Bill is rushed to the hospital. Nicole worries her daughter's latest decision was made for all the wrong reasons. Chelsea, Naomi and Madison present a united front. Doug's final words startle Joey. Jacob accompanies Naomi to her oncology appointment with Monica. Smitty and Martin recall this time last year when their marriage hit the skids. Vanessa, Joey and Deanna have a tense dinner. Pamela bolsters a guilt-ridden Dani. Leslie interrupts father-daughter time between Ted and Eva. Dani and Hayley lock horns.
Episode 2.123
Madison was concerned about Bill's bloodwork at the start of the year. She never followed up. She was busy with her research, getting engaged, and being sued. She brings it up again now that Bill is back in the hospital. He didn't suffer a stroke. Madison can't offer any definite answers though. The audience knows what's going on. These are symptoms of Hayley's poison. The show can only feature so many shots of Hayley's devious smile as everyone else is baffled. It's exhausting. This latest development suggests action that will eventually resolve this storyline. It's not happening quickly. Chelsea feels compelled to rush to the hospital. Dani doesn't. It's all about proving to herself that she isn't obsessed with her ex-husband. In doing so, she is making it blatantly obvious. She isn't connecting with Andre. She's looking for a fight. She's projecting her issues onto him. She's acting as if he is the problem. Dani is the one making this mess. It all started in the elevator during the tornado. She slept with Bill. She carries that secret. It's destroying her from the inside out. Andre wants a sensible conversation about proactive steps Dani could take to avoid cancer. Dani only sees it as an attack on her sex appeal and loss of bodily autonomy. She reduces her marriage to what it was initially. They've grown so much. Now, all of that slips away because of Dani's immaturity.
Nicole checks on Kat. Everyone assumes there is a deeper motivation behind her decision to buy a condo. She believes she must do something for Tomas after rejecting his proposal. She saw this as a grand gesture that would compromise what they want from their relationship. Nicole affirms that "no" should have been enough to deal with the proposal. It doesn't mean she has to extend herself elsewhere. She can understand Tomas' feelings without needing to change herself to appease him. It also shouldn't be a big deal that he wants to financially contribute to living together. It matters to him. It doesn't for Kat. It shouldn't be the source of conflict. They still make this so much more difficult than it should be. Nicole reminds the audience that this is Kat's first relationship. That's important context. Kat wants to make this work despite the obvious problems. She's firm with Chelsea about not wanting to be a voice for organ donation. Chelsea is always looking for marketable ideas. Kat isn't resting after surgery. Her recovery has been defined by impulsive decisions. She isn't taking it easy. She doesn't want that luxury. Nicole forces her to slow down and explain her actions. Meanwhile, Chelsea doesn't have time to approach Eva about featuring her story on social media. Kat gives her blessing. That shows how everyone has been forced to accept Eva as part of this world with as little animosity as possible.
Grade: B-
Episode 2.124
To Nicole and Andre, Dani is living in denial. She's not taking her health seriously. She still genuinely cares about Bill. Ted convinces Andre not to worry too much about the future. Dani's genetic test doesn't change anything about her current health. If that starts to change, then it would be time to worry. Right now, Andre and Dani aren't connecting. Andre believe it's about her health. Dani's secret will implode sooner than later. She tries her best not to rush to the hospital to see Bill. That's precisely where she ends up. She forces an honest conversation from him. He finally admits that he is scared. The doctors don't know what's going on. The test results haven't come back yet. He stresses out over having to stay the night. He doesn't trust his employees to run the firm in his absence. That results in Naomi stepping in to manage things. Bill trusts family. Meanwhile, Hayley convinces Tomas that this is the time for him to step up and prove his worth. She needs him to remain distracted. She can only focus on so many prying eyes into her scheme. Her performance is less convincing. Shanice doesn't believe a word she has to say. It's all fake. Naomi needs her stepmother to convince Bill to stay. She succeeds but it's not in a tactful way that respects the family. She does the bare minimum to show she's invested.
Ted and Shanice separately confide that they want to deepen their relationship. Ted is ready to confess his love. He's uncertain only because of his track record of hurting the woman he has made that declaration to before. He blames himself for Leslie's behavior. Nicole was betrayed too. She's handling it much better. She's able to laugh with Shanice about cheating exes. It's not awkward for her whatsoever. In fact, she checks on Shanice to ensure she's actually okay. It's cute when the scene focuses on Ashley trying to summarize the complicated relationship dynamics that have defined the show to date. That's for any potential newcomers to the show (potentially checking in following the 15 Daytime Emmy Award nominations for its debut season). The more intriguing moment arrives when Nicole extends herself to others. She's not one to correct their feelings or call out the obvious delusions. She knows when to push and when to pull back. Dani isn't ready to hear that she still cares about Bill. She goes out of her way to check on him. She claimed she wouldn't. Nicole sees her sister behaving differently. Dani doesn't stay long enough to analyze what that means. And so, the complicated feelings are allowed to continue.
Grade: B-
Episode 2.125
Vanessa discovers a mystery box left behind by Doug. She wants to open it alongside Joey. And then, Deanna calls and she completely forgets about it. That allows Joey to destroy the incriminating evidence against him. In a letter, Doug expresses that no matter what the evidence suggests his death was caused by Joey. This unnerves Joey. He sends Randy to make sure nothing else will expose what he did. It's not even a clever display of him manipulating Vanessa to get what he wants. What matters to her changes from moment to moment. She establishes this plot. She leaves because she's overjoyed to spend time with her daughter. Deanna is scheming as well. Joey knows that. Vanessa wants to believe everything is finally okay. She's getting everything she has wanted. Deanna doesn't even do a convincing job that she is willing to get to know Joey because he matters to Vanessa. She's setting a trap. She's sad to learn Donnell is busy and can't make the dinner. It goes ahead nevertheless. She was told she needed to be smart and strategic. She's won over her mother. Exposing Joey will be much more difficult. He's been hiding secrets for much longer than Deanna knows. She has a plan. It's hard to imagine it working out given she continues to see hallucinations of her father. That doesn't suggest her mind is in the right space to pull off this elaborate reveal.
Hayley was told the poison wouldn't be detected on any tests. Randy revises that statement to indicate it could be find if a doctor was motivated enough. Madison fits that criteria. She advises Bill not to leave the hospital. He does so anyway. Chelsea believes she has to reach out to Hayley to convince Bill to take it easy. He should avoid stress. He shouldn't be physically active. Hayley's compromise seems like it could trigger a heart attack or another stroke. That's precisely what she wants. However, Randy also talks about needing to pay off a lab tech to alter the results of Bill's bloodwork. He's worried. As such, this plan shouldn't be seen as perfect. It's been too drawn out already to believe it will actually work. The more interesting material comes from Hayley being exposed. That desperation is potentially exciting. The show refuses to get to that point. It remains full of talk but very little action. The show doesn't have the time to be tentative. It has that luxury elsewhere though. Naomi doesn't need to decide what medical steps she should take next. She's been too focused on breast cancer given what Anita has faced. That's not the only health risk she should focus on. The extreme steps may not be necessary right now either given that she is healthy. Monica can't recommend one course of treatment over another. It's a personal decision Naomi and Jacob will have to discuss further.
Grade: B-
Episode 2.126
Naomi informs Chelsea, Kat and Martin about testing positive for the BRCA gene. She's leaning towards a double mastectomy. That's as much planning as she wants to focus on right now. She handles the topic in a matter-of-fact manner. She wants to get it out there and move on quickly. Martin allows that because he has a meeting with Andre. Chelsea's stunned. She can't believe her sister hid this from her. Naomi wanted time to process it on her own. Now that she has a handle on it, she's inviting the family in. The stress in their lives has lessened. This is still serious news. Dani believes it's the universe punishing her for sleeping with Bill. She blames herself. Yes, the risk was passed down through genetics. Anita and Dani feel guilty for passing this burden on to the next generation. It's not a guaranteed death sentence. That's how Dani has approached it about her health. She worries more about others than herself. She can't understand why she continues to be drawn to Bill. Pamela has been such an inconsistent part of the show. However, she serves as a grounding presence when Dani confesses her secret. She knows she's miserable because of it. It's ruining her marriage with Andre. Pamela contextualizes it for her. This was always inevitable given the numerous close calls. She could see that as an objective observer to the situation. Dani must face the consequences even though she and Andre are so openly declaring their love for one another.
Bill isn't taking his health seriously at all. He checked out of the hospital and immediately returned to work. He didn't even trust his employees to manage the business for a day. He needed Naomi in there. Tomas took that as a slight against him. He constantly feels that he has to prove himself. He has to provide a reason for Bill to keep him. He must continually be showing his worth. Bill has already rewarded him for stepping up. Tomas is a partner. That's a major achievement. Tomas believes he must always be willing to do more. That's the only way to ensure job security. He can't prioritize his life because he must remain in good standing with Bill. That pressure isn't coming from Bill. He asks a lot of his employees. He's not trying to push Tomas out. He has defended him on numerous occasions. Hayley saw Tomas as a problem and failed to convince Bill to fire him. She's still getting questions about Lynette. Naomi and Chelsea question why she isn't keeping a close eye on Bill. They don't respect her. Nor do they trust her with Bill's health. That's based on the actions they see. They don't even know the sinister truth yet. That's been true for awhile though.
Grade: B-
Episode 2.127
Leslie hasn't changed. Despite Ted's constant rejections, she continues to insert herself into his life. She believes he's in the wrong for not tolerating her sexual harassment. Their bickering prevents Eva from healing. Then, Leslie once again approaches Hayley about becoming friends. The conversation ends the same way it always does. Leslie just can't take no for an answer. She always pushes for more. She still has nothing to show for it. This is an incredibly disappointing turn of events. It throws out everything Leslie proclaimed while Eva was in the hospital. Her actions were meant to showcase change. This episode confirms that nothing ultimately has. She's getting into the same sad situations. That's boring. Nothing good comes from that. Hayley has a much more engaging sparring partner in Dani. Their words actually sting. It's enough to frighten Bill that Dani will carelessly expose what happened in the elevator. He acts as if his marriage could implode for the first time. Dani's slip-up would suggest she actually still cares about him. It doesn't matter that Pamela extended grace and context. Dani and Bill are destined to forever aggravate each other. Even though that's a familiar dynamic, it works better because the foundation and nuance of the characters is more solid.
Chelsea has internalized that breast cancer looms over the family. She worries for her mother and sister. That's in addition to the medical mystery happening with her father. She needs everyone to take their health seriously. She can't condone Dani embracing the power of positive thinking. Madison doesn't see a problem. It's not like Dani is ignoring her doctor's orders. Dani and Naomi are healthy. They have options for how to live their lives. Chelsea rattles off the statistics of the BRCA gene more easily than they can. She knows the risks. The future paralyzes her. She needs Madison to ground her. That's reassuring. Meanwhile, Kat's argument with Bill sends her straight to Eva. Despite her insistence otherwise, her dynamic with her half-sister has changed. Bill only sees the Duprees holding onto grudges. It's not fair that the family continues to reject Hayley. She has done nothing deserving of their respect though. Kat's decisions can't be compared to Bill's. Her actions prove that she has forgiven Eva. She shares her appreciation and gratitude. They aren't making each other's lives worse. Eva wants Kat and Tomas to work as a couple. Kat has shown more growth than any other character. At times, it has been in contrast to who she fundamentally was. The show made those decisions to explore new dynamics. That was a choice made and stuck to. If only that could happen elsewhere as well.
Grade: C+
