“Who’s the Boss†featured some pretty embarrassing moments for this season’s couples. Nearly everyone this episode showed us they really aren’t ready for the steps ahead, and none of them seem to have thought about the consequences of their actions. It’s one of those episodes where the red flags are so glaring and it’s just silly for everyone to ignore them. From Brandon’s parents to Tarik being straight-up ignored at his own church, this was a delightfully hard-to-watch episode.
Let’s start with Brandon and Julia because their situation was almost adorable. Even Brandon’s grandpa was begging his parents to shut up about their weird fixation on Brandon’s sex life. Why do they care so much if these kids make out and give each other hickies? Grandpa is right! They’re young and in love, and they’re doing what young people in love do! At the beginning of the season, I thought Brandon’s parents seemed great, but now I am firmly on Julia’s side in this dispute. Sure, it’s their house, but trying to dictate Julia and Brandon’s wedding date because of Mother’s Day reveals some next-level control issues.
It’s also incredibly uncomfortable when you realize Brandon’s parents are basically treating Julia like hired help. They seem to think she’s a hired farm hand rather than Brandon’s fiancé. Julia didn’t agree to do farm work to earn her place in America, so I gotta be on her side when she says she will not feed those pigs again. Brandon is basically a non-entity in this dispute. He can’t stand up to Julia or his parents and just awkwardly tries to please both of them. I’m glad he at least stuck to their wedding date and firmly told his mom he wasn’t going to prioritize Mother’s Day, though.
After that, I have to put Stephanie next as the most embarrassing person to watch this episode. Stephanie only had one scene, but stole the entire show. In this brief conversation with her cousins, we discover that Stephanie has been paying for Ryan’s family’s rent, food, and expenses. It also turns out that the job Ryan has … isn’t really a job! Stephanie asked a friend to pretend to hire him, but Stephanie pays his wages! And Ryan doesn’t know! So, if you’re keeping score, that’s two secrets Stephanie is keeping from Ryan: She slept with his cousin, and she’s paying his wages. Obviously, these two are headed toward destruction, and her cousins seem to be aware of it. They seem to see this for what it is: Stephanie got in over her head with a boy toy she was never supposed to take seriously.
Natalie comes in third for not only being the most embarrassing but also the most annoying. Natalie has finally gotten some warmer clothes, and Mike is taking her to the waterfall she’s been complaining about. Mike has taken time off of work to show Natalie things he loves, like shooting off fireworks by his pond and eating giant steaks. Natalie hates all of these things, and I have to wonder if she ever listened to a word Mike said about who he is or what his interests are. I only know Mike from this show, but even I know he is a dedicated meat-eater who doesn’t want to live in the city. Why Natalie is trying to convince herself she can change Mike, or that he’s someone else, is something I don’t understand. She thinks she can turn him into a vegetarian city guy, but she doesn’t even trust him! The entire root-beer situation — not to mention when Mike has to explain that the fish in the pond would be okay with the fireworks — is so annoyingly frustrating that you almost see Mike get tired of Natalie the moment she refuses to finish her root-beer float. If she can’t trust him to not give her alcohol or kill a pond full of fish, what hope do these two have? Also, when she said he “chews†his words because she was mad at him for ordering a steak, I decided she was my enemy this season.
Rebecca and Zied also didn’t get that much time in “Who’s The Boss,†but Rebecca revealing that Zied has turned her into a mattress-on-the-floor person is embarrassing enough. They were supposed to move in with Rebecca’s daughter, but Rebecca decided it would be better to get their own place. She also decided it would be good for that place to be in the building she and her ex lived in. Obviously, this isn’t really an issue and feels like a reality show trying to make drama out of nothing, but I actually do think Zied would have a problem with this. He’s incredibly ego-driven and domineering, and if one of the neighbors mentions the ex, it could be a problem. Anyway, I’m sure Rebecca’s Zied-themed bed frame will come soon enough.
One of my favorite things to watch in the 90 Day franchise is when Americans think their partner is going to be impressed by things like “American breakfast†or highways, and they’re not at all. This has been Tarik’s game plan so far to get Hazel to fall in love with America, and, obviously, it’s not working. Hazel misses her son, and no amount of French toast or chicken and waffles is going to fix that. Let the woman have rice for breakfast. It also felt a little insensitive when Hazel said she missed her son and Tarik said she has a daughter now. I don’t think Hazel can just switch out her affection for one child to another.
Given everything Hazel has sacrificed to be in America, Tarik’s idea that they get married in that sad-ass community-center-looking church was incredibly insulting. Hazel is a Christian! Respect her parents and her religion, and compromise on this! I don’t care how big the crystal in the corner of the room is, if Hazel wants a church, give her a church. I wonder if Tarik feels like he’s already compromising around Hazel’s bisexual polyamorous desires so he gets to make demands around everything else.
Then there’s Yara and Jovi, who really aren’t that embarrassing at all this episode. I gotta say, when this season started, I thought these two would be the trainwreck and Brandon and Julia would be the boring couple that just has basic arguments, but they’ve switched it up. Yara and Jovi are just arguing over wearing shoes in the house and having serious conversations about whether or not they’re ready for kids. Oh, and the most important part: Jovi says sorry when he’s wrong and agrees to stop wearing his shoes in the house. Yara is obviously focused on fame and money, but I think she really does love Jovi and just wants to make him grow up. She’s right: Wearing your shoes in the house is gross. If she didn’t hate New Orleans so much, I think these two would be okay.