Mistresses - 'Til Death Do Us Apart (Season Finale) - Review : "ABC, Renew This Show, Goddammit!!"

2.13 - "'Til Death Do Us Apart"

Written by K. J. Steinberg

Directed by John Scott

Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington

So the ratings for the finale weren't pretty (3.54 million and 0.8/3 in adults 18-49) but I think ABC should still be happy with that number. Under the Dome, dubbed summer's biggest show, was only 0.4 ahead of Mistresses. That's a very miniscule difference between ABC's summer drama compared to the last year's CBS breakout hit. It probably didn't help matters that Mistresses only got 0.8, but maybe it will adjust up and ABC will respect the fans enough to warrent a third season. After all, they CANNOT end Mistresses like this.


Season Guide

• 
  
  Season 2 Episode Guide
  2.01 - "Rebuild" (June 2, 2014)
  2.02 - "Boundaries" (June 9, 2014)
  2.03 - "Open House" (June 16, 2014)
  2.04 - "Friends With Benefits" (June 23, 2014)
  2.05 - "Playing With Fire" (June 30, 2014)
  2.06 - "What Do You Really Want" (July 7, 2014)
  2.07 - "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" (July 14, 2014)
  2.08 - "An Affair to Surrender" (July 21, 2014)
  2.09 - "Coming Clean" (August 4, 2014)
  2.10 - "Charades" (August 11, 2014)
  2.11 - "Choices" (August 18, 2014)
  2.12 - "Surprise" (August 25, 2014)
  2.13 - "'Til Death Do Us Apart" (September 1, 2014)

• 
  
  Season 3 Episode Guide
  3.01 - "Gone Girl" (June 18, 2015)
  3.02 - "I'll Be Watching You" (June 18, 2015)
  3.03 - "Odd Couples" (June 25, 2015)
  3.04 - "Into the Woods" (July 2, 2015)
  3.05 - "Threesomes" (July 9, 2015)
  3.06 - "Love Is an Open Door" (July 16, 2015)
  3.07 - "The Best Laid Plans" (July 23, 2015)
  3.08 - "Murder She Wrote" (July 30, 2015)
  3.09 - "Unreliable Witness" (August 6, 2015)
  3.10 - "What Could Have Been" (August 13, 2015)
  3.11 - "Guilt By Association" (August 20, 2015)
  3.12 - "Reasonable Doubt" (August 27, 2015)
  3.13 - "Goodbye Girl" (September 3, 2015)

Character Guide

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'Til Death Do Us Apart' Recap

The episode begins with the opening of Wunderbar, Greta's restaurant. She welcomes everybody while entertainment thrives through the night. She introduces Joss and Harry separately, while Joss looks to Harry awkwardly. Scott notices this and asks if something is wrong but Joss dismisses it. Greta wants a group photograph and calls Joss and Scott over. Joss stands a little further away from Harry but is asked to move closer. Joss and Harry reluctantly do so and the photographer asks Har to relax. They fidget behind each other's backs, hesitant to touch one another. At Karen's apartment, she is on the phone to waiting-on-the-line music. She is phoning the doctor for her test results. She recites her patient number and the assistant finds her result, but reveals there was a contamination at the lab and her results are inconclusive. Karen has to go in for a redraw.

At the lawyer office, Dom is representing April against the FBI. They hold April responsible for the ground they lost against the drug dealer. Dom asks what they want and gets April to apologise, which she does sarastically. Agent Adam tries to get her done for accessory after the fact but Dom dismisses his claims. Adam sarcastically agrees and says to leave April alone but brings up Paul's fraudulent death and suggests April is getting a cut of his actions. April is outraged and is about to walk away but Adam shows her the photographs of several dead victims of the drug dealer. Dom threatens to sue for intimidation and harrassment and tells them to leave. They leave and April tells Dom she will have to tell Lucy but Dom assures her they have nothing on her. April suggests getting Daniel to ease Adam, but Dom informs April that Daniel has been fired.

Karen is driving with Savi in the passenger seat. Savi tells Karen something happened with Zack, and Karen immediately asks if she slept with him, which Savi denies. Savi recounts when Zack drove her on his motorcycle. She says he was trying to cheat death again and Savi thought she was going to die. Savi asks if Karen remembers when Harry pledged his love to Savi after the accident (car crash at the end of season one) but Savi didn't believe him because she thought it was a sudden flood of guilt-inspired romanticism, but Savi says it was clarity. Savi realised when she had the flash, she flashed on Harry. Karen stops the car and asks what she means. Savi explains what she saw was the life she had with Harry, not before or after, and wonders if she should tell him. Karen suggests not opening that door if she doesn't plan on walking through it.

At the restaurant, Harry is cleaning up when Joss walks in. Harry tells the guys to take a break for five minutes while he approaches Joss. Joss wants to leave but Harry keeps her there. Harry says he broke things off with Greta and Joss becomes worried. Harry says it's going to be fine, reassuring Joss. Joss asks what happened and Harry tells her that his heart wasn't in it. Harry wants to apologise but Joss doesn't want to hear it because of how brutal his words were. Joss says there are no words and Harry agrees, so he kisses her. Joss allows him for a few moments before pulling away. While in shock, she exlaims "Oh my God" before leaving. At a bar, Joss has texted Karen to come meet her with an SOS. Joss tells Karen that Harry kissed her "in the mouth" and Karen concludes that Harry has feelings for Joss. Karen asks if Joss wants to tell Savi that Harry kissed her but Joss tells her no. Karen asks if Joss has feelings for Harry, but Joss says she can't as she loves Scott and is engaged to him as well as Harry being Savi's ex-husband. Karen repeats, and Joss says "she can't". Karen says what Harry did was impulsive and reckless and selfish. Karen goes off track a little and Joss notices. Karen admits she has anger and has to leave.

At April's, April and Lucy are watching the television. A knock at the door startles April and she goes to get it. She asks who it is and finds out it's Daniel. April tells Lucy to stay where she is as she goes outside to talk to Daniel. Daniel reveals they can't find Paul - that it looks like he either left in a hurry or was taken. Daniel thinks April's and Lucy's lives are in danger as they know she's talked to the feds. Daniel says she isn't protected now the FBI aren't watching her, but April asks what to do. Daniel takes April and Lucy to a lakehouse. Lucy is glad they are back together while Daniel checks the place out. April notices Daniel's gun and tells him she thought they would be safe there, and Daniel says they're safer with his gun. At Harry's, Harry phones Joss who isn't picking her phone up to him. There's a knock on the door and it's Scott.

Karen knocks on Ben's apartment door. He opens the door and she punches him. He invites her inside. Back at Harry's, Harry offers Scott a beer but he declines. Scott says what he is about to say is weird, making Harry think he knows about the kiss, but turns out Scott is talking about Joss's mother who won't return his RSVPs. Harry reveals she is flaky, and Scott says he wouldn't care so much if it was just the engagement party but Scott is going to surprise Joss with a wedding instead. Scott says the engagement is getting her stressed and doesn't want the wedding to feel like work. Harry wonders why Scott is telling him this, but Scott needs his advice. Scott asks if he should tell Savi, April and Karen what he has planned but Harry says they can't keep a secret to save their lives. Scott agrees and is about to leave, saying he will see Harry at the wedding. Harry replies "for sure".

At Ben's apartment, Ben offers Karen a drink with an ice pack on his face while Karen tends to her hurt hand. Karen declines as she wants to be sober for this and begins shouting at Ben, wondering why he would misrepresent himself while sleeping with hookers all of the time. Ben calls her Rebecca, but Karen insists she was different as she was careful every time. Karen wishes she never met him. Ben asks if she has gotten her results and Karen says she hasn't, but she knows she has it. Karen tells him not to comfort her as she is telling him the facts, saying everything she does for love ends in death. Karen leaves despite Ben asking her not to.

Harry accidentally knocks his air conditioning out of the window while there's a knock at his door. It's Savi though she says she will come back at a better time. Harry pushes the air conditioning unit back into his house just as the window comes down on his hand. Savi helps him out and tells him they need to go to hospital. Harry says he can't drive as he's been drinking. At the lakehouse, April, Daniel and Lucy are playing Monopoly. They are startled by the fire when Daniel suggests watching a movie. Daniel does one more check outside. At Scott's, Joss is on the bed as Scott talks. Joss asks if they can cancel the engagement party, not the engagement, just because the party is stressing her out. She suggests just the two of them going away but Scott says they can afford to do both. Joss reveals it's so she can avoid someone and says it's Uncle Wilson who carries a spork and whistles at girls through his front teeth. Scott says he doesn't know if his grandmother June is still going to be alive next year and Joss caves, agreeing to the party but no toasts.

At the emergency room, Savi is waiting for Harry which surprises Harry. He wakes her up and reveals his hand is broken. Harry thought Savi was mad at him though has no reason. Savi says she knows deep down he still hates her but Harry reveals he is past it all, that he's over it all. Harry says it's getting late so they should go home and Savi should get home to Dom. Savi asks if Harry wants to get a drink with her to catch up. Harry agrees. At the lakehouse, April and Lucy have fallen asleep at the end of the film as Daniel is still awake. April wakes but Daniel tells her to go back to sleep as he takes the couch. He lights the fire and April enters the front room after him. She unbuttons her shirt and walks to Daniel. He asks her if she's sure and she nods. They proceed to kissing as they undress each other.

Karen is home when her phone rings. It's Savi asking what she is wearing for the engagement party then reveals things went well with Harry. Karen has been crying as she lies on her couch. She had been drinking wine. Her mobile phone rings and it's Anna. Anna reveals she's great and that her mother is so happy to have her back. Anna thanks Karen for all she did but Karen insists she didn't do anything, but Anna says she saved her life more times than she knows. Karen thanks her for calling but Anna notices she sounds upset. Karen says she is fine. At the restaurant, Harry finds it hard to work with his cast. Joss walks in and Harry apologises. Joss asks what happened with his hand and thinks it's from the kazumi as he keeps it too sharp, but Harry insists it wasn't a knife. Joss says the weirdness between them can't be. Harry apologises for kissing her and blames himself but Joss blames herself too for spending too much time together. Joss reveals she is quitting the restaurant so they don't have to work together. Harry doesn't want her to but Joss says she is going back to working alone. She is upset when she tells Harry they can't be friends anymore. She says it's best he doesn't go to the engagement party, saying she isn't mad at him but it's for the best. Harry agrees. Joss says she will post pictures of the party, and Harry will be sure to look. Harry throws something.

April is making food at the lakehouse with Lucy and Daniel. Daniel receives a phone call and has to leave the room. Lucy asks if they can go home after dinner but April doesn't know. April thinks the roads might be closed but Lucy doesn't want to miss Joss's engagement party. Daniel tells them they can go to the party. When Lucy leaves, Daniel tells April they shot the drug dealer and that the whole ordeal is over, but then tells April that Paul is dead. Joss arrives at the engagement party and is overwhelmed. Scott waves her over when she gets to the garden but is distracted by his family. Savi greets Joss and Joss notices Savi is overly happy. Savi tells her she will tell her later but gives Joss a present from their mother. It's an African Fertility Necklace. Savi says everything is real for her and gives Joss a hug. Savi asks if Harry is coming but Joss says that he is sick. Harry is actually at the bar.

In the huge mansion the engagement party is at, April and Lucy arrive with Karen welcoming them as her roomies. April allows Lucy to go to the beach. Karen asks April how she is but she breaks into tears. Karen takes her to her room. April cries over Paul and regrets not telling her daughter about Paul being alive after missing her window of opportunity to tell her, making Lucy miss having her chance. Karen corrects April and says Lucy would be having him and then losing him again, later to find out her father was murdered. Karen says Lucy's memory of her father is intact and she is now happy. Karen says the lies become truth so April can now be free. Karen tells her to live her life with Lucy. April says "and Daniel" and Karen is surprised but happy.

Joss is watching the waves when Scott comes up to her. Joss asks if it's time for the engagement party but Scott wants to show her something first. Scott takes her to the bedroom where he reveals a roomful of choices for wedding dresses and accessories. He reveals there is a minister downstairs and they should have the wedding today. Joss agrees and they kiss. At the bar, Harry is drinking when a match is on the television. Harry sees somebody who reminds him of Joss. He smiles and then leaves the bar. Joss has chosen her wedding dress and shows the girls. They love it and thinks she looks gorgeous. Karen suggests a toast and Joss agrees, drinking the champagne quickly. April asks if she is okay but Savi says the whole thing is shocking. Karen thinks it's romantic and they all agree the surprise wedding is a good thing. They toast to Scott and Joss.

Harry is driving fast to the engagement party but he missed his exit. Back at the room, Joss is trying veils on. The minister comes to inform Joss the ceremony is going to start in five minutes and April and Karen kiss Joss and leave. Savi and Joss tell each other they love each other before Savi begins to leave. Joss shouts after her, asking if Savi told Scott about their father's records. Savi never mentioned them and Joss realises it must have been Harry. Savi leaves and Joss goes to the balcony for some air. Harry pulls up and sees Joss, and Joss sees Harry. They stare at each other before Joss leaves.

Outside, Karen receives a call from the doctor. Karen leaves when Savi tells April she is sorry about Paul. April says she is relieved that it's all over. On the phone, the doctor wants Karen to come in but she demands to know over the phone. He tells her that she is HIV-negative, but something else came up. Scott goes to April and asks about Lucy being the flower girl but she is nowhere to be found. April and Savi go look for her around the house. Savi sees Harry's truck and is happy he turned up. In Karen's room, Lucy is watching the TV when April walks in and hears that the news report on the TV is about Paul Malloy's death. Lucy turns to her mother and April reveals she knew. April apologises but Lucy tells her to get away from her and runs away.

Joss runs through the grounds of the mansion as Savi is looking for Harry. Scott is waiting at the front of the congregation. Joss has taken her shoes off as she looks around. She runs down the grass as Harry is walking on the beach. Joss catches up with him and asks what he is doing there. Harry says he lied, that there are words: he should have just told her that he loved her. That he is in love with her. Joss tells him to stop and goes in to kiss him. They kiss as the waves crash. Savi finds Joss's shoes. Joss and Harry are lying on the beach kissing behind rocks.


'Til Death Do Us Apart' Review

This is literally my face right now at the end. I hate when season finales end on cliffhangers (yet secretly love them because they're awesome and I can't wait for more) BUT I have no freakin' clue if there will be more because goddammit ABC RENEW THIS SHOW! Don't you guys dare leave us on all of these unresolved issues! Man, did a lot of drama happen in this episode, and that's what I absolutely love about Mistresses. It felt so natural yet so dramatic at the same time. It had me weeping occassionally, okay more than occassionally, but still, it was a great freakin' finale!

I do feel sorry for Savi now. I mean, out of all of the main characters, she has become the least interesting. I love Alyssa Milano from her Charmed days and she was great in the first season, but I feel like all her character did this season was get involved with men - Harry, Dom, Zack. She gets herself involved in these men's lives while the other girls are having a lot more interesting stories to work with. While the whole Zack thing could have led to somewhere dramatic (like turn out to be a creepy stalker seeking revenge for the car crash at the end of season one) but instead, it fizzled. I did end up liking Zack but man did he bow out with a whimper. Dom only got one scene in this episode too, right at the start with April, so absolutely no developments there for Dom/April shippers. What I did enjoy about Savi was her humour in this episode. She was funny, especially the scene with Harry and the window. It was sweet that she waited for him the emergency waiting room and asking him for a drink was sweet too, but when I watch them two together now, they have nowhere near the electricity that Joss and Harry have. I love that Savi was there to support her sister and be there for her, but other than that, it just seemed like Savi was just eating anything and everything in sight. Finding Joss's shoes could lead to something interesting and, if there's a season three, will she discover Joss and Harry together? Maybe now Savi will have a more interesting story to work with instead of acting like a mother to everyone. It seems like the writers had storylines for everybody else and forgot to give Savi something to do.

I was so happy with how April's story went this week. I was totally unsure about the whole FBI thing, as I have discussed with a couple of you awesome commenters on a few of my previous reviews, but it kind of had the ending I wanted, as morbid as it sounds. We guessed correctly that Paul would die, though telling Lucy before finding out he's dead again was something we discussed too. That would have been devastating to then find out he's dead but with Lucy watching the news report and learning April kept it from her - that makes everything ten times worse. So, for us viewers, it's much better for us. April and her daughter's relationship is going to change dramatically now, so much so that the perfect mother-daughter relationship they had previously will be so entertaining to watch now. Who doesn't love a good family drama, and this secret was so big it does have major consequences for April. Also, April giving herself to Daniel was a little step back I thought for her character. I do like the family dynamic with Daniel and Lucy, but April needs somebody who has just a smudge more personality. I don't see what his purpose really is now that he's not part of the FBI. I guess now Lucy knows about Paul that she will find out about Daniel so that will be interesting too. I did think the start with April and Dominic was hilarious in the lawyer office when he told her to apologise and she did very sarcastically. It's like they bounced off each other's personality and delivered a strong team against Adam (whom I hate) and his lawyer. They had more chemistry in that one, little scene than April ever had with Daniel the entire season.

Karen had another fantastic episode. I LOVED when she punched Ben right in the face! I started doing my cheerleader routine that I had been practicing since seeing the punch in the episode promo just so I can cheer her on. The scene with Ben was very well done too, and when the doctor told her that the test was inconclusive, I cried out in frustration! I was like, COME ON! Surely Karen has all of the bad luck in this show. Karen acted as Savi's, Joss's and April's shoulder-to-lean-on in this episode as Savi told Karen about Harry, Joss told Karen about the kiss with Harry (which was pretty comical) and then, one of the most emotional scenes of the episode, April confided in Karen about Paul's real death. I could see the amazing connection between these two women and it made me love them so much more. It was so sweet, and Karen gave April some very good advice, it's just a shame April's happiness over the whole thing being over was shortlived. Anyway, Karen also received a phone call from Anna, which was so nice. I had my suspicions about Anna being psychotic in the beginning and I'm kind of glad the show didn't go that obvious route. I see now that Anna was there for Karen to nurture so Anna could show Karen that she means so much to the world. Karen changed Anna's life and Karen needed to hear that, especially at that moment when Karen was totally depressed about everything. Karen needed that moment to hear about how much good she has done. I was so relieved to hear Karen is HIV-negative, I literally threw my hands to my mouth and cried. However, the doctor said there was something else which is very worrying. What could it be? Pregnant? Some other type of disease? Cancer? Hopefully we find out with a SEASON THREE ABC!!!

Finally, Joss. From the very awkward beginning with the photo getting taken, I knew this would be a big episode for Joss and Harry. Not just because I saw the kiss in the promo, but it's finale time. The scene with Joss and Harry when he says there are no words and kisses her, I had mixed feelings about it. One - I do kinda like Team Hoss. Two - I do kinda like Team Jott. It was a moment I should have been waiting for and I knew as soon as he kissed her that it would be the end of Joss and Scott. It was the final nail in the coffin. Since it was out of the bag, even though Joss later tearfully tells Harry that they were "breaking up", it had changed everything beyond repair. How could Joss move on after that? How could she look Scott in the eyes and not see Harry staring back? The right thing to have done was not kiss her and let Joss be happy with Scott. She would have had a bright, rich future with Scott - but at the same time, I don't think that future is right for Joss. I do like Scott, but with the quickness of the wedding and how much Joss and Scott are polar opposites puts me off the thought of them actually getting married. We all knew it wasn't going to happen, though I didn't, in a way, expect Joss to run off before the ceremony to be with Harry on the beach. It was definitely romantic, and the scenes were beautiful, from the gorgeous shot of Joss on the balcony to the brilliant running through the gardens of the mansion. The beach was the final, perfect touch for a sickly sweet moment. I love the chemistry between Joss and Harry, and I love how much they know they love each other. They have both struggled, so in a way I was relieved to see these two characters finally honest and out in the open with each other - no more anguish! At the same time, the consequences are seriously going to bite them in the ass, especially when it comes to Savi. This will absolutely damage their relationship especially since Savi has the worst timing in the world to realise she wants to be with Harry. Come on Savi, surely you could have picked a better time to come to this conclusion? It looks like we were right though, Savi's clarity was about being with Harry. I think I prefer Joss with Harry over Savi with Harry. I'll have to wait to see how this one plays out because depending on outside forces, Joss and Harry could either be a really great couple, or a couple constantly under fire thus making their relationship strained and ruin their friendship in the long run. I do think Joss maybe did the right thing. She obviously wasn't completely in love with Scott, and she seems to be at her happiest with Harry who has shown that he knows her a lot better than other people. I am very glad Joss knows it was Harry's idea about the record player though. Will they work? Time will tell... if ABC RENEWS THIS SHOW!

Anyway, it looks like it will be Justin Hartley's last performance of Scott even if the show is renewed (unless he makes a couple of cameo appearances, or at least in the season three premiere if there's no time jump) so let us all remember Scott when he was at his best... naked...

He will be missed. Sorry it didn't work out with you and Joss, Scott, but we all knew it wouldn't actually happen. Bless you for trying and thanks for being such a good sport on the second season of Mistresses.

And what a rollercoaster ride season two actually was. Was season two an improvement over season one? Yes and no. Yes, I think overall the season had more to offer as the show was taking a stride and was comfortable with its characters, and no, because I think certain characters such as Savi were underused and had so much potential. Nevertheless, one thing for sure is I love this show more than ever, so if we don't get a third season, Mistresses was still a show I was glad to have watched this show. It has been an absolute blast reviewing the final four episodes of the season and talking Mistresses with you guys. I have absolutely loved the comments and writing my thoughts and seeing what you guys think about the show and its developments. I really hope to see you guys again next summer, fingers crossed. If not, I'll definitely miss this show and miss talking with you all about the show.

Gavin's Rating: 10/10. I reserve only one perfect 10 for a season of a show and I am going to give it to this finale. To me, it was the best episode of the season, and quite possibly series. There was plot development, sweet sweet drama and beautiful shots. This was near enough to perfection as the show will ever get.

Funny Quote of the Episode: Dominic: "Apologise April." April: "Sorry". Dominic: "We good?"

Serious Quote of the Episode: Joss: "There's nothing you can say, Harry." Harry: "You're right, there are no words." Harry leans in and kisses Joss.

Best Moments: Karen punches Ben. Joss's tearful "break-up" with Harry in the kitchen. April's tearful moment with Karen about Paul and Lucy. Joss's wedding escape to Harry.

Funniest Moment: Savi visits Harry as he accidentally knocks the air conditioning back into his house just as the window comes down on his hand.

Character of the Episode: Joss! 100% Joss! That girl can act! She stole the show this episode with her dramatic moments with Harry and her obvious conflict going with her heart or her head.


What did you guys think of the season, possibly series, finale? Are you guys satisfied if the show ends like this? Are you happy with Joss's decision to pick Harry over Scott? Is Karen's new dilemma to do with a possible pregnancy? Let me know in the comments.

About the Author - Gavin Hetherington

Award-winning author of 'Abyssal Sanctuary: Remnants of the Damned'. Gavin joined SpoilerTV on August 9, 2014 and will be reviewing 2 Broke Girls, Mistresses, Orange is the New Black and Salem in the 2014-15 season. Gavin's favourite shows include Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal and much more. You can contact Gavin at gavin@spoilertv.com.

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