EPISODE 217
Written by: Bre L. Drew
January 2, 2023
Last Time on Town and Country
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On Christmas Day, Jeremy was presumed to be missing, which added to Jordan's already-frightened emotions; however, we later learned that the disappearance was part of Daniel and Gabriella's plan to make Jordan an unfit mother
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Mae advised Will to give Emma the chance to explain herself regarding Jacques.
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Presley informed Tanner that he is willing to wait until she was ready for sex.
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For the past year, Jai and Louise have been getting closer.
HOME FARM
A week ago today, Tommy Covington went through one of the worst nightmares that a parent could go through when his son Jeremy went missing on Christmas day. Thankfully, the family's housekeeper, Gabriella, found him outside at the estate entrance with nothing more than his three-piece suit. Jordan was devastated when they couldn't find him. But luckily, he slept through the night, and now he likely doesn't remember what occurred. although he wishes he could randomly forget as well.
He finds himself knocking on the door of his father's home office on the second floor of the estate.
"Who is it?" his father's familiar voice calls out from behind the door.
"Dad, it's me; can I come in?" He tells him.
"It's open," his dad announces.
Tommy opens the door to find his father behind the desk, presumably catching up on paperwork before the new year.
"Come in," Daniel says courteously. "I thought you would be out, bringing in the new year with your friends."
Tommy smiles good-naturedly. "Yeah, well, with everything that has happened, I decided to stick close to home. Besides,
Jeremy is more fun than drunk and out-of-control college students."
"You're probably right," Daniel says, nodding. "What's on your mind, son?"
The junior-year university student takes a seat across from his father.
"Look, I know what you're going to say, but I'm still going to say it anyway," he verbalizes. "Something isn't right with Jordan now. I don't know what exactly it is. I'm not sure if she's still depressed or if the medication, she's taking isn't doing what it should be doing."
Daniel takes more notice of his son, knowing his observations could affect his plans to rid Jordan of his home without his grandson for good. Including arranging for his grandson to be temporarily absent on Christmas to emphasize Jordan McKnight's unsuitability as a mother.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Admittedly, Tanner Lockhart has never been one to check herself out in the mirror and thinks that she looks better than decent. She couldn't help but feel herself tonight in her multi-color sequin long-sleeve minidress. And in a way, she would even categorize herself as alluring.
The twins, along with Presley, Elijah, Aaliyah, and Lorenzo, will ring in the new year at The Cliffe, where Martha and her band will be performing.
Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" plays courtesy of the Spotify app on her iPhone, which is currently charging on her nightstand in her bedroom of the residential cottage where she resides.
"Not bad," she says to herself.
"I don't know about that," someone says teasingly.
Tanner turns around to see Lynn Lockhart standing in her doorway, wearing a black long-sleeve cocktail dress and over-the-knee boots, her long wavy blonde hair is pinned up in a ponytail.
"Ha, ha, very funny," Tanner retorts.
Lenny strolls fully into her room.
"No, I'm serious; you look great."
Tanner frowns slightly, uncertain.
Lenny moves closer to her sister, automatically knowing she is holding something back.
"What is it?"
"I think Presley wants to take the next step."
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what her sister is talking about.
"So, the good reverend is ready for you two to perform the world's oldest act?" she says. "Maybe he does, or maybe not, but the question you need to ask is, are you ready?"
"I don't know," Tanner responds timidly. "I mean, he's not pressuring me, but I can tell when a simple movie and dinner are beginning to get stale."
"Just remember you owe no one what you don't want," Lynn advises. "Even though my twin's telepathy tells me you're getting ready, you're doubting yourself."
The song fades out.
"I mean, he's been amazing," she tells her. "He's been so supportive of me since Dylan died," she tells her. "And even before that," she exhales thoughtfully.
"I do love him, Lenny," she confesses.
Their conversation is interrupted when the text chime on Tanner's phone gets their attention.
"The guys are at the door; let's go," she announces.
THE CHATEAU
A live jazz band is playing on the stage of the fine-dining restaurant this evening as customers come to eat, drink, and enjoy the rest of 2022 before ushering in the new year.
Among those in attendance are Jai Gupta and Louise Saunders Lockhart, who are sitting in a booth and finishing their meals.
"I still can't believe my kids are old enough to go out, let alone to a nightclub, to ring in the new year," Louise mentions in disbelief.
"Tell me about it," Jai replies. "Sometimes I still feel that way about Samuel, and he has an M.D. at the end of his name."
Louise chuckles while taking a sip of her champagne.
"Does having adult children now make us old?"
Jai showcases his trademark charismatic smile.
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"I think we're a few years off from AARP," he declares considerately
Jai is so taken in by her beauty—this evening, she is wearing a silver sparkly sleeveless cocktail dress, and her long blonde hair is in a side bun—that he nearly forgets to do what he intended to do.
Louise takes another sip of the beverage, and when she looks up, she is stunned at the sight of Jai holding a box with an emerald-cut diamond ring.
"Louise, will you marry me?" he proposes.
THE CLIFFE
From the bar to the dance floor, clubgoers populate the local nightclub tonight as they're ready to party on the last night of the year.
The electro-hop beats of "Vegas" by Doja Cat are now playing on the state-of-the-art sound system.
Meanwhile, Martha Saunders is on the club's sound stage, speaking into the microphone to ensure one last sound check.
"How do I sound?" Martha approaches her good friend and club manager, Will Jackson, who is standing nearby.
"You sound good, y'all all do," he calls out to the rest of her band on stage.
Martha walks off the stage toward him.
"Thank you again for allowing us to perform here tonight," she says while hugging him.
"You ain't gotta thank me," he acknowledges with a slight nod. "And anyway, it's bout time more people got to see how talented you are."
As someone who lives with her on her family's farm, he knows how much singing means to her, especially this past year, as her band and she has received more recognition.
Martha smiles sheepishly at his comment.
"I'm surprised Emma is even allowing this since the only person she would probably allow on that stage other than herself would be Beyoncé herself."
"Naw, she al'ight with it."
Will glances over to see his lover walking up the staircase that leads to her office. Not long after Martha sees where her friend's attention has gone,
"I take that as a no as to whether or not you've spoken to her about you two." Martha correctly assumes
The last time he saw her was at her house, where Jacques happened to be. Thinking she had chosen him over him, he took off before she could explain the situation.
"I'm not Emma's biggest fan, and honestly, I think you're too good for her, but if you want to repair what's broken between y'all, then go ahead before it's too late," Martha advises Will.
HOME FARM
"I know that you're protective of Jordan, and as the mother of your son, it comes with the territory," Daniel says observantly. "But she's a young woman who barely knows her son, so of course, she is emotionally flighty."
Tommy couldn't help but notice the irritability in his father's voice, though he knows it mainly comes from him not being Jordan's biggest fan.
"I care about her; deep down, she's more than the selfish girl that a lot of people think she is." he confesses. "Maybe she needs to change her therapist. I hear sometimes patients don't hit it off with the first shrink they go to."
Daniel shakes his head, knowing he is blackmailing Jordan's psychiatrist, Dr. Pierre Toussaint, into helping him drive her crazy. He can't have his son try to interfere.
"The only way that Jordan can receive the help she needs is if she continues with the treatment she is on."
"Dad, I get that you don't like her, but she becomes highly emotional for no reason. This doctor can't be helping too much."
Daniel places an ink pen in front of him on the desk.
"What do you want me to do, son?"
"Have your PI look into this doctor?" he answers.
"All right," Daniel relents. "I will have my private investigator look into him." he concedes. "But if he comes up clean?"
"I will let it go," Tommy says, lifting his hand to swear he'll obey. "Thanks, dad,"
With that, he gets up from the chair and leaves the office.
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Outside in the hall, he reflects on a moment he had with Jordan a few months prior.
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"Your father was trying to get information on how I was doing, but Dr. Toussaint refused to tell him, then he left,"
"Why in the hell would he do that?"
"Because your father believes he has the right to do whatever he damn well pleases."
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"I don't know what the hell is going on, but something tells me you know more than you're claiming to tell me, dad."
THE CLIFFE
Ten minutes into the start of the New Year, most people watch the performance on the stage as Martha's melodic vocals and the band's talented instrumentals cover Tegan and Sara's "I Was A Fool"
The song ends as the spectators burst into cheers and whistling.
"We'll be back in five minutes to kick off the new year, so please don't go anywhere," Martha says into the microphone, gaining her breath.
She makes it off the stage once more, where she makes her way through the crowd to get over to the designated booth, where her boyfriend, nieces, and their friends are waiting to give her an additional round of clapping.
Martha waves her hand disapprovingly at them as she sits on Samuel's lap with her arms around him.
"You were so great up there, Aunt Martha," Tanner says warmly.
"Oh, Aunt Martha, you kicked ass!" Lynn professes
"We didn't work this hard for you to still have those doubts." Lorenzo Vidal mentions reassuringly, "You're on your way to being a superstar!"
Martha smiles somewhat upon hearing those compliments.
The budding filmmaker collaborated with Martha earlier this year to record her first music video, which now has around eight hundred thousand views on YouTube.
"You're a knockout on and off the stage," Samuel informs her.
Martha takes in the people's appreciation of her singing. She admits losing confidence over the years due to finding out the music business doesn't necessarily reward talent but seeing people truly like her performance does make her feel less like an impostor.
THE CHATEAU
"No pressure," he chuckles affably.
"It's just that I hadn't expected this," she admits. "I never imagined myself marrying again; it's a lot to think about."
Jai places the box on the table near him, seeing that it is causing this much emotional upheaval from his lover.
"Do you love me?" he asks her seriously.
"Of course, I do," she replies without a doubt. "But marriage is much more than being in love; trust me, I was in love for many years with Sean and you see how well that worked out."
"If anyone knows what it's like to be in a long marriage that you thought would never end, I'm your guy," Jai comments. "But how come they get to move on while we still have to recover from the emotional fallout? Shouldn't we be happy for a change too?"
Despite Aaliyah's reservations about his relationship with Louise, he knows he wants a future with her no matter what.
Louise recalls how she thought she'd never find love again outside of Sean, but her last year with Jai has been the best she's been in many years.
"Yes," she declares.
"What did you say?" Jai asks coyly.
"I will marry you!" she announces excitedly.
Jai grabs the ring from the box to place it on her finger.
Soon, customers and some restaurant employees break into a round of applause. while the two embrace each other with a fervent kiss.
THE CLIFFE
Keep on moving up that mountaintop
Why don't you please (please) your (your) self (self)?
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Five minutes to midnight, Martha sings a rendition of Jessie Ware's hit "Free Yourself" while the rest of the clubgoers dance and celebrate.
Samuel joins her on stage and enfolds her in a hug while they kiss.
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On the floor, where most of the slow dancing takes place,
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Aaliyah and Lorenzo have their arms around each other as Aaliyah wears a huge smile.
"Have I mentioned how good it is to have you back?"
Lorenzo had flown to Philadelphia for Christmas to spend it with his family. But he came back yesterday since he's working tonight at the club in charge of their socials.
"One more time ain't gonna hurt nothin'," he tells her boastfully.
Not far from them, Elijah and Lenny try their best to keep up, moving to the rhythm.
"Goodbye to 2022; you son of a bitch!" Lenny expresses while reflecting on losing her baby brother to SIDS.
Elijah glances at her with ease.
"I know the year was hard for you, and I would never belittle your loss," he replies thoughtfully. "But it wasn't all that bad; it's my first year being sober," he says otherwise. "And not only that, my parents and I are getting along for the first time in I don't know when so much so that I managed to survive not one but two vacations with them this year."
Last year, Elijah was in rehab for his alcoholism. And for Christmas this year, he went to Vancouver with his parents to visit the rest of the Barker clan.
"Slow your roll, Deepak Chopra," Lenny suggests, somewhat surprised at her boyfriend's attempt at positivity.
Elijah elicits a humorous laugh.
"No, I haven't read any self-help books, and trust me, I never will," he quickly informs her. "This year was the first in a long time where I didn't hit rock bottom. And who knew that instead of me being the talk of the family this year, it would be my cousin Kelsey, who is expecting a child with her husband, with whom she eloped after nearly two decades apart. It gives me hope that we'll still be together that long... without being separated, of course."
Lynn casts a glimmer of sincerity at him.
"How come you always know what to say?"
"It's a gift,"
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Elijah then kisses his girlfriend affectionately.
Closer to the stage, Presley, and Tanner dance nearly in sync.
"Who knew last year I would ring in the new year with a beautiful girl?" Presley says it with charm.
Tanner smiles widely at him.
"I thought after what happened with Tommy. I would never be in another relationship, but you came back into town, and we've gotten to know one another better." she notifies. "You see me differently than anyone else."
"How so?"
"You're older,"
"Ouch, thanks for reminding me of that," the reverend mocks offense.
"No, I mean that you're capable of being with someone not only younger but also someone you know who is still a virgin," she says quietly but audibly enough for him to hear over the noise.
"Do I want to be with you in that way?" he states. "Yes, I do," he replies. "But we'll be that way whenever you're ready."
Tanner hears the words from her sister from earlier about the next step, as well as her boyfriend's.
Near the bar, Will consumes the rest of his beer as he watches a couple kissing and having a good time. He then lifts his head to the window upstairs, where the light is on. He could see his lover overlooking the action from that window.
Knowing he can't wait any longer, he leaves the empty bottle on top of the bar. He moves up the stairs to Emma's office door, which he opens, entering inside. Her focus turns to him, curious and annoyed at his intrusion into her domain.
"Hi," she says, somewhat taken aback. "Are you here to tell me off as part of your New Year's resolution?"
In response, he shrugs.
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"Sometimes I think it would be easier to forget about you,"
"Oh, thanks," she says sarcastically. "Listen, I'm sorry you walked in on Jacques and me, but if you stayed around to listen, you would know nothing has happened or will happen."
"That's why I'm here!"
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"Jacques came by to tell me that he wanted to reconcile with me, but I told him to leave, and that was when you walked in and assumed the worst. She informs him.
However, she knows she is still keeping the expensive diamond bracelet he purchased for her, which is still in her possession. Though, at the time, it seemed insignificant in comparison to their relationship.
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Quickly, Will thinks about what his mother told him about not getting all the facts before flying off halfcocked.
"I care about you," he declares wholeheartedly. "And when we got into that accident, it made me realize I didn't wanna lose you."
Emma crosses her arms over her chest, rather impressed by his candor.
Earlier this year, Will and Emma were in a deadly car accident due to Will's brakes malfunctioning. The truck driver that crashed into them didn't survive. And Emma went into a coma but miraculously woke up.
"That's fine and all, but you cannot run every time you see something you do not like." she confronts him.
"I think we should bring in the new year together for old times' sake." he winks charismatically
Delicately, he lifts her chin, then he kisses her seductively while she raises her arms onto his back.
The two end up on the office sofa as he takes off his shirt and she drop the straps of her dress, proceeding to be intimate while everyone below them starts counting down and blowing horns as the new year arrives.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Jordan confides in Dr. Toussaint
Max and Shauna and Jai and Louise share their news.
Deirdre puts pressure on Jacques.
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