Last week, we saw as Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Robert (Thomas Haden Church) attempted couples counseling and went about their own ways trying to keep the kids unaware. Frances revealed details of her affair with Julien (Jemaine Clement), and Robert admitted to an emotional affair with an old college friend. The two realize the marriage has no hope left, and decide to call it quits.
This episode opens with Robert living in one of his model homes during reconstruction. The couple has yet to inform their children of their impending split, much to the dismay of their mediation counselor. Frances and Robert are each spinning their own wheels dealing with the break-up Frances ends up unloading on a coworker. Meanwhile Robert does not have anyone to talk to about the divorce. Which could be why he begins harassing Julien. Not the most adult way to go about things, but damn funny for the viewers.
The homework from their mediation counselor was two fold: tell the kids and get your separate financials organized. Frances and Robert spend most of the episode attempting to tell the kids and having all sorts of misfires. Eventually, the whole family is able to sit down and have the horrible conversation. Unsurprisingly, the kids already knew. As I’ve said before, kids are pretty intuitive and I imagine that the sleeping in separate rooms and dad not sleeping at home at all would raise some huge red flags for Tom (Charlie Kilgore) and Lila (Sterling Jerins). Tom admits that he figured it out and told Lila, and the kids seem pretty relieved for the truth to be out in the open. Probably as relieved as the parents.
The financials aspect proves more difficult for Robert; as it turns out he doesn’t have much money. With so many investment properties and the work going into them and the products needed, he’s basically hemorrhaging money. Which doesn’t stop him from coming up with a new idea for a children’s play place business. His friend Nick (Tracy Letts) is still convalescing and not keen on giving up the money. Robert’s real estate agent is talking it over with Robert and puts the idea into Robert’s head that he needs to not handle the divorce nicely. The last we see, Frances and Robert were supposed to be meeting with their mediator. But Robert is not there and has chosen to employ a lawyer to make things a little more painful. On one hand, I expected Robert to take this avenue from the beginning in being angry with Frances and wanting to cause as much damage to her as possible. But given the focus on the kids and making it as decent a split as possible, I hoped he would leave his anger behind him. Sadly like many people, money brings out the bad side. This episode showed that Frances and Robert were at least amicable in dealing with the split. I sense that will be at an end now and foresee some viciousness coming back out starting next week.
Frances appears to have hired a shark, and after the lack of heads up from Robert, I don’t blame her. While Robert might have hoped for some more finances coming his way, it seems like it will be a fight for that now. Getting more of a look into the intricacies of their marriage will be fascinating. Particularly Frances and her emasculating methods. I smell blood in the water as these divorce proceedings continue
