Previous recap: Bait (March 8, 2015)
Following recap: Loss (March 22, 2015)
Outside the courthouse, Victoria admonished Lyman for claiming to be a pit bull but neglecting to say he'd been neutered. She huffed that he'd lost her inheritance and her respect for him, and she told him that he had nothing left in the Hamptons. As Lyman scurried off, Natalie crowed that there were no hard feelings, and she hoped Victoria would attend her Fourth of July party. Natalie feigned sympathy that the event had once been a Grayson tradition, and Victoria retorted that it still would be, since Natalie was using stolen Grayson money to host it.
Emily found David on his boat, and she disapprovingly held up a tabloid article about his relationship with Natalie. David relayed that Natalie despised Victoria, but Emily contended that Natalie was still a Grayson, and she stressed that she and David had to look out for one another. Jack popped out of the cabin and reported that the alternator was in bad shape, and David ducked inside to take a look. Emily griped to Jack that her father barely knew Natalie, but Jack dryly stated that Emily was dating Ben for the same reason. Emily regretted that things were awkward between her and Jack, but she was glad to see him back on a boat.
Louise and Nolan enjoyed a couples' massage, and she was pleased to hear he'd booked a cooking class for them. Nolan mentioned that he'd heard Lyman was working for Victoria, but Louise insisted that Lyman had good in him. Nolan conceded that he loved Emily despite some of her choices, like getting involved with Ben instead of Jack, and he imagined Jack was broken up about it. Louise relayed that Jack had been all smiles while bartending at McGinty's, and Nolan was offended that Jack had taken another gig after turning down his offer to work at the yacht club. Louise urged Nolan to trust his friends.
Ben visited Margaux at her office, and he pointed out that her photo of his ex-wife didn't mean anything. Margaux pulled up recent video footage of April waiting tables, and Ben tossed an envelope on Margaux's desk, but he told her that anyone who cared already knew Emily's true identity. Margaux explained that the world liked to destroy devils who pretended to be righteous angels, and she expected Emily to be crucified once the public heard the whole story. She pulled Amanda Clarke's birth certificate out of the envelope, and she praised Ben for a job well done.
Nolan reported to Emily that Margaux had fallen into their trap, and they reviewed the footage Margaux had shown Ben. Nolan traced the restaurant's location based on its wine selection, and Ben returned and handed over the sunglasses that had taped everything he'd seen in Margaux's office. Emily worried that they only had a matter of hours until Margaux figured out that the birth certificate was a fake, and Nolan pulled up a mug shot of Wes Perkins. Ben explained that April had hooked up with Wes after Ben and April had split, but she had been too afraid to leave Wes. Ben insisted on finding April on his own, and he stalked off. Nolan advised Emily that she'd be better off finding out Ben's secrets sooner rather than later.
Margaux asked Victoria why Natalie was throwing an extravagant event, and Victoria surmised that Natalie wanted to announce her life as part of the one percent and to irritate Victoria. Margaux mentioned that Natalie had purchased an estate in Malibu, and she speculated that Victoria might be rid of her enemy and her ex in one fell swoop. Victoria was sure David wouldn't leave Emily behind, and she wondered what Natalie wanted from David. Margaux declared her intent to take Emily down despite Victoria's objections, and Victoria recognized that both she and Margaux wouldn't rest until they hit their targets.
Jack approached a playgroup, and the nanny reported that Carl had been asking for his daddy all day. Jack asked if she had any weekend plans, since the bar wanted him to work, and he'd lose the job if he missed another shift. She said she understood, and he said goodbye to Carl. Carl began to cry as Jack left.
Lyman arrived to see Louise, but she flatly stated that she didn't trust him, and they were no longer kids who had to pretend they liked one another. He admitted he'd screwed up, but he'd cut enough ties to make him feel like he might float away, and she was the only one he felt connected with. Lyman groaned that he'd spent months making speeches to strangers to get political support, but all he wanted was the one person whose support he couldn't do without. He added that he'd never had to pretend he liked Louise, and she invited him in.
Later, Jack stopped by Nolan's house, and Louise fawned over Carl. She handed Nolan his wedding ring, and she assumed it was the wrong size because it kept falling off. Nolan questioned why Jack had accepted everyone else's job offer but his, and Jack contended that he didn't want a handout, but Nolan wondered if Jack would consider it charity or an opportunity to work with a friend if the tables were turned. Louise suggested that Nolan turn one of the yacht club's empty rooms into a daycare center, and Nolan pitched that Jack could set his own hours and take Carl to work with him. Jack said he could start that night.
At the yacht club, Natalie relished berating the staff about their lack of attention to detail for her party, and she approached Victoria at the bar and asked if Victoria was there to interview for a catering job. Victoria claimed she was there to make amends, and she saw no reason why they couldn't be civil. Natalie bragged that she'd just been saying the same thing to David over drinks, but Victoria imagined the relationship wouldn't work out because of Natalie's imminent departure from town. Natalie asserted that she intended to put down roots right there, and David was making her dinner that night.
Later that evening, Natalie thanked David for dinner, and he cracked a joke about his meatloaf. She promised to help him perfect the recipe once her party was over, and she insisted that he had to attend. She purred that the best part of picking a girl up for a party was that he'd get to be the one to take her home, and she departed. A moment later, there was a knock at the patio door, and David faced Victoria. Victoria warned that Natalie was using him, but David suspected that Victoria just wanted his help to get Edward's money back.
Victoria conceded that she was the last person David wanted to listen to, and he was the last person she wanted to help, but they had a common enemy. David argued that Natalie had looked out for a dying man, and Victoria realized he thought she was jealous. She griped that his ego was as warped as his judgment, and she informed him that Natalie intended to move to an estate she'd just purchased in California. David questioned how many houses Victoria had owned before karma had caught up with her, but she maintained that she'd just been trying to warn him, and she stalked off.
On his way to track down April, Ben pulled over when he spotted Emily standing in the middle of the road, and he incredulously asked what she was doing there. Emily declared that she was going with him, and she asserted that she was better at playing the twisted chess game than Ben was. She hopped into his car, and while en route, she asked Ben how things had ended with April. He said April hadn't thought they'd made a good team, and she'd complained he hadn't surprised her enough, but she hadn't had that problem with the next guy, so she'd returned to Ben for help.
Ben confided that he'd hated what April had done to him, but it hadn't replaced his other feelings. Emily recounted that she and Aiden had fought as much as they'd made up, and she'd felt like she'd lost everything when she'd lost him. Ben wondered how people bounced back from something like that, and Emily replied that she didn't know if they ever did.
Outside the diner, Ben watched as April pulled up in her car and entered the restaurant. Ben looked over at a sleeping Emily, and he exited the car and went inside. As April prepared the diner for business, she looked up and was surprised to see Ben. She smacked him across the face as Emily walked in.
Emily implored April to tell them everything, and April revealed that she'd had to change her name to Kim because of Ben. April explained that she'd gone to Ben about Wes, but she hadn't wanted help or protection. Ben argued that April had been scared because Wes had fenced stolen goods, so he'd called in a raid, but April ranted that she'd had to disappear because of Ben's actions. Emily took the blame for Wes finding out April's location, and Ben said they had to get April out of there. April refused to uproot her life again.
Margaux reviewed a media headline exposing Emily as Amanda Clarke, but her investigator informed her that the birth certificate was a fake. Margaux cursed and tore up the document, and she testily questioned what it was about Emily that made people act against their best interests. She pulled up Wes's mug shot on her computer screen, and she ordered her minion to reveal April's location to Wes. "I don't make empty threats," Margaux hissed.
Wes entered the diner, and he glowered at the waitress who was alone behind the counter and growled that it had been a long time. He began to smash some dishes, and Emily turned around. "Who the hell are you?" a surprised Wes asked, and Emily snarled, "The last person you want to play with." Ben jumped up behind Wes, knocked him to the ground, and handcuffed him.
April told the police that Wes had swung at her, but Ben had subdued Wes. A police officer assured April that she had nothing to worry about, since Wes already had two strikes on his record, and Wes glared at her from the back of the police car as it drove away. April thanked Emily and Ben for not leaving until they'd gotten through to her, and she admitted she could be stubborn. Emily said she was the same way, and April guessed Ben had a type. Emily chuckled as April gratefully hugged Ben.
As Louise and Nolan prepared for the Fourth of July party, she asked if Lyman could stay with them. Nolan grumbled that politicians didn't change, and he was perturbed when she admitted that she'd already told Lyman yes. Nolan wondered if she understood what it meant to be in a marriage, and she asserted that they both had baggage and eccentricities, but they had to respect one another's quirks. She pointed out that she'd never asked why Nolan kept taking off his wedding ring, and she requested that he give her the same respect. Nolan suggested that Lyman stay on Louise's yacht, unless the sea made Lyman as sick as Lyman's presence made Nolan.
David told Natalie to take her time getting ready, but she limped out of the bathroom, claiming she'd tripped on her stiletto and hit her head. She asked David to retrieve some aspirin from her purse, and he reached inside and found an expensive watch, but he said nothing about it and tossed her the pill bottle.
At the bar, Nolan told Jack that Louise had been thoughtless and controlling, but Jack pointed out that she'd selflessly implemented a daycare facility down the hall. Nolan bemoaned that he and Louise were mad at one another, and Jack asked if it was still a fake marriage. Nolan called the situation tricky, and Jack asked if Nolan was attracted to her. Nolan pointed out that every man was, but he groused that no one was attracted to him when he wore his wedding ring. Jack thought Nolan wanted two different things, and he urged Nolan to talk to his wife.
The press snapped photos as Natalie and David arrived at the party, and David quickly ducked away from the spotlight to get drinks. A reporter asked Natalie what it was like to date David, and Natalie implied that she was scared of him, but she asserted that she could handle whatever David was going through. Natalie stepped inside, and a lurking Victoria remarked that Natalie had painted quite a portrait.
During the party, Natalie led David away to another room, and he mentioned that the fireworks would be starting soon. She suggested that they put on a much better show, and she pulled him toward her, but she intentionally ripped her own dress and yelled at him to get his hands off of her. He realized that she was setting him up, and he revealed that he'd recognized the watch in her purse, since his secretary had had the same watch, complete with an engraving from Conrad. Natalie called Lydia a "vile whore," and she blurted out that Conrad had promised Natalie everything.
David surmised that Natalie hadn't been able to get Conrad's money, so she'd gone after his dying father, and Natalie coldly confessed that she'd starved Edward until he'd signed the new will. She haughtily stated that Conrad had wanted her to live like a Grayson, so it would be her greatest accomplishment to finish what Conrad had started by ruining David. Victoria appeared in the doorway and played back a recording of what Natalie had just said. Victoria commanded that Natalie sign over the inheritance to her, or Natalie would go to prison.
Lyman told Louise he could find another place to live, but Louise insisted he was family. He said he felt her husband's eyes on the back of his neck, and he thought it would be best to respect Nolan's wishes. Louise grabbed Lyman's hand and wished Nolan could see that side of him. Later, Lyman presented Margaux with the key to Nolan's house. Margaux commended him for earning Louise's trust, and she promised he'd get the rest of his fee once he found out Nolan's secrets.
As Nolan finished a call, Jack informed Nolan that he was clocking out to take Carl to the park to see the fireworks. Nolan announced that Emily and Ben had been successful in halting Margaux's attempt to wreak havoc on their lives, and Jack became incensed that Emily had involved Ben in her plan. Nolan swore the road trip had been about revenge and not romance, and Jack hoped Margaux realized it was time to drop her vendetta. Nolan quipped that it was hard to put the cap back on the red Sharpie.
Margaux's investigator reported that Wes had been arrested for assault, but the incident couldn't be traced back to her. Margaux fretted that Emily had been one step ahead, but the investigator relayed that Jack had been taken care of. Margaux anticipated that the contents of Nolan's hard drive would be enough to ruin all of them, and she'd have it within the hour.
David joined Victoria to watch the fireworks, and he asked what she'd do with the money. She planned to ensure her new foundation restored Daniel's name, and David thanked her for making sure his own name hadn't been ruined again. She replied that not killing her had turned out to have a silver lining.
At Nolan's house, Lyman hovered over Nolan's laptop computer and left a voicemail message about the things people had done in the name of Amanda Clarke, and Louise walked in. She yanked a flash drive out of the computer and ordered him out of the house, and she raged that he'd played her for a fool. Lyman swore that she wasn't involved with good people, and he followed her out the back door. Louise prepared to throw the drive into the ocean below, and they struggled. Lyman lost his footing and fell hundreds of feet to the reef below.
Nolan returned home, and he told Louise he'd searched the party for her. She stared blankly at the fire and admitted she'd done something bad. Nolan recognized that their marriage was untraditional, just like they were, and they still had a lot to figure out. He welcomed Lyman to stay, and Louise claimed that Lyman was in the guest room after passing out from too many drinks. Nolan suggested that they talk in the morning, and she fought back tears as he gave her a "Wonder Twins" fist-bump.
Jack drove Carl to see the fireworks, but a police siren blared behind him, and he pulled over. A cop disdainfully questioned whether "former Officer Porter" had been enjoying his free time too much, since they'd received a tip about a drunk driver on the road. Jack swore he'd had nothing to drink all night, and he just wanted to take his kid to the park for the fireworks. The officer asked him to step out of the car.
On the way home, Emily anticipated that Margaux would keep looking for their vulnerabilities and weaknesses, and she thought that going after Ben's first love had been ruthless and smart. Ben asked who Emily's weak spot was, and Emily suddenly spotted Jack with a swarm of cops on the side of the road. An officer claimed Jack had tested at an illegal blood-alcohol limit, and another cop grabbed Carl as Jack screamed not to touch his kid. The police stuffed Jack into the back of a squad car as Emily and Ben helplessly looked on.
Previous recap: Bait (March 8, 2015)
