This week’s episode of Grosse Pointe Garden Society was a full bloom of dysfunction, deception, and desperate flirtation, and honestly, it might be the most tangled and juicy instalment yet. "Pollination" uses the metaphor of a garden’s mating dance to full effect — bees, butterflies, and busted marriages alike are buzzing with tension.
We open on Catherine, still haunted by the news that Gary has gone missing, and trying (but failing) to fake normalcy with Tucker. Their “scheduled” intimacy gets hilariously and heartbreakingly delayed by whitening strips and mints until she finally admits what’s really eating at her — Gary might be dead. Tucker, ever the reassuring but increasingly shady husband, says Gary is probably just laying low. Smash cut to: Gary tied up in the back of a van in his underwear. The back-and-forth between Catherine talking about him and Gary actually living out a hostage nightmare was perfectly timed and kind of darkly funny in that way the show excels at. And by the time Tucker says they need to get Gary out of their marriage, and Gary’s sprinting for freedom? Perfection.
Meanwhile, Birdie and Joel’s chemistry is undeniable and delightfully messy. Over dinner, we learn Joel has a failed FBI dream and a lie detector secret he won't spill (yet), while Birdie reveals a parade of exes and wonders if she’s just meant to be alone. Their whole vibe is very “we shouldn’t be doing this, which makes it hotter,” and they’re doing a great job of drawing it out without rushing it. The moment where Joel says that being with someone doesn’t mean you’re not alone? Oof. That hit.
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Elsewhere, the show has fun with the pollination metaphor — in voiceover and visuals — cutting between couples coupling, others failing, and Brett just plain flailing. Doug and Alice get hot and heavy while Brett has a hilariously unsexy encounter involving a plunger. But Doug proves he’s actually got a heart, taking Alice to look at shelter dogs and showing more emotional intelligence than he usually gets credit for.
Brett, on the other hand, is clearly pushing Alice away. He’s on dating apps, lying to Alice about plans, and brushing her off emotionally — even though his feelings for her are practically screaming at this point. When Alice casually points out his phone does work, it’s a small but sharp moment that shows she’s clocking his behaviour even if she’s not ready to call it what it is. Brett's swipe-right situationship, Cricket, seems to be his stand-in-Alice — she's a teacher, she's upbeat — and when Alice sees them out together, the hurt on her face says it all. Her confrontation with him at the garden centre is probably the most honest either of them has ever been. “You have no idea what you're doing to me,” she says, and he shuts her down cold. That whole exchange was devastating in the best way.
But let's talk about the real housewives drama — Catherine discovering the hidden camera in the smoke detector. It’s played for dark comedy eventually (her cleaning ladies walk in on her posing in lingerie for her surveillance husband — oh no), but the fact that Tucker had them installed in the first place is deeply chilling. It’s a violation dressed up as protection, and the show smartly doesn’t let us forget that. For all his calm, even-toned delivery, Tucker is operating like a man who doesn’t trust his wife, doesn’t believe in boundaries, and is willing to surveil and intimidate to keep control. Yes, Catherine cheated, but this is next level. Especially since he put on that whole forgiveness act. Even more disturbing, was Tucker admitting that he was behind Gary getting roughed up too. But don't worry, he's just "protecting his family." Catherine's realization that his forgiveness was performative hits hard, and the look on her face when she realizes Tucker had his security detail at work kidnap and beat Gary to a pulp? Chills.
Brett, on the other hand, is clearly pushing Alice away. He’s on dating apps, lying to Alice about plans, and brushing her off emotionally — even though his feelings for her are practically screaming at this point. When Alice casually points out his phone does work, it’s a small but sharp moment that shows she’s clocking his behaviour even if she’s not ready to call it what it is. Brett's swipe-right situationship, Cricket, seems to be his stand-in-Alice — she's a teacher, she's upbeat — and when Alice sees them out together, the hurt on her face says it all. Her confrontation with him at the garden centre is probably the most honest either of them has ever been. “You have no idea what you're doing to me,” she says, and he shuts her down cold. That whole exchange was devastating in the best way.
But let's talk about the real housewives drama — Catherine discovering the hidden camera in the smoke detector. It’s played for dark comedy eventually (her cleaning ladies walk in on her posing in lingerie for her surveillance husband — oh no), but the fact that Tucker had them installed in the first place is deeply chilling. It’s a violation dressed up as protection, and the show smartly doesn’t let us forget that. For all his calm, even-toned delivery, Tucker is operating like a man who doesn’t trust his wife, doesn’t believe in boundaries, and is willing to surveil and intimidate to keep control. Yes, Catherine cheated, but this is next level. Especially since he put on that whole forgiveness act. Even more disturbing, was Tucker admitting that he was behind Gary getting roughed up too. But don't worry, he's just "protecting his family." Catherine's realization that his forgiveness was performative hits hard, and the look on her face when she realizes Tucker had his security detail at work kidnap and beat Gary to a pulp? Chills.
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Birdie has her own mini-meltdown after being pulled over by Joel — yes, pulled over by her flirty cop crush — and things turn heavy fast. They argue about Ford and whose fault his future is falling apart, and then they just... kiss. Passionate, messy, honest — just like them. And honestly, Birdie might be one of the most emotionally interesting characters on this show. She’s a hot mess with a heart of gold, and that moment when she says Ford’s smarter than all of them was one of her best lines yet.
Then there’s the body. That dead weight they’re dragging around in the future flash-forwards is taking center stage, and we’re getting more breadcrumbs — literally in the glovebox: golf tees, matches from a restaurant, and now a bracelet engraved from Tucker. Is he the one in the trunk? Catherine’s line that the situation is all her fault, kind of implies that Tucker could be the corpse. Whatever it is, the girls trading pills for gas money while hauling a corpse around Grosse Pointe are equal parts outrageous and tense. It’s giving Desperate Housewives with a shovel and a bottle of Xanax.
"Pollination" was one of those episodes where every single storyline clicked. It was funny, painful, sexy, and deeply unsettling. Everyone’s hiding something. Everyone’s making bad decisions for reasons they think are good. And somehow it’s still fun to watch them spiral. If this is what the garden looks like in bloom, I can’t wait to see what withers next.
"Pollination" was one of those episodes where every single storyline clicked. It was funny, painful, sexy, and deeply unsettling. Everyone’s hiding something. Everyone’s making bad decisions for reasons they think are good. And somehow it’s still fun to watch them spiral. If this is what the garden looks like in bloom, I can’t wait to see what withers next.
