Nicole deals with a hack. Vanessa realizes she was duped. Anita receives a major medical update from her oncologist. Bill doles out some tough questions to Hayley. Randy takes a hands-on approach with Lynette. Tomas surprises Kat on her birthday. Ted honors tradition with Nicole. Martin encourages Nicole to repair a fractured friendship. Hayley celebrates a win. Dani questions Bill about his slip of the tongue. Vernon seeks out Madison for advice. Nicole and Vanessa get candid.
Episode 2.068
Apparently, the Garland security system was down when Smitty was in Nicole's office. The hospital has no leads on the breech. Nicole learns from Ashley about Smitty and Naomi's visits. She knew about Naomi. She has questions for Smitty. She's not suspicious of either one. She simply feels guilty for compromising the hospital in this way. She's grateful patient data wasn't targeted. She doesn't know why someone would want employee information. Lia does. She's a sly operator. She wants to handle things internally. When Marcel starts asking question, she pivots to shifting blame onto Nicole. He wonders if anyone has been acting strangely lately. Lia positions this breech as something worth investigating to determine Nicole's moral standing. Lia and Marcel's meeting is slightly weird though. First, it includes attacks with Leslie. She doesn't serve a purpose during those scenes at Orphey Gene's whatsoever. Her idea for expanding services at the clinic is ridiculous too. She exists in her own vain bubble without much connection to the other plots in the narrative. Meanwhile, Marcel mentions Lia's husband. This is the first time he's been brought up. No additional information is shared. It indicates some seriousness. However, Lia is meant to be positioned as an upstanding person in charge of a prestigious hospital. Given everything over the last year, that image has faded rather quickly.
Vanessa cannot admit she was seeing Joey before Doug's death. She doesn't want to delve into the details of her open marriage. Of course, it was only open on her end. She needed more. Her desires were satisfied by Joey. She came to depend on him more than her husband. That was true before Doug's death. Deanna refuses to let her mother get away with that lie. She doesn't know the extent of what happened with her parents after she and Donnell left for college. She's determined to find answers. Donnell believes it's his job to talk her down. He has to calm her. He rationalizes that it's good Vanessa isn't miserable. He wants her to have purpose. Deanna can see the appeal in that. However, Vanessa's behavior threatens to ruin every relationship she has. Her life is changing. Joey may soon become the only person she can depend on. Nicole and Deanna express their concerns and she refuses to listen. They don't understand. Vanessa has to be right. That will make everything okay. If not, then she would have to question her own behavior leading up to Doug's death. She wants to move forward and be happy. That doesn't mean others will be happy with who she has become.
Grade: B
Episode 2.069
Bill and Lynette aren't fools. Bill knows Lynette is extorting Hayley for extravagant purchases. Lynette always knew Bill was a mark. She receives confirmation of that con while he isn't persuaded by Hayley's latest argument. Hayley believes she can convince Bill that a penthouse for Lynette would be a smart investment. He's against the idea. He only sees Lynette taking from Hayley. It's not a healthy friendship. Hayley sees Lynette as a threat too. She can't let her husband in on her concerns. Meanwhile, Randy believes the way to stop Lynette is to tell her everything he and Hayley have been up to in Fairmont Crest. He hasn't come across as a smooth, calculating operator. This could easily backfire. It could disrupt everything he and Hayley have tried to do. His complaints are genuine. Hayley often treats him as her subordinate who will do whatever she wants whenever she needs it. He's frustrated that his cousin no longer views him as an equal partner. He pockets Lynette's phone. That reveals that he hasn't switched sides in this conflict. He remains loyal to Hayley. He simply surrendered a lot of information to get this access.
All of that drama largely serves as a distraction from the truly emotional material with Anita. She learns that her latest scans have come back. She wants Nicole and Dani to be there for her. They fear the worst. She was ready to give up not long ago. The family fears she will stop fighting again if the treatment hasn't worked. Dani remains surprisingly calm. Nicole is the emotional wreck. Dani is proving she can be counted on in a crisis. Even in the midst of this battle, Anita still fears for her daughter. She may inherit the same cancer one day. She's healthy now. That's what matters. Moreover, the treatment is working for Anita. Two more rounds are left. Then, surgery options will be discussed. Progress is being made. It's uplifting news worth celebrating. The scenes are incredibly moving. They're simply sandwiched amongst other stories that are in holding patterns. Chelsea shows her gratitude toward Naomi for representing Madison in the malpractice lawsuit. Meanwhile, Jacob warns Smitty that he wasn't nearly as covert as he thought. His actions brought unwanted attention to the investigation. Smitty insists he produced a viable lead. He didn't as Lia isn't listed as one of Grayson's colleagues in the lab.
Grade: B
Episode 2.070
Kat woke up and thought everyone forgot her birthday. It wasn't a priority given everything else going on. A lot has changed in the last year too. Her parents are no longer together. However, her loved ones were simply trying to surprise her. Tomas orchestrated it so Martin, Chelsea and Naomi would be waiting for her at Uptown with Anita's famous cake. Kat's frustrated when Eva crashes her celebration just like she did a year ago. Eva's the one who tells her about Anita's improved prognosis. She knew before Kat did. Martin was planning on surprising her. In that moment, Kat doesn't have the capacity to be angry with anyone. The biggest surprise is her allowing Eva to stay. She didn't want to spend one moment with Eva and Leslie when they showed up at the club. Yet Eva's presence later on is used as a hopeful sign that their relationship has started to thaw. It doesn't matter that Eva and Leslie were making jokes about Kat being a princess just a couple of scenes earlier. Instead, the focus at the club shifted to Dani calling Bill and him referring to her as "baby." Everyone heard that. It immediately sends Hayley spiraling. That doesn't mean she suddenly accepts Leslie's help and friendship. Sooner or later though, that may become a viable choice given how frequently it's been presented.
Kat's birthday provides an event for the family. The episode becomes structured around the celebration during the second half. Before then, it was merely about Anita's good news spreading. It's special to see the reaction from everyone. The entire family wants to rally around her. Anita and Vernon felt the need to make Kat feel special too. They distracted her so she wouldn't hear about the surprise in advance. Yet Vernon has a slight slip as well. He mixes up Tracy and Sharon. Dani checks on him. It's nothing to worry about. That's all the family has been doing amidst Anita's cancer battle. They are relieved she got good news. It could have gone either way. Dani and Nicole had to prepare for that. Dani needs Andre's embrace when she finally gets a chance to let those feelings out. Nicole and Ted no longer have that kind of relationship. That means Nicole bottles more of her emotions up. She can only express herself with her sister. When Ted shows up, he wants to honor their same traditions. He praises her for giving birth to Kat. It's what they always did. It carries on new meaning after the divorce. He still clearly has so many feelings towards her.
Grade: B
Episode 2.071
From Vanessa's perspective, it's sweet how Joey encourages her to mend her friendship with Nicole. He knows how much it matters to her. She shouldn't have to ruin it because of him. From Nicole's perspective, Vanessa only reached out after first getting permission from Joey. Vanessa is no longer thinking for herself. She's not prioritizing what always mattered to her. If this friendship was meaningful, then it would be worth fighting to heal. Martin reminds his mother of that sage advice. She's willing to take steps to improve things. Both Nicole and Vanessa are worried how the other will react. They are at an impasse over Joey. He becomes a central figure in all of their conversations. It's no longer about them. He's been added. They have different opinions. Nicole can no longer stand hearing about how sweet and charming Vanessa finds Joey. He has become the only thing of value in her life. He knows how to take care of her. She appreciates that. When she vents about Lynette ghosting her, he suggests leaving for a vacation. Even when she brings up the trauma of the last time they left town, he finds a way to convince her this is a good idea. She understands all of it to show how thoughtful he is. Others see the manipulation. As such, things remain tense between Nicole and Vanessa.
Randy suggests Hayley's problems with Lynette have been handled for good. He did more than simply steal her phone. The show is a bit too vague about what happened. Joey even wants to know none of it will blow back on him. Randy assures him it won't. However, Randy hasn't been reliable in eliminating past threats. Lynette was positioned in a way that compromised his ability to think clearly. Hayley just wants to celebrate the win. She doesn't need details. Previously, she was in agony over someone she knew from childhood blackmailing her. Bill could see that. She can't even come up with a convincing lie to sneak away. She's relieved. It's an awkward potential ending. The threat from Lynette can't be over so casually. Too many people are investigating for it to go down like this. Plus, the past can always come back at any moment. Bill talks with Martin about the need to preserve the secrecy of their own coverup. He doesn't want a senatorial campaign to threaten what happened on that country road. That's a bit random. Meanwhile, the true threat is issued against Jacob. He's punished for trying to change how business gets done for the smuggling operation. Ren beats him up while Naomi's on her way to the motel.
Grade: B-
Episode 2.072
Vernon's health better not be at risk now that Anita nears the end of chemo. The Duprees have already endured so much during the uncertainty of her health. Vernon makes an appointment with Madison. He's noticed his mind isn't as sharp as it once was. She's willing to perform tests to rule out anything more serious. She theorizes it could be caretaker's fatigue. He no longer follows an exercise routine or a consistent sleep schedule. He didn't want to upset his wife by eating the meals she once enjoyed. Vernon has been so considerate. He knows how to pull off an elaborate surprise. His charm has helped Anita get through this battle. They're now at the point where they can start imagining a happier future. This latest development is concerning. He doesn't want anyone to know either. He wants to maintain his privacy just like Anita did at the start of her diagnosis. She knows what to expect with chemo now. She doesn't need Vernon by her side all the time. He maintains that presence. Their lives aren't the only ones in potential danger. Jacob arranged for Naomi to meet him at the motel before Ren beat him up. He tried acting as if he wasn't in pain. This only sets Naomi's anxiety off further. She can't comfort him either. He has to keep working. Neither of them can fully relax until the job is done. That could still take awhile.
Kat wasn't nearly as gracious when she let Eva stay at her birthday celebration as it originally seemed. She only saw her loved ones judging her if she demanded Eva leave. Instead, she was fine with another person celebrating her. She has decided to pursue a new tactic with Eva. She believes if she's nice that will force Eva to be as well. They don't like each other. Kat has gotten the most flack for that. But now, Kat knows it pains Eva more to pretend to be nice. She's insecure upon seeing Izaiah with Kat. It's harmless from Kat's perspective. She provokes without having to be mean-spirited. That's enough to get under Eva's skin. Kat delights in that. Nothing has truly changed in their relationship. Meanwhile, Nicole and Vanessa reach an understanding that their friendship is too important to throw away. They suddenly drop all of their concerns. Instead, Nicole wants Vanessa to promise she will reach out if she's ever in a dangerous situation. Vanessa refuses to believe that will ever happen. Joey has warned her about the threats against him previously. So, it's within the realm of possibility. She has to accept that. Similarly, the sense of familiarity between Dani and Bill allows them to slip back into old habits. To them, it's casual without meaning anything. To others, it's concerning. She shouldn't be sacrificing herself for anyone. She deserves the spotlight on her own.
Grade: B-
