On the Season Five (and unfortunately series) finale of American Housewife, the Ottos face life-changing decisions. And although we didn't get the resolutions we wanted, we were able to get an idea of what a potential next chapter would have looked like for the family - career moves, weddings, and even babies!It's Election Day in Westport and Greg is determined he's going to win his campaign against Ablin with good old-fashioned integrity and honesty. (Ablin and Maria, on the other hand, have no problem trash-talking him to his face!) Oliver is preparing to take the SATs, which he definitely isn't nervous about. Anna-Kat is feeling like she and Franklin might be in a rut. They now spend most of their time together watching Soap Dish. And Cooper, he's getting ready for a rare visit from his dad Doyle.
Cooper tells Katie that he's told his dad about his plans to go to culinary school, and he's supportive. So when Katie runs into Doyle at Stewart and Kingston's (and finally introduces herself to the father of the child she's all but adopted), she's surprised to realize that he has no idea about Cooper's plans. As far as he knows, Cooper will be going to Harvard, going to business school, and then joining him at Bradford Industries.
At home, Katie confronts Cooper about lying to his father. Cooper admits that he plans to tell his dad he's going to Harvard and then just go to culinary school instead. Apparently, Doyle is so oblivious he honestly won't notice. Katie tells Cooper he needs to be honest with his father and suggests he invite him over for dinner. When Doyle compliments Katie on the food, Cooper can reveal he actually did the cooking, and tell him about culinary school. Katie reasons that if Doyle sees how happy cooking makes Cooper, and how talented he really is at it, he won't have a problem with him going to culinary school.
At school, Oliver sits down to take the SAT...only to immediately pass out. Now convinced his chances at Harvard are doomed, he decides his only option is to get Cooper's dad to use his seat on the Harvard Board to get him in!
After confiding in Taylor about her boy troubles, Anna-Kat and Franklin tag along to the arcade with Taylor and Trip. Taylor has Anna-Kat flirt with another boy, and a dismayed Franklin seeks advice from Trip, who advises him that he needs to do something for Anna-Kat to remind her how much she means to him. So Franklin buys a plastic ring at the prize counter and proposes marriage to her (in 10-15 years of course!) Anna-Kat happily accepts.
Dinner comes around, and Doyle is indeed impressed with the menu. However, Katie was wrong about that being enough for him to accept Cooper going to culinary school. He won't even entertain the idea, and he tells Cooper that his only option is to go to Harvard and then take over Bradford Industries, whether he likes it or not. Cooper is furious at Katie for interfering when he already had a plan in place to still get to go to culinary school.
As the election wraps up, Katie, Greg, and Lonnie eagerly wait for the results. They're surprised when Principle Ablin and Maria show up at the door. (They apparently want a "front-row seat' to watch Greg lose!) Everyone's even more surprised when the race is announced as a tie!
At the election office the next morning, Greg and Ablin are told there hasn't been a tie since 1792, and the protocols for a tie are still very...18th century. They're supposed to settle it with a duel! So they decide to swap out the real bullets for paintballs and move the duel over to Fairfield (apparently they'll let you do anything over there!)
Meanwhile, Oliver is pleased to find out from Trevor that Apple put Gifty on their featured app list. The app is blowing up. Trevor tells Oliver that Gifty is going to make them so rich and successful he won't even need to finish high school, much less go to Harvard! (Katie and Greg are going to love this!)
At Stewart and Kingston's, Cooper has another meeting with his dad, who tells him he's taking him back to Florida. Apparently living with the Ottos has ruined Cooper and Doyle thinks it's high time he assumes his birthright of being a 24/7 rich asshole. Although Katie promised Cooper she wouldn't interfere this time, she doesn't hesitate to blast Cooper's dad when she finds out what he's planning. She tells Doyle that he obviously isn't decent enough to care a bit about Cooper's happiness and that a real parent would support their child's dreams. Cooper thanks Katie for trying, but it doesn't look like Doyle will be moved.
It's finally dual time for Greg and Ablin, In the middle of a strangely deserted downtown Fairfield, the two count out their paces and gets ready to fire, but Ablin jumps the gun and attempts (and fails) to shoot Greg before the count-off is finished. Ablin demands a do-over, but the election official says that decision has to be made by Greg, who also has the right to assume victory now. Greg's finally had enough of Ablin's various attempts to take him down, so he happily claims his win (and shoots Ablin and Maria a couple of times for payback!)
Back at home, Taylor and Trip reminisce on the front porch about the first time he picked her up for a date. Trip admits that Franklin got him thinking...and he gets down on one knee to ask her to marry him! An overcome with emotion Taylor joyously accepts.
Inside, Greg, Katie, and Oliver discuss Cooper's impending departure...only for Cooper to arrive and announce he doesn't actually have to leave. Apparently, Katie did the impossible and changed Doyle for the better - her speech to him inspired Cooper to finally speak his mind to his father, who, in turn, actually agreed to let Cooper stay with the Ottos and go to culinary school!
As the family celebrates, each of the kids speaks up and makes their own announcements. Franklin and Anna-Kat reveal their very distant future engagement (which everyone thinks is adorable). Oliver reveals his plan not to attend college or possibly even finish high school (which, as predicted, Katie and Greg aren't too happy about!). And Taylor and Trip reveal their very present, not-in-the-future engagement (which might just have caused Greg's head to explode!) A shocked Katie states that with everyone else's big announcements, her own doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore...and she whips out a positive pregnancy test!
Random Thoughts:
-Anna-Kat and Taylor's middle names being Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross seem very on-brand for Greg!
-Katie knocking Oliver out of the way to hug Cooper when she finds out he's getting to stay was adorable.
-Funniest quote goes to Cooper when talking about his plans to go to culinary school - "I may be the first Bradford to get a callous!"
What do you imagine another season of American Housewife would have looked like? Let me know below!
