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Lets start with Amy.
But even in her little cocoon of well-moneyed relaxation, she cant seem to fully unwind.
George appears to have no problem reclining on the deck he was made for this kind of life.
Amy cant sit still, waking up from a nap only to see her new nanny folding clothes.
She offers to help, which confuses her nanny.
Later, she and George give a shot to have sex.
Its a far cry from the rough, hot session with Paul.
Between Amy and George, sex is rote, instructional, and ultimately a flop.
George cant keep it up and Amy cant help but comment on his soggy straw.
Amy asks George whats preoccupying him, and he confesses his emotional entanglement with Mia.
I imagine shed be super-blunt, short, and to the point.
Another point of their further divergence: Amy doesnt take the opportunity to level with him about her infidelities.
At therapy, Amy talks to Dr. Lin about how shes handling the confession of Georges infidelity.
Instead, she talks about unconditional love.
Im intrigued by the phrase unconditional love and how it layers into Amys anger, depression, and anxiety.
Its not just that she needs an outlet for her rage.
Its also that shes searching for a love so big nothing she does could dispel it.
Dont stifle yourself for this mans flimsy love!!
The next day, Amy hosts a party for George to show off his new pieces.
Also displayed at the party is Jordan Forster with hernew wife, Naomi.
Anyway, Amy plays the role of the dutiful, supportive wife until who should show up but Zane/Danny.
It turns out that George, wracked with guilt about his affair with Mia, asked Danny to lunch.
While there, George made the connection that Danny and Amy are similar.
Amy, of course, is horrified.
She thought she was rid of Danny and all the tumult he signified in her life.
And at first it seems like shell get rid of him quickly.
He calls out Kayla, and Amy spins around, shocked.
Thats all the confirmation Danny needs.
They get intoanotherconfrontation each warning the other to stay away before Danny drives off.
Danny, too, starts the episode on top.
I reiterate that I would like more musical performances from Yeun, yo.
His performance of the good-guy-rock-star-church-musician is so spot on.
They gloss over his details, harried and impatient to get off the phone.
I guess you cant get everything at once, Danny parental approval cant be bought.
Paul notices something strange; theyre taking in much more cash than they actually earn.
Of course, this cash is Isaacs stolen rice-cooker cash, but Danny doesnt want to tell Paul that.
So instead he gaslights Paul and asks him ifheis the one not telling the full truth.
Danny reveals that he knows Kayla is Amy.
As Pauls face falls, Danny convinces him that Amys only been seeing him to get back at Danny.
Now hes just someones kid brother, to be taken advantage of and made a fool.
Danny flips into magnanimity.
Hell support Paul no matter what, but Paul has to be honest with him.
Paul nods, the suspicious money forgotten.
Paul, too, is getting his own kind of catharsis.
That beautiful new house that symbolized so much hope and success?
Its on fire, burning to the ground.
As the sex continues, Amy looks at herself in the mirror.
Flashing back further, we see teen Amy skipping school.
Its her father, whos supposed to be at work.
But the woman, who looked normal if nondescript earlier, turns in Amys memory to make eye contact.
Suddenly her face is transformed, yet again, into that witchs face.
There we find the remains of a complicated, painful relationship.
Amy paid her parents mortgage but is essentially estranged from them.
She doesnt let June see them, and they, especially her father, are unhappy.
Amy is herself around her parents, but they didnt, couldnt, love her for who she is.
She knows all of that and doesnt need Amy to dredge it back up.
In the picture book, the character is the fearsome substitute teacher Miss Viola Swamp.
When George and June come home to Amy the next day, Amy has an opportunity to lie.
Fumi told George that Amys affair with Paul was purely over the internet and nothing serious or physical.
Instead, she tells George the truth.
Not just about the extent of her affair with Paul, but everything.
The road rage with Danny, how Danny is Zane, all the events of the last year.
I physically said, Oh, no, Amy, when I heard her say this.
Alas, thats not the case with George.
He wants a divorce.
But I want to be clear that this typicalness in no part detracts from deepening his character.
Central to Dannys flashbacks is his abiding, many-faceted adoration for his little brother, Paul.
When Paul is born, Danny is no longer the lonely kid being picked on.
He has a sidekick, an underling, someone to call his own.
This manifests in both cute and problematic behaviors.
As a child, Danny doesnt want Paul to leave his side.
Danny is doing everything he can to the point of truncating his brothers future options to keep them together.
Outside of flashbacks, Danny receives a call from the investigators about the house fire.
It wasnt arson, but a fire started by faulty electrical wiring.
The investigator says Danny should be happy!
Now the construction company is on the hook for his insurance!
Except Danny built that house himself.
The faulty wiring is his.
When Paul walks in, its parallel to George talking with Amy about their marriage.
Danny could come clean and tell Paul about the wiring or keep up the lie.
Danny, unlike Amy, opts not to tell the truth.
He tells Paul that the house burned down because of arson and that Amy did it.
A struggle ensues, and George gets knocked out.
Not only has Danny assaulted George, but now hes accidentally kidnapped Amys daughter.
The healthy approach to that kind of thing would be to celebrate it and appreciate how different we are.
At the time, I was an angsty 14-year-old and felt totally betrayed.
