As the episode begins, we see Hannah (Nicola Walker) in the swimming pool with Christie (Barry Atsma). We jump home and see Hannah and Nathan (Stephen Mangan) speaking with the kids. Hannah has been reading a book because of work. Vinnie tells them about the sexual actions that take place in the book causing Nathan to say their kids need policing and it is Hannah’s turn. Nathan says Hannah was out late last night before Christie calls. Hannah doesn’t answer. When Nathan leaves the room, Hannah changes Christie’s name in her phone to Grayling. We see that Nina (Annabel Scholey) has had a rough night. She is still coming to grips with the loss of her boyfriend and such.

Meanwhile, Rose (Fiona Button) says at home and chats with James (Rudi Dharmalingam). James tells her that they can try again but Rose wants that baby. Ruth (Deborah Findlay) enters and asks about her wardrobe since she is going to the university. Once she leaves, James tells Rose that they have to move out. We jump over to the Hansen house. Richie (Ben Bailey Smith) begins giving Fi orders so she writes them down in her smartphone. He doesn’t want her to hold the book club meeting and he ridicules the outfit she is wearing. On her way to work, Hannah receives a call from Fi (Donna Air) who says she can’t come to their meeting. Richie has her on complete lockdown.

Fi is forced to change the conversation when Richie enters the room. Hannah and Fi arrange to meet at the book club before the conversation ends. Hannah meets with Christie in the elevator and Maggie (Ellora Torchia) joins them seconds later. Both say that Hannah looks tired. Hannah gets off of the elevator and speaks with Nina who is upset Zander (Chukwudi Iwuji) didn’t ask her to do a prenup. They begin speaking about the book Hannah is reading and The Affair. Nina doesn’t like it but Maggie does. Nina notices the flowers nearby and checks the card from Grayling. Hannah makes an excuse for the flowers with Chrisite right behind her. She tells Nina that she can take the flowers. Hannah tells Christie she would only like lilies if she died.

They agree to speak at lunch before Hannah speaks with her clients Misty (Frances Barber) and Jack Brodeur (David Coburn). Maggie escorted Jack to a waiting area while Misty tells Hannah about the dog he gave her. The petition has been draft. Misty chats about the book and says her biggest mistake was becoming a wife. She goes on to say that those having an affair always get caught in the end because of their guilt. Jack interrupts with the intention of taking the dog. He pleads with Misty to come with her. Nina tries to get in touch with Rose to schedule lunch together. Tyler finds Hannah struggling to keep her books upright. He asks her about the Carlton divorce and if it ever went to court. She tells him they were married for 28 years and it went to mediation.

He doesn’t believe she should’ve dedicated so much time to the case. He wants to speak with Nina next. When they leave, Hannah gets an email from Fi that contains her complaints against Richie. Hannah tracks down Zander and tells him about their relationship. It used to be a producer and artist relationship but that changed as the brand was built up. The media has been running rumors about an affair between Richie and the nanny. Fi has confirmed that and she is scared. Hannah explains they’ll want to keep it out of court and the press. Christie offers assistance. Hannah wants Nathan to be involved since he believes Richie’s attorney will be very aggressive.

Chloe shows up at Nathan’s office. He shows her where she finds her desk but it is covered with paperwork. She doesn’t believe she was Nathan’s first choice but she is glad he is taking her on. They prepare to take their first case together while Ruth heads to the school. She quickly gets involved in the role-playing session. She gives the students advice for dealing with clients who want a divorce. Once that ends, she speaks with Ronny. Maggie asks Hannah if they can go through a case but Hannah can’t because she has to go to lunch on the other side of town. She goes to lunch with Christie and he wonders what this would be every day. He says it is an alternative to sleeping around but suggesting they go to Paris.

She tells him not to call her when she is with her kids. She also doesn’t want him to stare like that when other people are around because she isn’t ready to give them up yet. She confesses she wonders what it would’ve been like if it was Christie and not Nathan. She receives a call from Nina and a voicemail. She grabs Christie’s leg and he grabs her hand in return. Nina and Rose meet up. Rose is trying to find a flat and she says everyone is jealous. Rose confides in Nina that she is no longer pregnant so Nina tries to comfort her. Ruth continues her conversation with Ronny. They chat about the girls and other things. Christie and Hannah run into Nathan and Chloe. Nathan learns that they’re interested in bringing him in to help with the Fi Hansen case.

When that ends and Hannah returns to work, Nina tells her about Rose and pleads for help dealing with that. Hannah immediately calls Rose and tries to give her encouragement. We see Richie at work. A woman tells him that the nanny is going to speak despite the NDA. Richie gets mad, grabs her wrist, and tells her to fix that. Maggie tells Hannah that they’re heading out and that Misty is in reception. Christie enters and tells Hannah that the Hansen nanny is speaking with the papers. After everyone leaves, Misty tells Hannah that Jack has smoothed things over with her so they’re not going to get divorced. Meanwhile, Nathan drinks and chats with Chloe and many others. He gets a call from Hannah and tells her he is only staying for one drink.

He learns she is going to Fi’s book club. When the call ends, Fi invites her inside. Hannah chats with the others and tells them why she likes The Marriage book. In private, she tells Fi that the nanny has given a tabloid interview. She explains it is going to come out one way or another and it could be damaging to her and the kids. She suggests they need to act quickly before Richie walks through the door. Hannah makes an effort to leave. Before she does, she tells Fi she’ll tell her as soon as she gets anything. Richie interrupts and tells Hannah that he got the kicks for Nathan. She watches as Richie places a lot of pressure on Fi’s pinky finger. During this time, Nina and Christie drink with Maggie, Zander, and Tyler.

Nina mentions that Maggie was not Hannah’s first choice. When Hannah returns home, she finds that Nathan is still awake. He has caught Liv (Elizabeth Roberts) with a joint so they smoke it together. They smoke and chat about Hannah being late several nights in a row. He says Richie might not be a creepy and that Hannah doesn’t like men except for Christie. He can’t remember the last time they had lunch together so he suggests they spent more time together. When they head back inside, Nathan reminds her that she left her swimsuit when she said she was going to the gym. It takes her a bit but she claims she didn’t go to the gym in the end. She worked late. They agree they need to be in more evenings.

Nathan admits he didn’t think about his actions hurting anyone. He didn’t care and he has a hard time forgiving himself for that. He didn’t know he was capable of that but he believes everyone is. In the morning, they chat with Liv about the marijuana. She claims this is the type of stuff they don’t talk to their parents about and claims parents have stuff they don’t talk to their kids about. She brings up the stuff she found online about Nathan and the affair website. Liv asks for it back but soon finds out it has been burned. Later, Maggie confronts Hannah about not choosing her first. She wants to make sure they’re okay and that she has proven her worth. She says there is no file for Grayling so it would be a good idea to have one in case anyone asks. Hannah says she’ll speak to Zander about getting Maggie more before she leaves and Christie enters.

He gives her a transcript of the interview and it is pretty bad. Christie is not happy that Hannah didn’t thank him. She sits down with Fi Hansen after that. They go through the interview transcript together. Hannah reads the list Fi made earlier too. She says she wants Fi to be protected when she is ready to get out while Richie calls twice. Fi admits she wants Hannah to help her get out of the marriage so Hannah says it is time. Tyler tells Nina he hopes they won’t have any problems since she is often late and such. He asks her if she is in AA and suggests it might be worth thinking about. Ruth and Christie chat with Zander about Tyler’s assets. Ruth is surprised he hasn’t obtained more. Ruth and Christie wonder if he is lying about his assets.

After that, Ruth makes sure Christie got the invite to the upcoming anniversary party for Hannah and Nathan. They agree to run a credit search or two on Tyler. James lays down with Rose. Maggie tells Hannah that they received a call from Jack’s lawyer and he wants them to send the marriage certificate direct. He claims he is going to get it from Misty when she arrives in Paris. They’re worried Jack is going to start divorce proceedings in Paris so Hannah tries to contact Misty right away. She orders Maggie to find out which train she took. Maggie finds out and tells Hannah immediately. Nina is shown shoplifting clothes at a nearby store. She is stopped by a security guard who wants to look in her bag.

Hannah makes it to Misty and asks for the marriage certificate. Misty learns that Jack wants to serve her with divorce papers in Paris and that could result in her getting next to nothing. She gives Hannah the paperwork and leaves for Paris with Jack. Liv returns home and finds the Fox near their rabbit hutch. She also finds the rest of the joint. Fi tries to continue on as if nothing happened. She tells Richie she wants a divorce before going out on stage together. Next, Hannah and Christie chat on the rooftop. He confesses he can’t stop looking at her and giving her flowers. He wonders what they’re doing if she doesn’t want that. Christie says he only loves Hannah. He says he stayed because she asked him not to leave. She did because she needed to know if she had made a mistake.

Nina calls her and interrupts that conversation. Christie pleads with her not to answer the phone for once but she does anyway. She finds out that Nina has been arrested and an angry Christie leaves moments later.

 

The Split Review

I really like this show. It is downright depressing most of the time but I enjoy the story and characters. I think it’ll hit home for a lot of people since many will go through similar situations. It seems the Hannah and Christie relationship has hit a rough patch while Nathan is trying to come to grips with his mistake. It is tough not to feel sorry for the majority of characters here and they continue making things worse for themselves. Nina has been caught shoplifting and that is going to create more problems for her at work.

Tyler must be lying about his assets. I am wondering if Chloe is going to try to convince Nathan to have a relationship with her. Who knows? This show could go in so many directions and that makes it exciting. This episode was very entertaining. It scores an 8 out of 10. Previous recaps of The Split are available on Reel Mockery.