The Hamiltons have an awkward celebration. Joey puts Leslie in her place. Chelsea's new lease on life causes friction with Madison. Kat and Ted argue over Eva. Naomi hides her new normal from her family. Smitty and Martin are surprised by Tyrell's latest stance on a family tradition. Dani opens up to Bill and then makes a surprising move. Vanessa is accosted. Two couples take the next step in their relationships. Anita leans on Sharon. Leslie confronts Shanice over Ted. Ashley calls Derek out on his sabotage.
Episode 2.012
The Fairmont Crest community has been trying to handle Leslie for a year. She has caused so much drama. She has always emerged unscathed. She sees any potential setback as an opportunity to reevaluate the landscape. But now, Joey suddenly has blackmail on her. The audience is left in the dark about what it is. Leslie is even right to question its authenticity. Joey doctored the footage of Doug's final night at the casino. He removed Marcel completely. The police and the family believed what they saw. Leslie recognizes the potential problem. She sees the danger while getting a shot at the club. Opportunity presents itself again in Hayley. Leslie has proposed an alliance multiple times. Hayley may finally be thinking about it. Her plan to kill Bill has taken longer than she expected. Moreover, she's no longer comfortable that she would be the biggest beneficiary of his death. She sees his family mocking her. She wants him to suffer. Leslie offers that. Bill will always prioritize work. When Dani's in the room, he will only focus on her. In the back of his mind, Andre probably worries that staying close to her parents during treatment also leaves Dani in Bill's orbit more often too. They can't escape to just be the two of them. That's suddenly no longer possible. They must navigate this new dynamic as their marriage is tested.
Both Naomi and Chelsea act spontaneously upon finding out their test results. It's liberating. They don't want to be stuck at the club with their parents. They want to have fun. For Naomi, that means having sex with Jacob. For Chelsea, she wants to take a mysterious drug with Madison. The doctor couldn't condone that whatsoever. Chelsea minimizes the risks. Madison clocks how Chelsea is being reckless with her life. She feels free because she tested negative. That doesn't make her invincible. She must still be careful. The two of them can travel the world together. Madison's peers are engaged with her work. That can open opportunities for her abroad too. That's not something she feels comfortable sharing with Chelsea. Instead, Chelsea wants to act recklessly. Danger creeps into so many corners of the narrative. Vanessa is threatened by a disgruntled husband of one of the escort service's top clients. Joey offers to handle it. She insists she can manage it on her own. Nicole doesn't shame her upon learning of her new business. She's actually tempted because she suddenly sees Carlton as wanting something serious. She's not ready for that. That's a change of pace from how she felt last week. She sees a commitment from Carlton while wanting some fun for herself following the divorce. Enter Kial. He's apparently an option too despite not being seen since Winter Fest.
Grade: B
Episode 2.013
Kat doesn't want her personal business shared with Eva. Too many times, she has been blindsided by Eva knowing exactly what's going on. It all stems from Ted trying to make up for lost time. Kat's thrown by her father's declaration that he loves all three of his children equally. The sentiment is nice. Kat believes time should equate more love. That's what sends her spiraling. However, she has a point in being disappointed with her father. He feels free to share whatever he wants with Eva. Kat doesn't want to know anything about Eva. He pushes the sisters to get along. He believes they will need each other one day. Kat doesn't see that ever happening. She doesn't respect Eva. She lied and deceived her way into this world. Her actions can't be forgiven. Kat has been on the receiving end of that vitriol. Nothing with Eva is ever genuine. Nicole doesn't even want to hear her daughter's complaints. She only sees the self-destructive nature of this hatred. She believes Eva has moved on. She isn't fixated on Kat. That's far from the truth. Kat isn't solely driven by hating Eva either. It's a huge component of her life. One where everyone feels confident in calling her out. They suggest she has changed. She's mature enough to self-reflect. She's there for the people she loves. They frequently disappoint her by not respecting her boundaries.
Elsewhere, it's confirmed Naomi has the BRCA gene. She wants to arm herself with information before sharing the news with anyone. It's not like she needs time to process. She's deflecting. She's pushing others away. She's not ignoring her new reality. She consults Dr. Ahn for guidance. She's given resources. This secrecy places strain on her marriage. Jacob is about to embark on something new. He's going undercover. That requires more devotion to his job than ever before. He will change from this experience. Meanwhile, Naomi is reluctant to open up about how all of this makes her feel. She's making this decision for herself. It doesn't only have an impact on her life. That's what this entire story has revealed. This cancer gene reverberates throughout the family. Everyone is focused on Anita. Her struggle is the most arduous. It's not hers alone to bear. The family handles it together. That hardly affords them much privacy. Shanice recognizes the club as belonging to the Duprees. She handles herself well in that environment. Yet it's still a stinging betrayal when Nicole walks in to see this new relationship becoming public. Nothing happens as these characters would like. They have plenty of options but very little control over the outcome.
Grade: B
Episode 2.014
Shanice is incredibly empathetic. Sure, she's a gossip. She's fantastic at her job and genuinely cares about people. She wanted to tell Nicole about her date with Ted before it happened. While the two couples are at the club, she's aware that any kind of intimacy with Ted could make Nicole uncomfortable. Ted isn't concerned with any of that. He's only focused on Shanice. That can be perceived as charming. It works for Shanice. It's equally important for these relationships to develop at the speed that works for them. It shouldn't be a result of pressure to conform and prove they are moving on from the divorce. Only a few brief moments suggest a competition is taking place. While the stories move in parallel, they aren't fueling the big moments. Nicole has sex with Carlton for the first time. Ted and Shanice are intimate as well. That's a result of both of their dates going well. It's not from Nicole and Ted trying to prove something. Shanice is insecure about all of this going away as soon as Ted decides to move past his rebound. He reassures her that won't happen. Yet the other relationships of the show continually prove how complicated things can be. They can change at a moment's notice. That requires true respect to continue to grow and remain strong together.
Chelsea and Kat are suspicious of Jacob and Smitty together. They know they are scheming something. It just doesn't have anything to do with the family. Smitty provided the tip to the police about the illegal plasma smuggling operation. He and Jacob reluctantly agree to work together. That worked so well for them previously. And then, they hit a roadblock. They acknowledge that without needing to press further. That tension may pop up the more involved they get. This story is truly just getting started this week. It's something new while relying on a character pairing that was interesting previously. That's in contrast to Dani once again kissing Bill. She has done that so many times over the course of the year. She needs him to offer comfort about her inner beauty shining just as brightly as her outside self. It's a nice sentiment. However, the story is all about Dani pulling away but not before Tomas sees the kiss. He's seen a lot of what covertly goes on in Bill's office lately. He hasn't done anything with that information. In fact, Hayley elevates the stakes as she wants Randy to kill Bill if the poison doesn't work soon. It's a fascinating pledge but one that still requires the follow through to come sooner rather than later.
Grade: B-
Episode 2.015
If anything bad happens to Anita, the entire family will be devastated. That applies to the audience as well. It's stunning when she collapses upon returning home from chemo. It makes everything even more real. Cancer could kill her. The treatment will be absolutely brutal. It was already emotionally devastating when she was talking with Sharon about planning for the future. She needs reassurance that her loved ones will lift each other up. Their support will keep them going even if she dies. That becomes a possibility as a result of the cliffhanger. Vernon and Shannon are stunned. They don't know what to do. They were there for her while the chemo was going in. The threat persists outside of that environment. Everyone needs to be careful. That should extend to all the precarious corners of this world. Shanice should be worried about what Leslie will do to be with Ted. She already tried to kill Laura twice. She wasn't punished for that. Now, she has money. She thinks her first threat wasn't clear. She doubles down thanks to information she receives from Eva. Eva knows how her mother will respond yet continues to share these personal details with her. She can't expect a different outcome without changing her own behavior. It doesn't matter that she's happy with Izaiah now. She needs to be weary and mature when it comes to handling her mother.
Ashley can't dismiss Derek's intrusion into her romantic life either. Jan worries about her daughter. She was going to focus on herself but has instead started a new relationship. Her fears aren't entirely justified. Derek doesn't want it to work. Ashley sees the blatant manipulation this time. She has to believe he's capable of hurting her given his lie about his recovery. Shanice reminds her of that. And yet, Ashley is also tasked with keeping Naomi's secret. Naomi leans on a friend. She tries her best to describe her response. Her family is grateful that she's healthy. She handles this struggle on her own. She doesn't need to do so. Of course, everyone frequently responds the same way. Carrying the gene doesn't mean she will develop cancer. She's heard it. She needs to believe it. She can't. She worries about not causing stress in others. She can't add to their concerns. Those will exist regardless of what she does. Jacob is going undercover. Meanwhile, Dani remains nonchalant about her frequent kisses with Bill. They don't mean anything except they keep happening. That's not fair to Andre or the countless people who've told her she deserves better. She has found that with Andre. She needs to focus her energy there instead of reminiscing over the past and what could have been.
Grade: B
