As the fifth episode of Daddy Issues begins, Gemma (Aimee Lou Wood) has reached 32 weeks. Cherry (Taj Atwal) tells Gemma she has to be careful about where she takes her kid. Allegra (Susannah Fielding) comes over to complain about Cherry letting her kids throw things at Berty. Gemma is shocked when she sees Ben (Tom Stourton) who knocked her up on an airplane. They tell Allegra that they know each other from Ben’s workplace. In private, Gemma tries to give Ben hints about her pregnancy. Ben doesn’t think the baby is his since he finished in the sink. He pleads with Gemma not to tell Allegra. Ben offers to send her money. Instead, he takes her number.

Ben leaves with Allegra moments later. Gemma tells Cherry that Allegra was likely pregnant when she and Ben met. She doubts she’ll hear from him again, but he messages saying he wants to talk. Malcolm (David Morrissey) tells Derek (David Fynn) that he got the movies he used to watch with the girls when they were younger. Derek is surprised to learn that Malcolm’s ex-wife gave away most of his stuff. Malcolm tells Gemma about the movies, but she doesn’t want the baby watching The Shining. She brings him mail including an envelope from HMP Portwood. Gemma urges him to go to the prison and see Catherine (Sharon Rooney). Derek thinks she’s being tough on Malcolm. Malcolm shows them the baby clothes he got on eBay. Unfortunately, they’re covered in poop and make the others sick. When Gemma meets Ben, she promises not to tell Allegra.

Ben says Allegra is his wife. He shows Gemma some photos so she’ll know what she’s carrying. As they leave, Ben offers to send her some items to help. Gemma gives him her address. At home, Gemma asks Malcolm if he has baby photos of her and her sister. Malcolm would have to drop by the house and get them. He visits Kenny who bought the house from Davina. Kenny and his mom tell Malcolm he’s scum for selling the house and not cleaning out the loft. They refuse to let him come in. At home, Gemma tries to throw out the dirty clothes. Malcolm stops her and says they just need elbow grease. She again urges him to visit Catherine. Gemma goes outside where Ben is waiting for her. He tells her he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Gemma takes him inside and introduces him to Malcolm. In private, Malcolm says he’s glad to meet one of Gemma’s boyfriends although Gemma says that isn’t the case.

Gemma and Ben go to the nursery together and end up kissing. Malcolm interrupts with treats. Later, Derek tells Malcolm they need to find out how to get into his old loft. He suggests pulling a home invasion. Malcolm refuses. He has his old door key. They see a poster confirming Agnes and Kenny sing karaoke at the pub every night. They agree to sneak in when Kenny and Agnes are out. Malcolm convinces Ben to tag along. Gemma tells Xander (Arian Nik) and Cherry about Ben. Malcolm and the others go inside the residence and look around. Ben learns that other people live there, but Derek prevents him from leaving. He’s told they’ll be okay as long as they don’t break anything but he does. Ben gets a piece of glass stuck in his hand so Malcolm yanks it out. Ben starts bleeding everywhere.

Malcolm rushes him up the stairs so they can get the boxes. Xander tells Gemma she can’t have a relationship with Ben because he’s got a family. He didn’t think that’s who she was. Gemma tells him to get out. Once he leaves, Cherry suspects Gemma must know what that was about. In the loft, Malcolm tells Ben about being a father and how it can be awful. Soon, they hear voices downstairs so they rush to pull up the ladder and hide. Gemma calls Malcolm and learns they’re stuck in the loft at the old house. Gemma suspects they’re in trouble. She says she’s coming over. Cherry knocks on the door while Gemma pretends she’s in labor. Agnes and Kenny come outside and try to get rid of Gemma. However, Agnes tries to get her inside. Derek tries to kill Ben because he’s having a panic attack. Agnes finds the bloody vase.

Derek pushes Ben and his leg falls through the ceiling. Later, Ben and Gemma talk about it. Ben says a flat is ready for Gemma next month. He agrees to pay for it forever. Ben would visit every other weekend. Malcolm hides and overhears them talking about Ben and his wife. Ben admits he doesn’t think this is good enough for his baby. He’s offering her a way out. Malcolm gets involved and asks Ben to leave. Malcolm gets rid of him and begins comforting Gemma. They look through their old belongings. Malcolm visits Catherine at the prison and cries that he failed her as a father. She tells him to shut up. He shows her the dolly he got for her. Catherine breaks its head off and says there’s nothing in there. She was expecting drugs.

 

Daddy Issues Review

The fifth episode of Daddy Issues was on par with the fourth although a little dumber. There is a good chance that some people will enjoy the series for its rash, unbelievable humor. Others may not find it corny and over-the-top. The attempts at humor rarely work here.

As for the rest of the story, there are moments where Gemma and Malcolm work well together. Everything else is blatantly predictable, especially what happened with Ben. We could see where Xander and Gemma’s relationship was going the moment he bought her coffee. Truthfully, everything about this episode was really stupid, especially the break-in.

The cast is really struggling to prevent this from breaking apart at the seams, but the writing just keeps deteriorating from episode to episode. The overall lack of surprise here really eliminates any reason to keep returning because we all know where it’s going and the ride to get there hasn’t been particularly thrilling.

The episode scores a 4 out of 10. Recaps of Daddy Issues can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. See what others are saying at this link.