SOME SPOILERS AHEAD.
This was a fairly eventful episode.
First, we had Steve getting kidnapped by a couple of goons; his father finally made good on his promise to send him to reform school. Am I the only one that thought those men didn’t look like they came from a school? They even accepted a bribe. How reputable could this institution be?
I felt sorry for Steve when he came home, found his dad upset with him and took a shower practising his apology. We’d never really seen him that scared before on the show and perhaps even a little regretful for punching the choir singer in the throat. I’m not quite sure Steve evolved enough to feel regret, though. It was no surprise when he went downstairs and found the two men from the reform school ready to take him away.
I am so glad that Betty was driving by at that exact moment. I didn’t think Steve would end up going to the reform school, but I was curious to see how he would get out of it. This show does not like having its characters’ plans work on the first try or at all. I wouldn’t call the “cry molestation” plan ingenious by any means, but that being said, it didn’t slow them down as much as I thought it would have. Maybe there weren’t enough people around to cause a scene.
Having Betty save him was such a triumphant moment. Not just because of Steven being saved which meant Prairie still had her five, but because of where Betty and Steve started out in the season. Their student/teacher relationship has improved tremendously. If this had been the beginning of the season, she would have driven by with a look of glee on her face.
Then of course there was Prairie’s dinner with her parents at Olive Garden.
Before we get to that though, Nancy was being overbearingly overprotective of Prairie from the beginning of the episode. I understand that I think that because, as a viewer, I’m seeing things from Prairie’s perspective and I don’t want anything to impede her from achieving her goals. Nancy’s insistence that Abel should have been walking Prairie right to the door when he took her to see her therapist was perfectly reasonable. As far as Nancy can see, her daughter is – and always has been – mentally unstable. Hence why she’s so quick to medicate her.
Also I am 100% certain she’s hiding Prairie’s letter from Abel.
I wholeheartedly agreed with her about making the random girl delete the selfie she took with Prairie. She was totally out of line. Not only did she force her way into their dinner by refusing to leave or accept no for answer when they politely refused her, she did not even wait for an answer from Prairie before taking the photo. She just slid right into the seat next to Prairie in the booth and took it without Prairie’s consent. That was infuriating and I was right there with Nancy in her anger.
She ruined their dinner and Nancy quickly became hysterical. The random girl may have triggered her little freak out, but it barely had anything to do with that. That was a release of everything she was holding back since Prairie came home. She just doesn’t know what to do with Prairie, how to help her or relate to her. The slap was taking things way too far, though. Nancy may need therapy just as much as Prairie does.
Points to Alfonso for abandoning work to help his friend. It likely wasn’t the best thing to do, but it was sweet of him. He was right about them being her parents. They’re the only ones she’s known for the majority of her life. They were by no means perfect and its easy to see why she resents them, but they are, and always have been, trying to do what they thing is best for Prairie.
Random thoughts:
- Nancy seems a little disappointed that she was told not to medicate Prairie.
- Why doesn’t Steve have curtains?
- Dammit Betty just tell the principal you’ve been counselling Steve or something. Don’t let slip about the meetings.
- Why is violence Steve’s reaction to everything?
All episodes of The OA are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
