the ways he supported Kat even though she refused to get tested. No one tried to understand her reasoning. They just wanted to convince her to change her mind. He offered her space and acceptance to arrive at the right conclusion. That wasn't ultimately necessary. All of this shows Eva how much love her father has to give. She's inspired by it. She wants that unconditional love when she needs it too. It also affirms her belief that Kat is a brat. She's surprised when Ted asks her to be kind to Kat. Their relationship as siblings isn't going to change. Kat refuses to see Eva differently. Eva is certainly more genuine with her words to Kat than Hayley is with Dani. That still isn't enough to convince Kat that she has changed. It's the wrong approach too. Eva wants to present herself as someone Kat can lean on while facing this turmoil. That's asking too much too soon. It's a fantasy. One that Kat won't indulge in. She shuts it down immediately. It's not something she needs or wants. The two of them always go to the extremes. Nothing is allowed to occur naturally. They are alike in that way. It still doesn't change things between them.
Nothing has changed with Jacob's sudden desire to have kids either. That story went away as soon as he and Naomi started going to therapy. That happened offscreen. Now, he wants to be supportive even though she refuses to let her guard down. He doesn't know how to be there for her in this crisis. And so, the conversation shifts back to something that has already created a lot of drama. This is the issue in their marriage. Jacob mentions it again. Naomi has new issues to worry about. She's moving forward. Ashley is as well. Jacob feels a duty to tell Derek. It was one date. It signals that Ashley is actually moving on. Derek's absence has allowed him to fully recover from his accident. He stumbles into the story once more. He sees Ashley and Grayson together. She's thrilled by how her world was changed from one night with him. It's a lot of hassle for a character that hasn't been relevant. It takes away from the time spent with Anita. She doesn't want to deny herself time with her family. She has new limits. The family should respect that. They mean well with their visits. They have to limit them so she doesn't become overwhelmed and exhausted. It's a learning curve. One that requires maturity from everyone.
Grade: C+
Episode 2.011
Chelsea tests negative. Naomi claims she does as well. The latter is hard to believe. It doesn't come across as tension being released. Naomi is cagey while interacting with the family. She keeps herself busy in the name of celebrating her sister's good news. Jacob and Dani have to force her to stop. They are there for her regardless of the results. She was more determined to get tested than anyone else. Now that the news is back, she's much more reserved. That probably indicates she is positive and doesn't want to tell anyone. She wants the space to cope with it by herself. She can't do that because she's surrounded by family. She doesn't want to dampen the mood. Yet the celebration is false. It's not genuine. Carrying the BRCA gene probably further emboldens her resistance to having kids. She wants to stop this threat from within. She doesn't want the family to worry for another generation. But again, all of this is speculative. Naomi is comfortable allowing Bill and Chelsea to believe different things about her results. Dani tries to settle things. It's still presented in a performative matter. One where she doesn't even allow her husband in. He's much more engaged in this marriage than she is. That is yet another reason why they may not be as compatible as they initially seemed.
Kat and Eva frustrate each other. They complain about one another to their loved ones. Kat has the freedom of pivoting to Chelsea's happiness. Meanwhile, Eva lingers in that pity party for the entire episode. Izaiah refuses to let her stay in that mindset for too long. He reminds her that she has so much more in her life. Kat's rejection hits deeper because she wants a sister. However, Kat refuses to let Eva forget about the lies and deception that brought her into the family's lives. She won't forgive her for sleeping with Tomas either. Kat has legitimate grievances against Eva. Eva expects those to have healed already because everyone else has been willing to accept it. That's not Kat. She stands out as her own individual. That's empowering while still being frustrating because this story has been repetitive. At least Derek is already to be blatantly diabolical with his manipulation. He's jealous of Ashley moving on. He stalks her and weaponizes Jan against her. He knows precisely what he's doing. He can't claim ignorance. Everything he does is in pursuit of reigniting a relationship. It's twisted. He deserves to suffer for trying to control women like this. He gets away with it because Jacob still views him as a genuine friend. His actions tell a completely different story. Plus, Ashley would probably be better without Jan's shame-filled influence in her life.
Grade: B-
