This episode was the first part of the big two-hour season finale event, so let’s get into it!
Paige has the whole apartment to herself at the start of this week’s episode, but that stillness from the inside is completely shattered when she is bombarded by paparazzi when she leaves the apartment. Of course they are only interested in her romantic relationship with Rainer. To add a bit of awkward to her day, Paige runs into Cassie on campus. She came back from her grandma’s yesterday and stayed the night at Adam’s place. When Paige tries to fill in Cassie on all of the things happening in Jake’s life, Cassie interrupts, saying she already knows because she and Jake have been talking. Apparently, they offered Jake the job and he’s going to take it, so I guess Jake’s just going to be living in Texas now. Then the paparazzi pop up…yet again.
Rainer has other things weighing heavy on his shoulders this week: He has to stop by Nina’s place and feed her cat Mr. Freckles while she’s away. Nina still hasn’t told her son about Alan. As for Jordan, he’s having a premiere for his new movie soon and I’m sure nothing dramatic or chaotic will happen there. When Rainer asks his best friend if he’ll be walking the carpet with Tangey, Jordan says that Tangey is still mad about him not tell her about his not-so-dead mom.
When Paige gets to set, Rainer clues Paige in on the picture TMZ got their hands on of them at the restaurant in Malibu. He tells her to do what people usually do with anyone they don’t like: “Don’t talk to them and eventually they’ll go away.” Then their conversation shifts to Cassie and how Paige still hasn’t worked things out with her or Jake. Rainer remembers those days fondly, not fitting in with the friends he had before he was famous. Paige immediately rejects the idea of her having any fame, and Rainer quickly points out the paparazzi stalking her. Paige tries to twist the whole situation, saying the paparazzi are only interested in Rainer and her relationship with Jake and Cassie is different than everyone else’s.
So Paige tries to fix the situation by calling Cassie and suggesting a Gilmore Girls marathon. I’m VERY shocked they haven’t watched the new episodes yet. The plans are set right before Adam comes to get Paige. Come to find out, Adam knows about Jake’s new job because Adam’s friend got Jake the job after Cassie asked Adam to do it. Paige is visibly irritated by the news, so it doesn’t help when Alexis finds Paige and asks her about Jake’s whereabouts. Paige blames Jake dropping out of school and leaving LA on Alexis.
Jordan finds Tangey grabbing some food on set and does his best to win her over. He even brings up their first red carpet together. She denies his offer to walk the carpet with him because she can’t be with someone she can’t trust. Jordan then has to rehearse a scene with Paige. It’s been so long since those two have had a scene together that it almost felt weird to see them interact. The scene is also a proposal, so that added to the weirdness. After Wyatt calls cut, Alan comes out to congratulate Jordan on his new movie and its premiere.
Paige returns home to find Cassie boxing up Jake’s things to help him get to Austin quicker. Paige expresses her concerns with Jake falling in love with Texas and never coming back, and Cassie refutes them by stating that a great opportunity for Jake is a good thing. Paige thinks Jake’s Texas adventures are him just running from everything that happened with his script, and she thinks it her and Cassie’s job to stand by him like they have in the past. Cassie still holds her ground that it was best for Jake to get away from Los Angeles and Paige.
The next day, Cassie and Adam are grabbing coffee. Adam, like the wonderful guy he is, lets Cassie rant about all of the things Paige does that drive her absolutely insane. He reminds her that she knows she needs to talk to Paige, and when she comes home to maybe do just that, Cassie is ambushed by paparazzi asking her if Paige is dating Rainer. Cassie walks in on a fitting for Jordan’s movie premiere, which will interfere with the Gilmore Girls marathon.
Jordan catches Tangey shopping and tries to get her back on his side by saying, “I thought you of all people would understand this.” When Tangey questions him, he continues, “You talk all the time about having a controlling mother.” He goes on to remind her of all of the illegal things he was doing when he was younger at his mother’s wish.
Wyatt calls Paige and Rainer to set to run through their big sex scene before it films the following day. After Wyatt leaves them to figure out the scene, Rainer gives some advice of thinking about what Noah and August would do. It seemed to be a lot more intimate than just two actors acting. Some fans may see that scene as romantic, but I personally found it a bit awkward. Not because of the acting, Bella and Carter are great. I just can’t help but to think about how awkward that would be to actually do, which is probably why I’m not an actor.
Tangey meets her mother and a man named Ry Coolidge at the studio. He’s an award-winning country songwriter. Ida is doing everything she can to ensure her daughter’s new direction and album are a success. Ida even takes it a step further, suggesting that Ry and Tangey could become a couple since she’s done with Jordan, but Tangey isn’t so sure she’s done with Jordan just yet. Ida then tells her daughter that Jordan killed a man and the rest of his story. Well, the cliff notes version.
Before Paige can head home to try and work things out with Cassie a millionth time, Rainer hammers it home that maybe Cassie and Jake aren’t the best people to have in this new life she’s starting. Paige isn’t willing to give up on her friends. When Paige leaves Rainer to go to his trailer, he finds Tangey waiting him. Obviously in shock over what she’s learned about Jordan, she straight up asks Jordan’s best friend if Jordan has killed anyone. Rainer could have lied, could have made up a story, but he tells the truth instead. Rainer sits her down and tells her the actual truth about the abuse and everything. He says, “Jordan did everything he could. He saved his mother’s life that night.”
Elsewhere, Paige still can’t get a hold of Jake and it’s clear she’s starting to get worried this may be the end of their friendship. She lets out all of her feelings through his voicemail, because that’s the closest contact they’ve had since a text message the previous day. And where did this scene take place? The balcony where Jake and Paige have had so many other important moments.
After Rainer finishes filming a fight scene, he boasts to his sparring partner about his father who was a stuntman. Said sparring partner had thought Rainer’s dad died in Iraq, but that’s just a story Nina came up with to give to the press. This guy knew Steve Channing, Rainer’s supposed father, and he’s pretty sure that Steve is not Rainer’s father. It turns out, Steve was gay and dated Rainer’s sparring partner (Did we ever get his name?) for over 15 years. Lucky for Rainer, he has an excuse to go by his mom’s place and look into his past. He has to feed Mr. Freckles, remember? Rainer pulls out a photo album and comes across something that we don’t actually get to see until later.
Cassie confides in Adam about how difficult it is to talk to Paige. Cassie is worried they’re drifting apart and Adam gives her an example of a time he was going through a similar situation. Adam is friends with Patrick Newton, or was until Patrick ditched him for Saturday Night Live. Adam and Patrick are actually still friends, which gives Cassie the little bit of hope she needed in that minute that everything will be okay.
Nina comes back to her office to learn from her assistant that Rainer wants to see her. He tells her that he knows Steve Channing isn’t his father. He brings up Alan’s growing interest to want to spend with him. Alan surfs and has motion sickness. Alan’s father had a drinking problem, Alan has a drinking problem, and Rainer has a drinking problem. Rainer put it all together and presents that picture from earlier to his mother. Nina confirms her son’s thought by telling him that Alan is his father. This scene, whatever I write about it won’t do it justice. Carter Jenkins and Perrey Reeves were fantastic. If you were to watch one scene from this episode, I suggest this one. Nina says that Alan wouldn’t have made a good father, but that doesn’t fix what’s been done. Rainer breaks his mother’s heart by saying, “Because you mean nothing to me now,” before exiting her office. Guess who was standing outside the door to catch every word? That’s right, the sneaky assistant Eva.
Cassie turns down Paige’s offer to go to the premiere with her and says she’s moving out of the apartment. When asked why she was moving out, Cassie responds with: “Because I can’t keep feeling like I’m living my life in your shadow.” Cassie’s letting her best friend spread her wings and fly into her new life. Cassie even said this isn’t the end of their friendship, it’s just the end of what they used to have.
Rainer returns the beach house and eyes one of the alcoholic beverages in one of Jordan’s many gift baskets.
Paige becomes friends with her driver named Derek on the way to the premiere. This moment may not have seemed that relevant or important, but her taking the time to be personable and herself with Derek was very true to her character.
Cassie shows up at Adam’s place, her bag on her arm, ready to move in with him. He has Fruity Pebbles and Gilmore Girls all ready for her. Are you kidding me? He’s perfect, Adam is perfect. Instead of Gilmore Girls, they end up watching the carpet instead. That’s when we see a special guest appearance from Dan Fogler from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and more.
Barrett Hopper is working the carpet, of course. Alexis tries to form a sort of we-care-about-Jake alliance, but Paige isn’t up for it. Jordan is off being interviewed by Jared Eng for JustJared. His interview is cut short because Tangey shows up. Tangey pulls him aside to tell him that she believes he’s not that 14-year-old guy anymore, that he’s changed. Tangey says, “I want to be with you. I love you.” But then things take a turn for the awkward. Tangey tells Jordan about she knows about Nina hiding everything. Jordan takes that to mean hiding things about their relationship, not Nina hiding his past. So when Jordan says, “I mean it, I stopped sleeping with Nina,” Tangey is anything but happy and slaps him.
When Rainer does show up the carpet, Paige is waiting for him. Obviously having drank a little too much before arriving, Rainer goes in for a kiss in front of all of those paparazzi. He ends up assaulting one of the paparazzi who pop off at him about going to rehab. A full-on fight breaks out. Alan comes in to break it up, but Rainer punches him too. That sure did escalate quickly.