The writing was on the wall that UnREAL season 2 was going to be much darker than the first. While season 1 began with Rachel at her lowest point, season 2 began with her at her highest point. (This was somewhat literal too since season 2 opened on Rachel partying like crazy with drugs, alcohol and sex.)
In that way, there was only one way for UnREAL‘s leading lady to go, and that was down. In this episode, “Ambush,” things get to that rock bottom as the return of Adam leads to Rachel’s ultimate breakdown. “Ambush” is probably the darkest episode of UnREAL yet. Yes, even darker than the episode with Mary’s suicide. We should already be scared for how deep UnREAL is going to go in season 3.
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The British Sausage is Back
Adam’s back, and he’s decidedly orange. This isn’t just a bad cosmetic decision on Freddie Stroma’s part, however. Apparently, Adam has been in Africa doing charity work (and they’ve apparently given him the terrible spray tan). Despite all this change, Rachel is not interested in talking to or even being around Adam. Sadly for her, Quinn and the new network owner, John, have different ideas.
Since he’s an annoying little suck-up, Coleman quickly buckles and Quinn is able to have Adam run all over the set. He’s shirtless, of course, and he is doing his best to make Rachel see that he really wants to try again with their relationship.That’s not why he is there. He is supposedly trying to help Darius pick between his final four ladies. No one really cares about Everlasting on UnREAL, however. The real story here is Adam’s attempts to win back Rachel.
It seems to be working too because when Rachel goes to Adam to tell him it’s over (again), they kind of, sort of, make out … a lot. After the smooching is over, Rachel says she is in love with her weasel-faced Coleman. It’s not going to happen. Adam is rejected once again.
Desperate Times…
Adam sticks around just long enough to completely dress down Rachel, verbally this time. Adam finds Rachel and tells her that she is delusional. She is not changing the world by having a black suitor on Everlasting. She is creating fake romance, telling fake stories and her relationship will end up being just as fake. I never liked Adam, but if his character was leading up to this one moment of truth, I will accept it.
It’s probably because of this tongue-lashing that Rachel decides to do something very stupid … and terrible. After going on a date where the ashes of Chantal’s dead fiance blow into his mouth — yes, really — Darius decides he has had enough. Darius takes a Bentley in the driveway with Romeo, who is back now, and two of the girls, Yael and Tiffany, who are severely drunk. In her effort to film something “real,” Rachel decides to call the cops on Darius, Romeo and the girls.
You can probably see where this going for UnREAL. There are two black guys in a car with two very drunk white women, a car that is reported to be stolen. Rachel and Coleman know where it is going too and film the whole scene from the bushes. It’s a toss-up between if this is the more despicable thing or what the cops do to Darius and Romeo. As Darius and Romeo are dragged out of the car and brutally handcuffed, Rachel tries to stop it. Rachel runs out of the bushes to tell the cops that she reported the car stolen. In the chaos and yelling, one of the officers ends up shooting Romeo. Yup, UnREAL went “there.”
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The End Times
Everyone rightfully blames Rachel, which is fair. At least Rachel has the decency to feel ashamed. Coleman does not. If you need more evidence that Coleman is an opportunistic little twat, though, he is much more concerned about covering his own bum from a PR stand-point than taking responsibility for getting a man shot and possibly killed.
Rachel goes into the trailer and crawls into the fetal position, as Romeo’s life hangs in the balance. Adam comes back and goes to visit her, but what was left of Rachel’s fragile mind has finally broken. Rachel screams at Adam to get out. Once he is gone, Rachel makes a final decision. Rachel calls her mother. Rachel’s medication-happy mother takes her away and puts Rachel right into a mental hospital. It’s there where she drugs her daughter into oblivion.
Meanwhile, Quinn comes back to the set and tells Coleman that he has been fired. After the Romeo “incident,” Coleman is no longer the showrunner. Quinn is the showrunner again, but as she points out, she has kind of always been the showrunner. Now, as much as I wasn’t a fan of Adam, I’m really not a fan of Coleman. Yet, if Coleman’s entire character is just a vessel for Quinn’s superb insults, I’m also super okay with that.
Quinn’s victory over Coleman is somewhat marred by Quinn seeing Rachel escorted off the set with her mother. Quinn has gotten rid of Coleman, but now she has also lost Rachel. You can’t look at the devastation on Quinn’s face after seeing Rachel go away and not tell me that UnREAL is secretly a love story between Rachel and Quinn.
In any case, Rachel might not be the only thing that Quinn is about to lose. Everlasting might be in serious danger. Yael calls Jeremy, apparently because she is traumatized from watching Romeo get shot. Jeremy whisks Yael away from the set. Really, though, Yael just wants dirt on Everlasting. Jeremy begins to open up about Mary’s suicide and the cover-up of last season, while Yael records the whole thing on her phone.
UnREAL season 2 airs Mondays at 10pm on Lifetime.
(Image courtesy of Lifetime)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
