Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce “Rule #17: Ask the Answer Lady” 

At one point during this week’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Abby asks her visiting friend, Jo, whether she ever wishes she could do the cliche thing and get in a wayback machine that would take her to a time that’s less complicated. That seems to be the theme of this episode. It feels like almost everybody tries to take a ride in that wayback machine. Or tries to do their damnedest to avoid that machine like the plague.

Abby: Right when she’s trying to figure out her next big novel, she has all these other things going on. There’s a pregnancy scare; Jo’s arrival causes major turbulence; her daughter recently got drunk via some crazy vodka/tampon weirdness; her son Charlie has this pretty aggressive imaginary friend named Chad that spills liquids on her computer. Things are just so incredibly messy for her. Hence, wishing she could get on that wayback machine and go back to a much simpler time. When Abby gets her period, the potential for pregnancy is over and she’s upset. The thought of having a baby is so tempting to her. The baby represents innocence. A baby doesn’t have an imaginary friend or isn’t drunkenly jumping into a pool. A baby doesn’t talk back or stop listening or tell you they hate you. A baby depends on you for everything. And Abby saw this opportunity as her last chance to go back to a time which was a lot of hard work but, I guess, was easier.

My Moment of Goodness from the episode is borne from a conversation involving Abby, Jo and Phoebe. Abby tries out her presentation on her friends. They immediately call BS. Dealing with divorce shouldn’t sound so perfect. Being graceful during a time like this isn’t realistic. So when she presents her ideas to the agency, she lets go of that goody goody two shoes side of her.

Abby finally stops trying to be so perfect. She tells the group what it’s really been like for her — the good and the bad. And they respond favorably. Go Abby.

Jake: I have to say that I was totally Team Jake when it came to Abby wanting him to step up and take care of Charlie. He hasn’t had a job in how long? He had to swallow his pride to get this job. This was a big step for him. I’m proud of him for doing it. He doesn’t know when he’s going to be able to get his own stuff made. So in the meantime, it’s okay for him to direct an episode of a CW series (very okay, if you ask me). So a flustered Abby who all of a sudden has to have her presentation ready sooner rather than later, doesn’t know what to do with Charlie/Chad. She knows she can’t let Jo take care of the kid. She’s not a good influence at all. She has him watching Game of Thrones and offers him some beer. Abby feels Jake should help her and her needs out. I’m glad he doesn’t give in. He’s not someone who wants to get on that wayback machine to the time where he stayed at home. This is his time to pay attention to his career. Jake and Abby are going to have to figure out a way to take care of the kids and their careers. They’re a separated couple. Time to find some dependable babysitters, pronto.

Phoebe: Oh man, Phoebe’s a mess. As if we didn’t realize that, right? She decides to enlist Ralf’s new big time interior designing girlfriend to help her plan her baby jewelry event. You can tell she’s doing everything to figure out why Ralf would stop what they had going on for this woman. Well, Carla has it all together. She’s cool, confident and according to Carla, has more substance than the women Ralf usually dates. Ouch. Not only does Phoebe go behind Ralf’s back to hire Carla. She stalks them and watches from afar. Does she want to get in that wayback machine to a time when she and Ralf were together? I don’t know. She says it’s not about her and Ralf. That maybe it’s because Carla’s such a solid woman. She says sometimes she feels if she’s not attached to a man, she’s going to float away. Later, she also realizes this baby jewelry thing isn’t her. She sees Ralf and Carla having their shit together and living a healthy existence. Maybe she finally wants that for herself. She’s been in this weird relationship spiral with that threesome and also this bizarre agreement she had with Ralf that involved sex and him giving her things. I wonder if Phoebe’s latest realization will lead to more stability. Or will she flounder a little longer? All I know is that Phoebe shows she has some depth to her. And it’s very encouraging.

Delia: No wayback machine for Delia, although it does seem like she’s a commitment-phobe from way back. I’m thinking we need to find out her backstory soon. There’s a reason why she won’t give up on that Asian market for the client she also happens to be sleeping with on a frequent basis. He says he’ll sacrifice the millions in order to be with her. And that scares her. I love how he tells her she’s cute when she’s cornered. That is exactly how she feels: cornered. Why does she feel this way? What in her past influenced the woman she is today? It really sucks that Delia didn’t let go of the Asian market on her terms. The designer wife has to blackmail her into letting it go. Talk about messy.

Jo: At first I wasn’t sure about Jo’s presence. I love me some Alanna Ubach, but right off the bat, her character’s unfiltered and kind of obnoxious. But the writers do a good job of immediately starting to show the layers to her. The Jo/Abby friendship has some serious baggage. We find out there was a bit of a falling out. And when Jo really needed Abby is when Abby disappeared from her life. Because, Abby says, she was embarrassed because her marriage was failing. Jo hates Jake. Abby hates Jo’s soon to be ex-husband. But it’s kind of refreshing that Jo will call Abby on some of her stuff. I think her presence will further enable Abby’s guard to come down. I think she’ll be good to have around. Time will tell if she’ll gel with Phoebe and Delia.

Max: It seems like Max’s husband, Ford, wants to get on that wayback machine toute de suite. Apparently, the two used to have some sort of open relationship but when they brought kids into the picture, that went away. And now Ford’s feeling suffocated. And Max is feeling neglected. He wants on that wayback machine, too, but for different reasons. He wants to go back to a time when the two were into each other; couldn’t get enough of each other; and loved being around each other. They are not connecting right now. And I’m not sure how they are going to resolve it. We know that Max is going to do everything he can to make this marriage work. He’s going to have to swallow a hell of a lot of pride to give up on this relationship. For him, divorce isn’t an option. But what if Max and Ford can never establish that chemistry-filled connection again? Is Max simply going to stay miserable in a relationship that doesn’t work? I hope they can figure things out but, right now, they seem so incredibly distant.

This show is just so good at showing all sides of these flawed characters. I can’t wait to find out what’s next.

Random Notes

-I don’t know about you guys but I’m already missing Janeane Garofalo. I really can’t believe I’m saying this because Lyla was so incredibly unlikable most of the time. But a part of me rooted for her to mellow out and figure out her baggage and spend time with the kids. I wonder if we’ll ever see Lyla again.

-Hmmm…in the last scene with the cathartic throwing of Phoebe’s baby dolls, Delia wouldn’t or couldn’t allow herself to open up to Abby. Will she have some sort of meltdown before this season is over? Or will she continue to keep her cool? I feel like she’s starting to unravel a little bit but she’s doing her best not to let anyone see it.

–SPOILER ALERT: Did you see the promo for the next new episode? WILL IS BACK. This makes me happy.

Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce airs Tuesdays on Bravo at 10/9c.