UnREAL 2.06

Casualty

Rachel does her best to cover up what happened (with Jeremy) and move on. At first she wants to report it to the police but Chet talks her out of doing that.

Darius has to pick one of the contestants to go home with for an extended date. He's planning to pick Chantal but Rachel talks him into going home with the controversial candidate, Beth Ann. She is hoping for fireworks or an explosion of some sort when they get to Beth Ann's home in Alabama. At first it doesn't look like things aren't going to go Rachel's way but then Beth Ann tells her a secret: she's pregnant. Rachel talks Beth Ann into coming clean with her parents and Darius.

Beth Ann isn't sure which way to turn but decides to trust Rachel. Just as Beth Ann starts to confess, the guy who got her pregnant shows up. He proposes to Beth Ann, her father pulls a shotgun, for a second there it looked like he might get shot.  Beth Ann's ex eventually backs off but by then the damage was already done and it was all captured on camera. Rachel is ecstatic, Coleman not so much.

Rachel didn't tell Coleman about what Jeremy did. He doesn't know anything about what happened between Rachel and Jeremy until Quinn calls and tells him. She has her own ulterior motives for spilling the beans. It is a little murky what those motives are. There is some indication that she is concerned for Rachel's well being. She confronted Jeremy, grabbed him by the balls (literally), and threatened him verbally. She also seems to be concerned that she is losing control of the show.

Coleman tries to use what influence he has with Rachel to try and get her to listen to him but she doesn't. She is focused on turning the show into a train wreck and ratings darling. Quinn and Chet back her up on this once Rachel and Coleman get back from Alabama.

While most of the show's focus is on the happenings in Alabama, Jay and Madison organize a segment for the latest episode of Everlasting that revolves around the four other contestants. As a group they sit down on camera with Dr. Wagerstein. They are there to discuss why they think that Darius didn't pick them but it quickly gets vicious and becomes even more so after Madison tells Chantal to ask Tiffany about Romeo, Darius cousin and former manager. Tiffany was caught giving Romeo a blowjob a few episodes back.

In the elimination ceremony, Beth Ann is let go. Darius promises to provide financial aide for her child, even though he clearly isn't the father. There was a little bit of drama but it wasn't quite as explosive as in some of the earlier episodes.

Finally, Dr. Wagerstein warns Quinn about brushing off John Booth. It wasn't clear that she did. Still, she gives him a call and suggests that they have dinner. He agrees and she seems much happier once she gets off the phone. While this is happening, Coleman is going down on Rachel in his office. Everything seems to be looking up for the two of them.

In the very last scene, a car pulls up to the set. A man gets out and starts walking up to the set. It is Adam, the suitor from the previous season of Everlasting. He was in 2.01 (War) very briefly and hasn't been seen since. Is this Quinn's doing? Is she the one who got him to come back. Adam and Rachel had a fling in the previous season. His appearance certainly could complicate things between Rachel and Coleman.

Throughout this episode Rachel seems very much on edge. She does not seem emotionally stable. She has been manipulative in the past, especially when she wants the suitor or the contestants to do something they don't want to do. The difference here is that it doesn't seem like an act.

One thing that I really liked about this episode is how they addressed the issue of racial politics. Here was a black man going to visit the family of a white woman, in rural Alabama. Her family is very accepting and happy to have him there. Rachel becomes the wet blanket. She wanted conflict, presumably conflict over race, the fact that Darius. an African American man, is courting a white woman. When she can't get that she pushes another button to try and create tension and hopefully a fight. The issue of race is present but the episode did not become a public service announcement about racial harmony, even though that is kind of happening in the background.

Overall a pretty good episode. I'm interested to see how things play out.