Hotel Room (New York)
Paul and Ava return after doing some sight seeing and Carly reports that Michael is still sleeping. Paul thinks they should head back to Corinth first thing in the morning and asks if Carly has checked the train schedule, but Carly reveals that she and Michael have decided that, given how often he’s going to need to see the specialist, they aren’t going to go back to Corinth at all. “Michael and I are going to stay here. Permanently.”
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Gwyneth walks in and decides to ignore Dinah Lee, instead asking Maggie if Clay is around. Told that he’s in the alley, Gwyneth starts to head there, but Dinah Lee gets in her way in order to confront her about the Valentine Day’s nonsense. Gwyneth has no time for that, walking around her and telling Clay, who has just walked into the bar, that they need to talk. Thinking that this is about the usual, Clay starts to argue with her, but Gwyneth cuts him off. “[Dinah Lee] and Trucker are the reasons that our daughter and grandchild are gone.”
Trucker’s Shop
Stacey walks in as Trucker is filling a detective in on what he knows so far and pushing him to track Trisha down. Told that there’s been no crime for the police to investigate and that they aren’t going to get involved, Trucker gets frustrated and demands that the police help him find his wife and son.
Hotel Room (New York)
Paul gets angry because, once again, Carly has made a decision about Michael without discussing it with him, but Carly isn’t the least bit sorry and tells him that the decision has been made. “What about me, Carly? Aren’t I his father? Don’t I figure into this?” She simply says that it’s what’s best for Michael, given how hard it will be on Michael to be moving back and forth all the time.
Carly asks if Paul has a better plan than the one that she has come up with and Ava tries to back her sister up, telling Paul that she doesn’t think Carly’s aim is to exclude Paul, but he just ignores her and keeps going after Carly and decides that he is going to have his own one-on-one conversation with Michael.
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Clay is happily surprised to learn that Trisha had the baby, but then learns the rest of the story. “Trisha’s gone, Clayton. No one knows where she is,” Gwyneth says, adding, “She found out that Trucker spent the night here Valentine’s night with Dinah Lee and she didn’t exactly take the news too well.” Clay can’t believe that Trisha hasn’t been in touch with anyone and says, “This doesn’t sound like Trisha at all.”
Counterpoint: This is actually completely in character for Trisha, who has a history of taking flight and making life changing decisions on impulse. She ran off with Steve to Montreal, she ran off with Jeff to Rome and married him on a whim, this time last year she had run off with a baby she took from the hospital. This sort of thing should be entirely expected from her.
Gwyneth reminds Clay about Trisha suffering from PPD after having Ben and worries that she’s experiencing the same thing now. Clay worries about Trisha being on her own and Gwyneth says, “She wouldn’t be alone, Clayton, if Trucker had stayed away from this place.” Dinah Lee tries to explain that it was a misunderstanding and Gwyneth spits that she’s already heard “the equipment room story” from Trucker. “What the hell difference does any of it make? The damage has been done.”
Dinah Lee apologizes and walks off and Clay tells Gwyneth that it isn’t Dinah Lee’s fault. Gwyneth tells him to try to see it from Trisha’s perspective, in which “Her husband was seduced by Dinah Lee.” Of course, that’s not actually what happened because in the actual scene Trucker came to Dinah Lee with the intention of sleeping with her and Dinah Lee tried to talk him out of it before giving in, but I guess the show’s desire to prop Trucker overrides its habit of propping Dinah Lee.
Gwyneth wonders if Clay really believes that nothing happened in the equipment room and he tells her that he does. “That girl has done nothing but cause trouble ever since she got to Corinth,” Gwyneth states, then accuses Clay of encouraging her to stay. “If it weren’t for you, Trisha and her baby would here, in Corinth, where they belong,” she adds.
Trucker’s Shop
Trucker is told that he needs to just “sit tight,” but he says that he can’t do that. The detective asks if Trucker knows why Trisha isn’t in touch with him. “I don’t know,” Trucker lies, then says, “Who cares why she left? She’s gone…” Asked if this was the result of a “domestic dispute,” Trucker is forced to admit that it was. The detective tells him that there’s nothing they can do and discourages Trucker from hiring a private detective, counselling him to just give it a few days and see if Trisha contacts him.
After the guy leaves, Stacey tells Trucker that she heard about what happened and he can only imagine the version of events that she heard. She admits that her source is biased and Trucker swears that nothing happened between him and Dinah Lee and that it was all an accident that he ended up with her. She believes him and he laments that he told Trisha anything because she was “shaky” already.
Stacey tells him that she can understand where Trisha is coming from and he thinks she’s talking about Trisha’s past experience with PPD, but Stacey clarifies that that’s not what she means. “I’m talking about the mere mention of you and Dinah Lee in the same breath. It would be enough to drive me out of my mind and it did when she was making her moves on Jack.” Trucker starts beating himself up about the fact that he wasn’t with Trisha in DC. “I can’t stand that she’s thinking that I betrayed her.” He worries about what will happen if Trisha or the baby gets sick and Stacey offers the cold comfort of the assumption that Giff is still with Trisha.
As Trucker is telling Stacey that he can’t lose his family, in walks Dinah Lee. Stacey gives her an incredulous look and then tries to send her out of the shop, but Trucker says it’s okay. “Don’t do this,” Stacey tells him, but he says that he needs to speak to Dinah Lee and asks for some privacy. Stacey glares at him and then glares at Dinah Lee as she walks past her and out the door.
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Clay tells Gwyneth that the problem is Trucker and the affair that he had. “Trisha had gotten over that, Clayton, and then you came back.” Clay tells her that he can’t be blamed for the affair, but Gwyneth clarifies that he’s to blame for keeping Dinah Lee in Corinth. He thinks that Trisha understood what he was doing, but Gwyneth disagrees.
She wonders what they’re supposed to do and he thinks they should call the police. They discuss Trucker’s involvement in the search and Clay can’t believe that Trucker thinks they would let him participate. He’s certain that Trisha will come to her senses and come home on her own and he and Gwyneth bond a little over their worry about Trisha and the fact that they have a new grandson.
Hotel Hallway (New York)
Ava walks Carly to the elevator and wonders if she doesn’t think her decision to stay in New York was a little sudden. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it,” Ava adds. Carly reiterates that she thinks staying in New York with Michael is the right thing, but Ava doesn’t think Paul will go for it. “Michael will convince him,” Carly states.
Hotel Room (New York)
Paul talks to Michael, who tells him that he’s always wanted to live in New York. Paul asks if he’s sure it’s what he wants, pointing out that they wouldn’t get to see each other every day, and Michael tells him that he knows that Paul can’t stay because of his relationship with Ava. “Don’t worry, Dad, things will be okay.”
Hotel Room (New York)
Paul congratulates Carly on having successfully “brainwashed” Michael into saying what she wanted him to say. Carly argues that her decision is what’s best for Michael and pleads with him to accept it. He thinks that she’s cutting him out and wonders what’s changed. She tells him that she’s not trying to take Michael away from him and says that he’s making this all harder than it needs to be. “I honestly don’t know what else I can do,” she says.
Paul declares that if Michael is going to live in New York, then so will he, but Carly tells him that that won’t work. “You’re supposed to be with Ava.” “This has nothing to do with Ava!” He wonders why it matters to her if he comes to New York, too, and she tells him that she can’t be around him. “What have I done to make you hate me so?” he asks. “I don’t hate you! I love you – and I have never stopped loving you,” she confesses.
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Clay admits that he’s feeling helpless. “I’ve tried to help Trisha so many times,” Gwyneth says, “She’s always just told me to back off, ‘I can handle my own problems.’” In fairness, that’s largely because Gwyneth’s ideas for how to help Trisha have been historically, you know, insane.
Gwyneth reminds Clay that they always taught their children to be independent. “When we were a family, you and I were always so busy fighting, she was left on her own, she had to cope all alone.” Clay thinks that at least that means that Trisha has the ability to make it on her own, but Gwyneth reveals that she’s not completely on her own. “She’s turned to someone outside the family.” When Clay asks who, Gwyneth explains that Giff was with Trisha in DC and says that she’s going to make him answer for what’s happened once she sees him.
Trucker’s Shop
Dinah Lee tells Trucker that she’s seen Gwyneth and tried to explain that nothing happened between them and he returns that he doesn’t care what Gwyneth thinks. “All I want is to get my wife and son back.” She wonders if there’s anything she can do and he asks if she has any idea where Giff might have taken them. She’s surprised to learn about Giff’s role in all this. “If I ever see him again…” Trucker starts, then trails off as Giff himself walks in. “What the hell have you done with my wife?” Trucker demands.
Episode Cast:
- Paul Slavinsky – Joseph Breen
- Dinah Lee Mayberry – Jessica Collins
- Giff Bowman – Richard Cox
- Michael – Alexander Kniffin
- Clay Alden – Larkin Malloy
- Ava Rescott – Lisa Peluso
- Carly Rescott – Colleen Quinn
- Stacey Donovan Forbes – Lauren-Marie Taylor
- Gwyneth Alden – Christine Tudor
- Trucker McKenzie – Robert Tyler
- Maggie – Constance Schulman
- Ray – Unknown
Loving (1983-1995) 