At the beginning of the episode, Benjamin Greene (Ben Barnes) and Julia Day (Julia Ormond) go window shopping for rings. Julia tells Ben that he doesn’t need to buy her a ring but he jokes that he wants to make sure everyone knows she belongs to him. When they turn around, they spot Marsha (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and Ted (Alex Jennings) on a run. They speak briefly before Ted watches Ben and Julia kiss from a distance. That night, Julia looks through photos from her previous wedding. Then, she speaks with Ben in bed. He tells her that he wants to marry her because he loves her. In the morning, Ted goes for a bike ride while Julia and Ben wait for the kids to arrive.

Ben suggests that she might be surprised by their reaction. Patrick (Sebastian Armesto) and Eimear (Yasmine Akram) are the first to arrive. Leo (Archie Renaux) comes outside to greet the arrivals. Patrick makes a comment about the couple’s poor old Volvo before using the phone. Julia shows Della (Jemima Rooper) to her room. Julia tells Della about Ben going back to school to get his master’s and her paying for it. Back downstairs, Patrick and the others prepare to play Monopoly. Eimear warns Ben that it is going to be a blood sport. She explains that she prefers sitting back and watching them tear themselves to shreds.

While Eimear changes her baby’s diaper, she speaks with Julia about Patrick’s job and other things. She tells Julia that she hopes her relationship is worth all the aggro. Next, Julia heads outside and overhears Ben speaking with Ali on the phone. He tells her about moving in with Julia before the call ends. He tells Julia that she seemed gutted by the news. Then, everyone heads inside for dinner. They chat about Leo being unable to find shifts at work before Ben gets more wine for Patrick’s wife. Patrick gets up and interrupts before Julia tells everyone about getting married. Leo is not happy and he wants to know about dad since they’ve only been decided for a few months.

Julia tells her kids that they likely won’t set a date for a long time. Leo claps and says very good, man of the house. Della says she doesn’t understand why anyone gets married. Later, Ben says he is grateful that he doesn’t have any family. He is glad that they can console each other now that the worst is over. In the morning, Julia goes out for a turkey and leaves a note. Meanwhile, Marsha tells Ted that Julia is there. Julia tells him about the proposal and Ted tries to convince her otherwise. He suspects that Ben wants to marry her for her money. After Ted checks her ring, she tells him that she didn’t come to get his approval. He believes she is only trying to get revenge on him.

He says it would be cheaper and easier for her to admit she is still in love with him. She says she would’ve never said yes if she had known who he really was. Julia returns home and blows the horn outside until the kids rush out. She goes off on them and says they’re getting married and it is that simple. She says it is not going to be a long engagement and she only said that to lessen their pain. She wants them to keep their mouths shut going forward. Julia goes inside with the turkey before Della follows her inside and says that was very cool. Della explains she is weird about commitments so she didn’t congratulate her or give her a hug.

Marsha finds Ted doing pull-ups at home. She interrupts and finds out about the marriage. She suspects that Ted is upset but he denies it. Moments later, Ted has sex with Marsha and he is very rough with her. After that, he gets a call from Leo who tells him about the engagement. Ted thanks him and says Leo always has his back. When the call ends, Ted heads online and checks out the couple on social media. Ted speaks with Cali (Karla-Simone Spence) before giving her 50 bucks to stay away from home later that night. Ted waits for Marsha to arrive home before they share a romantic dinner.

Ted finds the opportunity to get on his knee to propose to Marsha. He is surprised when she refuses the offer and tells him to get up. She doesn’t accept his offer because his timing is suspicious. Ted ends up spending the night alone. He drinks until he passes out on the table. In the morning, he heads outside and hides the bag of bottles in the back of his vehicle. Marsha returns home and Ted asks her where she went but she doesn’t answer. Ted admits he can see why it looked bad and that it was a poor decision. They agree to cooperate for Christmas but Marsha isn’t sure after that. Meanwhile, the kids leave Julia’s house and head toward Ted’s place. Ben asks Julia if she came from Ted’s when she went off on her kids. She says the two aren’t related but Ben doesn’t believe it. He doesn’t think she is marrying him for the right reason.

Ted finds Marsha on the phone before getting dressed as Santa. Patrick and the others arrive moments later. That chat with Cali about her education and other things before Santa gives Patrick’s daughter a new, pink bicycle. He gets out of the outfit and watches her ride the bike moments later. Julia finds Ben sleeping on the couch so she wakes him up and surprises him with jewelry. She says she wants this. We jump back to Ted and he sees Della in his workout room. She is speaking on the phone with someone. The call ends before Della says she is admiring his gym. He wants to know how her life is going but Della doesn’t want to talk about it. Ted says he has something to tell them. The kids come together and they discuss Benjamin.

Ted finds out about the eviction and he believes he can talk some sense into Julia. He goes on to say that Ben is going to take their inheritance and half of the house which he worked his entire career to pay off. Ted says he just wants everyone to be protected from Ben. The kids leave while Marsha dances to music with Cali nearby. Ted leaves to pick up his mother since Marsha believes she would prefer to meet him alone. Along the way, he finds a place to get rid of the beer bottles. He finds his mother and helps her put on her necklace. He is surprised when his mother says she is not coming. She doesn’t want to pretend everything is normal when it isn’t. She isn’t interested in seeing that dreadful woman either.

She tells Ted she is going to Julia’s for Christmas. Ted tells her about Julia getting married to Benjamin and she gives them her good wishes. Later, Julia, Ben, and the others go for a walk through the nearby hillside. Patrick speaks to his mother in private. He grabs her hand and she remembers an event from the past. He gives her something to read. She finds out that it is a prenuptial agreement and she begins laughing. She says she is going to pretend that didn’t happen and she believes Ted put her up to it. Patrick says Ted didn’t and he wants her to be protected. She doesn’t want to ask Ben to sign that since it would say she doesn’t trust him. He says he needs his mother to do this at least for him but she says that isn’t fair.

Ted goes to church before taking his mom to Julia’s place. He gives Ben her luggage and watches Julia take his mother inside. Ben offers him in for a drink. Ted tells Ben that it is his house but Ben says it isn’t anymore. The door is shut in Ted’s face. Julia follows him outside and says it wasn’t her idea to have his mother join them for Christmas. Ted approaches and kisses her. We see another flashback of a young Julia before she looks over the prenuptial agreement and tries to sign Ben’s name without his knowledge.

 

Gold Digger Review

I think Gold Digger would be better with fewer episodes and a faster pace. Still, the story is fairly interesting and I can sympathize with most of the characters. It is easy to see where everyone is coming from. Why wouldn’t Patrick and Leo be concerned for their mother? It is tough to trust Ben and it seems Julia might be moving forward with the marriage to prove people wrong. There are only two episodes left so I am eager to see what happens in the end.

However, I am concerned that they’re going to drag the story into another season. I would prefer they wrap things up or at least wrap most things up this season. The episode was entertaining but I am not sure it was necessary. It scores a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of Gold Digger can be found on Reel Mockery.