The Other Way; S2, EP 21

Jenny & Smett:

Jenny is still blubbering from last week over her slip of the tongue, as she told trickortreatsmellmySmeet’s brother and sister in law about their upcoming wedding plans. Smit’s brother, Ovenmit, tried to convince him to tell the parents Sueme about the wedding plans before he went home and told them himself (Seems like he’s trying hard to be the favorite child, but he’s definitely in the lead) . Ovenmit and his wife, Shreelanka bring up the point that things will be worse with their parents if they find out about the wedding after the fact, especially if they find out from someone else. After hearing all of this, Jenny and Smee agree to talk to the parents Sumitch together to let them know about the wedding, and hoping they might change their tune.
The game plan was for SueMe’s parents to come see the new house, get the grand tour, and then be hit with the wedding news. Jenny worked hard in the kitchen preparing some eats for Someeat, as she awaited their arrival. The couple scrambled to finish swiffering the floor and putting away any “dominating” accessories that might not be mom and dad appropriate. The parents Smee arrived into town in what appeared to be a large roller skate disguised as a taxi, already in a bad mood, with their minds made up about Jenny.
As they came in, Jenny tried to welcome them with her best “Namaste”, though Soomeet’s mother was more like “Nah, ma gunna stay over here”. The parents didn’t waste any time telling their son that they planned on taking him home with them, and that he’s no longer allowed to play house with his American Elder. Steemheat let them in on the news that he figured out a way of marrying Jenny, despite their objections, and was hoping they could put aside their feelings and just be happy for him, since he claims to be very happy. Unfortunately, mother Smit believes there is only one law in India -her law…and she’s the new Sheriff in town, so get into the toy cab- you’re coming home. (This segment alone secured the mother and son duo a spot on next season’s “I love a Mama’s Boy”, giving ShishKabob’s mother a run for her money)
Now, I am unable to repeat all of the one liners from the Parents StoogeMe, as there were so many amazing ones to choose from. I will say that the highlights were including but not limited to; “Why don’t you find another oldie?”” Why don’t you marry a 100 year old?”” This is a couple?!?!”” She’s making your hair grey because she’s old”. Sumofit tried to combat their comments, begging them to be happy for his happiness and accept his love of the elderly, but they (especially dear old mom) would not budge. 

If the conversation doesn’t turn, they could always try calling up Yazan’s father to put a hit on him..…

Brittany & Yazan:

Brittany, her friend Angela, Yazan and their new friend the translator, sat down at a super cute cafe to get a better understanding of the situation at hand. The translator started by speaking for Yazan, explaining that Yazan wants to marry The Brittany despite the fact that she does not want to convert to Islam and will even go to his parents to tell them about the marriage (It must be pointed out that the translator was repeating Yazan’s words verbatim, and it sounded like he was confessing his love to Brittany personally. Not sure what the protocol is for this, but he could have at least done finger quotes or something. Also, who pays for the translator’s food? Is it included in this fee? So many questions…) Yazan further explains via translator that he is willing to sacrifice everything to marry her, and that he will most likely be disowned…. But no pressure. Brittany acted as though this was a new development, though this is like the 5th episode of this storyline and if we all knew about it, she should have too. She claimed to need more time to process this news, before making her decision to marry him and move forward.( I mean the fact that they needed a third party translator to talk about their relationship issues should be some sort of sign, but I digress…) Brittany then claims she wanted to speak with Yazan’s brother to get an outside opinion on the relationship, still contemplating if Yazan is “tricking her” into marriage, and technically signing his own death warrant.

Next we see Brittany’s friend Angela looking pretty excited to be heading home and not having to be the third wheel on this hot mess express. During their last few moments of their Jordanian “girls’ trip”, Brittany explains to Angela that she was overwhelmed by all of the sacrifices that Yazan has made with his parents in the name of their relationship. She retells Angela about her idea to speak with Yazan’s brother Obaida,(who’s a bit of alright-a), probably secretly hoping he’s down for a little “haram” himself. 

In the last segment, we see Brittany, the translator, and Obaida having a sit down meeting in a scenic pile of ancient ruins to discuss the inside scoop. She started by explaining that she loves Yazan, but does not want to cause problems with their family. Obaida (with his smoulder) tells the translator that the family is having a hard time accepting Yazan’s decision to be with a foreign girl who posts bikini pictures and twerking videos on Instagram. He also informs Brittany about their father’s murder threats, which caused her eyes to produce an unknown salty discharge for the first time this season….and she finally stopped smiling. Obaida felt the crying was a symbol of genuine love (too bad she couldn’t have cried 10 weeks again and we could have skipped all of this…) and he informs Brittany that she just needs to take care of his brother, since now he has no one in his life and everyone hates him. She felt glad that they had this talk, though it left her feeling more confused and pressured than ever. I hope the translator was offered a stiff drink after this job. (Also, I hope they did not pay him with a free haircut from Yazan’s barber shop, because it would be terrible advertising…. Horrible hair.)

Ariela & Baby Daddy Baby:

It’s finally time for the Positive Gangster to head out of town, as she and Ari headed to the airport together and have a little alone time along the way. Ariela’s mom feels that the relationship issues between Ari and her Baby Daddy Baby haven’t really improved since she was last in town, and that the conditions in Ethiopia are a lot harder for her and the baby than they would be back in Joisey. Ariela maintains that she has “happy moments” in Ethiopia with Biniyam and his family, but ultimately is feeling pressured to stay for the sake of their little family of three. She promises to be honest with her mother and herself, and to be open to the idea of coming back to the U.S. if things become too difficult.  

Now that her parents are gone, it’s time for Ariela to prepare for baby Avi’s baptism. Baby Daddy was afraid that Ariela may take off with the baby half way through the ceremony (a valid concern) as she did with the circumcision. Ariela promised to be on her best behavior, as she dressed herself in the traditional garb, accessorizing appropriately for church with her Jewish Star necklace. It appeared that baby Avi was given a friar tuck haircut for the occasion, as he was stripped down naked for his ceremonial dip into the church’s ensuite bath tub, while everyone chanted around him. Ari looked like she was ready to do a snatch and grab as the baby began to cry, but she was kept busy by having a bible shoved into her face. The ceremony was finally over, and they brought the baby of the hour to his after party. Apparently Ethiopia is slightly inspired by Mexico, as it is tradition to roll the newly Baptised baby up in their native injera bread like an adorable little baby burrito (I don’t remember seeing Anne Geddes have a baby in injera bread, but it could be a whole new craze). Biniyam busted out some major moves on the dancefloor, as he and his family rejoiced that the baby will no longer run the risk of going to hell. Ariela seemed to be enjoying this “happy moment”, though next week looks like another freakout is on the horizon.

Deavan & Jihoon:

Deavan was yelling at Jihoon about the messy state of their apartment, as everyone knows it’s always Jihoon’s fault. Realizing that her mother, Elicia, was coming over to see the new place, he stepped it up and cleaned, as he suffers from EP (Elicia phobia). After some inspecting, Elicia gave the new apartment her stamp of approval, recognizing that it was a major upgrade from the last. Meanwhile, I was glad to see that BamBam the puppy was still amongst the living, as he ran to Deavan’s sister, much like any hostage would in that type of situation. 

Jihoon explained to Deaven’s parents that he wanted to partake in the ancient Korean tradition of “Hahm”, which involved giving them a Korean box in exchange for their wedding blessing. Although Deavan’s parents were mostly confused and thought he just wanted to eat ham, they obliged. 

Deavan (who thinks she’s a big shot with her Korean cultural knowledge now that she went to the Korean toilet museum) participated in the ceremony by hiding in the closet. About an hour later, Jihoon and his friends from the picnic (but not the Kpop friend, he was way too cool to be caught dead doing this) showed up wearing some kind of freeze dried squids scotch taped to their faces. Apparently this “Silence of the Squids” mask was to ward off evil spirits. Jihoon also stomped on a “gourd bowl” (whatever the hell that was),and everyone just smiled and nodded. Jihoony presented his in-laws with the Hahm box, and they were shocked to see it was a few tchotchkes instead of the non kosher Honeybaked Ham they thought they were getting. After the box presentation, it was time for Jihoon to search all 400 square feet of the apartment to try and find Deavan (hopefully BamBam is better at hiding). The couple were so happy about how the visit and ceremony went, and Jihoon celebrated by eating his own face-squid (I guess the mask is the ancient Korean version of an edible candy necklace…)

After all of the squid shenanigans, Deavan had a moment alone with her mother to try on her wedding dress, which was actually really pretty with a pink underlay. The two discussed all of the improvements Jihoon has made since the last visit, as well as how far they have come as a couple, especially in the wake of a difficult situation. Elicia seems to approve of their marriage for now, feeling like Deavan seems slightly less miserable than usual.  

Cheesestick & Melyza:

Tim decided that since he is low on funds and Melyza still hates him (albeit slightly less), he’s going to have to go back stateside. Malaria seemed angry that he had made the decision to go back without discussing it with her first, but ffhrifdusjkfhnksdsfdjdh… oh sorry, I feel asleep on the keyboard.

Anyway, he’s moving back to the U.S. so he can work on “coming back to her”, and they’re both worried the other one is going to cheat. Good talk.

Next up, it was time for Tim to pack up his junk and head to the airport. The couple has another excruciating conversation about their relationship status, confessing that they love each other enough to make the distance work. They then had to pack up the tiny car (which Melyza could probably sell in Ethiopia for like $80,000), and head out to the airport. They said their final goodbyes with tears in their eyes, not fully knowing if they will ever see each other again. I wish them all the best…..now get off of my tv.