The Agency – Boardroom
Tess plays photographer for Danny’s impromptu photo shoot. Tony drops in and tells Tess that there’s a problem, revealing that AE’s security guys showed up to take over watching Steffi. She points out that she’s left him multiple messages and he hasn’t returned her calls and he’s surprised that she’s signed off on this. He seems genuinely hurt by this and asks what’s going on. She tells him that his “services as Steffi’s bodyguard are no longer required” and goes back to taking pictures of Danny.
Hawkins Apartment
Frankie is surprised to learn that Lorraine is Bree’s mother. Lorraine invites him in and Bree is restrained in her greeting, casting a furtive glance at a bottle on the table.
Rodeo Bar/Donovan House – Living Room
Alex introduces Jocelyn to Buck, about whom Jocelyn says she’s heard a lot. He wonders who was talking to her about him, but she’s coy, and Alex reveals that Jocelyn is a lawyer.
Buck gets a call from Stacey, who invites him to come over. As they’re talking, she suddenly hangs up, seeing something strange through her window. It’s a giant picture of her face, slowly passing by.
Rodeo Bar
Jocelyn comes over to the bar to join Alex and asks why Buck ran out in such a hurry. She lets slip that she knows Stacey and wonders if it had anything to do with her. They bicker/banter a little and he reveals that he got Danny fired from Galaxy Gym and she surprises him by saying that she’s glad because she wants him to stay away from Ally.
They argue over Danny, whom Alex believes is harassing Ally. She returns that Alex is harassing Danny, which is some bullshit given that what Alex did basically amounts to him enforcing the retraining order that’s supposed to keep Danny away from Ally and the places where she can reasonably be expected to be. He wonders if she cares about what’s going on with Ally and she expresses some sympathy for what Ally’s going through. “You sure got this tough guy act down, don’t you,” he remarks. She tells him “it is not an act.”
Hawkins Apartment
Bree tries to rush Frankie out and claims that Lorraine just stopped by for “a visit,” but Lorraine refuses to go along with the lie and then has Frankie sit down to have a chat. “It’s not often I get to visit with Bree’s friends; I think she’s ashamed of me.” Bree denies it and Lorraine says she’s just kidding in a way that indicates that she’s not joking at all.
Bree becomes upset and storms out of the room. Frankie goes after her.
The Agency – Boardroom
Tony wants Tess to stop what she’s doing so that they can talk. Tess sends Danny away and Tony demands an explanation. She claims “it’s nothing personal,” but he thinks it’s very personal and reminds her that she’s always said he’s like a brother to her. She clings to the claim that it’s a business decision and he offers to work for less, but she tells him that the Aldens taking over is what’s best and claims that they’re doing it out of guilt for Cooper dumping Steffi.
“I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about this weirdo for much longer,” Tess offers. Tony tells her that Clay said the same thing. She tells him that she doesn’t want to fight with him and gives him a severance check, encouraging him to take it and go back to New York.
Donovan House – Living Room
Curtis walks in with a blown up picture of Stacey, who tells him that he “scared her to death” and that he needs to back off. She goes on that he’s being inappropriate and he brings up the letters that she sent him, believing that they expressed a desire for them to be together. “I never meant to imply that I have those kind of feelings,” she says uneasily. He tells her that he’s in love with her, but she doesn’t want to hear that and firmly tells him that she doesn’t return the feeling.
He tells her that he wants to hold her as she protests and threatens to tell the family about this and have him sent back to Dunellen. Buck shows up, grabs Curtis, and punches him, which is probably the one occasion when his aggression is 100% warranted.
Donovan House – Living Room/Front Step
Stacey tries to stop Buck from beating up on Curtis any further, saying that he didn’t hurt her. Stacey asks Curtis to leave, saying that she’s in love with Buck. When Curtis expresses disbelief that he was only imagining things and asks if they can talk about it, Buck grabs him and physically removes him from the house.
“This is not over,” Curtis declares. “Not by a long shot.”
Hawkins Apartment – Laundry Room
Frankie finds Bree hiding in the laundry room and he asks what’s wrong. She admits to him that she’s been lying about coming from money and he offers that her mother seems nice. “My mother is a chambermaid at the Corinth Tower hotel,” she says. He doesn’t see what the big deal is and she goes on that she doesn’t even know her father because he took off when her mother became pregnant.
“Your mom is a doctor, your father is a policeman, your stepfather is the new Chief of Police,” she says. “My daddy, he doesn’t exist, and my mother, when she isn’t working, she is drinking herself to death.” Frankie is taken aback and she tells him that he should go.
Rodeo Bar
Jocelyn asks after Ava, whom Alex says is in Florida on business. “Wouldn’t let her stay away for long,” she says, “Whoever said ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ never slept alone.” He asks if she’s ever been married and she reveals that she’s divorced.
The Agency – Boardroom
Tony tells Tess that regardless of whether she’s paying him, he’s going to stick around to make sure Steffi is okay. She wonders if he’s developed feelings for Steffi and he gets defensive about that. She wants to know what’s going on and reminds him of how much he used to fuss over his sisters whenever they were sick – or pregnant. “That’s it, isn’t it? That’s it. She’s pregnant.”
The Agency – Boardroom/Reception
Tess is unhappy about this news, lamenting how much money and effort she’s put into getting Steffi’s career off the ground. “This is how she repays me – by going and getting knocked up?” Tony wonders about the extent of the things Tess has done for Steffi, but now Tess is the one who doesn’t want to elaborate. She tells him, again, to go back to New York. “If you’re smart, you will just forget about this,” she tells him, but he refuses to do that.
As he walks into reception, he looks at the check Tess has given him and notices something: a capitalized letter in his name that shouldn’t be capitalized, just like the messages in Steffi’s fortune cookies contained capitalized letters that shouldn’t have been. “Maybe you’re too smart for your own good, Tess,” Tony remarks to himself.
Rodeo Bar
Alex challenges Jocelyn on her tough girl act, suggesting that she’s a softer than she’d like people to think. Their conversation comes to an abrupt end when Danny shows up and Alex makes his exit.
Danny tells Jocelyn about losing his job and she tells him to get another job. He claims that he’s found one and she hopes that it keeps him away from Ally. “I’m not going near that crazy chick,” he claims. “But I can’t stop her from coming after me.”
Hawkins Apartment – Laundry Room
Frankie tells Bree that he’s not judging her. “I am judging me,” she says. He tells her that he loves her and tells her that she doesn’t need to hide from him. “I’m not just going to let you run away from me,” he says.
Donovan House – Living Room
Buck wants to forget about Curtis and just wants to enjoy some time alone with Stacey. They start kissing and Curtis appears at the window like a creeper, watching them.
Episode Cast:
- Frankie Hubbard – Alimi Ballard
- Buck Huston – Philip Brown
- Bree Hawkins – Meta Golding
- Tess Wilder – Catherine Hickland
- Danny Roberts – T.W. King
- Alex Masters – Randolph Mantooth
- Curtis Alden – Christopher Marcantel
- Tony Soleito – George Palermo
- Stacey Donovan Forbes – Lauren-Marie Taylor
- Jocelyn Brown – Lisa LoCicero
- Lorraine Hawkins – Maggie Rush
Loving (1983-1995) 