Southern Hospitality Season 3 Episode 9 recap: Emmy throws a prom, Maddie wants to hit pause in her relationship 

In this week's episode of Southern Hospitality, emotions run high as relationship troubles bubble to the surface.

The Bravo reality series, which follows Leva Bonaparte's staff at Charleston hotspot Republic, delivers drama in spades as the crew balances work responsibilities with complicated personal lives. Emmy organizes a makeshift law school prom for her boyfriend Will, giving the Republic team a chance to dress up and let loose.

Meanwhile, Maddi and Joe's relationship hits a serious roadblock as they struggle to align their future plans in this season of Southern Hospitality. The honeymoon phase is clearly over, as highlighted by the aptly titled episode "Honeymoon Is Over."

Between kitten adoption events, emotional family conversations, and prom-posals, the Charleston crew navigates their interconnected lives while tensions simmer beneath the surface in this episode of Southern Hospitality. And TJ inches closer to exposing a potentially explosive truth about Will that could upend multiple friendships.

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What happened in this episode of Southern Hospitality?

After missing Will's official law school barrister's ball, Emmy goes all out to throw a replacement celebration in this episode of Southern Hospitality. She invites the entire Republic crew to join the festivities, complete with formal wear and corsages.

Will's "prom-posal" falls flat compared to Emmy's elaborate planning. He presents her with balloons with letters written in Sharpie—but they're barely legible. Despite the low effort, Emmy swoons over the gesture while her friends remain unimpressed.

The guest list raises eyebrows when Austin's girlfriend Allie attends despite previous drama. TJ expresses confusion since Emmy and Will had accused Allie's brother of spreading cheating rumors about Will. When producers question Emmy about this contradiction, she casually explains-

"Their moms do bible study together."

Austin proposes to Allie with a pizza, setting a slightly higher bar than Will's balloon attempt on Southern Hospitality.

During a pedicure session with Mia, Maddi reveals her hesitation about her future with Joe. When asked if she sees herself marrying him, Maddi dodges the question. Citing her busy career as a reason to slow things down, she admits:

"I want to pump the breaks,"

In a revealing confessional, Maddi confesses,

"While Joe tries to hit fast forward, I want to hit mute, or at least pause."

Joe shares his perspective while golfing with the guys. He complains about his daily commute to Maddi's place and wonders why she never stays at his apartment. Brad jokes that everyone knows Maddi "wears the pants in the relationship," while Joe laments that:

"Maddi can be selfish without realizing it."

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The tension boils over at Republic when Joe's friends visit from Atlanta, causing him to act like "the boss." As Joe mansplains to Maddi, she responds with an epic eye roll that surely became screenshot-worthy for viewers of Southern Hospitality.

Leva organizes an event to help get kittens adopted, providing a cute backdrop for some serious conversations. The setting may be adorable, but the discussions are anything but.

Maddi and Joe continue their argument from Republic, with Maddi finally admitting she feels "suffocated" by Joe. Meanwhile, Grace gets emotional about missing her cat Fergie, who lives with her ex (#freefergie).

Maddi confronts Grace after she gets her face painted like a cat. They hash out ongoing issues in their friendship, with Grace taking accountability for past mistakes—particularly hooking up with Oisin, which got her banned from Maddi's house.

"I know I put myself in a corner and I want to get myself out," Grace acknowledges.

Maddi appreciates Grace's self-awareness, wishing "everyone else could see this side of her."

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Michols has a moment with family, Joe has a career related reality check

In one of the episode's most touching sequences, Michols has dinner with his stepdad to discuss his sexuality. He reveals how his mother discovered he was gay during his senior year of high school when she went through his Instagram DMs and found conversations with another man.

Michols explains that the importance of "machismo" in his culture made him feel like less of a man for being gay. His stepdad offers reassurance, telling him he has to live for himself.

The conversation is so positive that Michols encourages Lake to have a similar talk with her father about her sexuality. Lake hesitates, saying she's not ready to be "confrontational" or potentially damage her family legacy.

Leva pulls Joe aside after he requests a month off to travel with Maddi on tour. Joe insists Maddi is his "partner in life" and he doesn't want her travelling alone.

Leva reminds Joe of his career aspirations from two years earlier when he expressed interest in owning a bar. She notes he's become "mopey" at the door rather than motivated and warns him not to sacrifice his dreams.

"Lamar and I think you're a model employee. We could see ourselves going into business with you one day," Leva tells him.

Adding:

"But you need to be a rock and focus."

The pep talk helps Joe realize he's been neglecting his own career. He wants accomplishments of his own so Maddi can be his "biggest fan" too.

As this episode of Southern Hospitality closes, TJ edges closer to uncovering the truth behind Will's cheating rumors, setting the stage for what promises to be an explosive season finale.

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Southern Hospitality airs Thursdays on Bravo, with next-day streaming on Peacock.