The Other Way; S4, EP 7

Nicole & Soo MaaaachMood:

Nicole and Muckmewd were still so maaach mad at each other from last week’s big fight. Maaachmood tried to smooth things over with a million “honey I luv yeeews”, though Nicole stayed mad….and yet, still stayed. She somehow didn’t seem to understand their fighting was all due to deeply ingrained cultural and religious differences that Machmood had no plans to change. Meanwhile, Mom-mood sat on the couch, blatantly staring at the fighting couple, using her phone to call up the extended family and give them the play-by-play(They don’t have a lot of reality tv in Morocco, so this is the alternative.She calls it The Real Housewives of Machmood” or “RHWOM”). 
Luckily the couple were able to put their differences aside to attend the big meeting with the elusive Uncle Machmood; The Godfather of clothing manufacturing. Nicole changed into her Pepto-pink power suit for the occasion, putting a temporary “pause” on her dress code rage. 

They met with Uncle Machmoodlighting in his living room, along with a few other cloaked female relatives. Nicole showed off some of her most fashionable sketches to the Godfather himself, which appeared to be well received. Unlike Nicole, Uncle-mood was a big fan of modest-wear, so much so that he was unable to focus on the business side of things and could only concentrate on Nicole’s outfit. He questioned Machmoody as to why Nicole had been able to take off her head scarf and showcase her He-Man haircut, as she was now supposed to be a married Muslim. While Nicole sat there with her usual “deer in headlights” look, the two men discussed back and forth the best way to ease her into compliance with their dress code and lifestyle. Of course this is not going to sit well with Nicole, who was already starting to question her new faith, due to lack of outfit options. Previews for next week show her becoming an Egyptian swimsuit model, which looks to be a good time! She’s going to save sooo maaach money on sunscreen…

Gabe & Isabel:

Gabe was randomly playing basketball in Colombia with his friend, Trey, who lives in the same apartment complex. Tall Trey looked Shaq-sized next to Gabe, as the two chatted while they unsuccessfully shot hoops. Gabe let Trey know that he planned to propose to Isabel soon, despite the fact that he had not yet bought a ring. Trey was leery of Gabe’s decision, as it seems that Isabel isn’t his biggest fan, and is apparently very jealous and controlling. Gabe explained how he wanted to go old school and ask for her parents permission before proposing, but worried how they would feel once he told them he was trans. Apparently Trey was also out of the loop on the trans situation himself, looking shocked by the revelation. 
Later on, Gabe and Isabel went to yet another fun restaurant to have dinner with friends. Gabe had invited Trey, while Isabel invited her bestie with the tatuajes en la cara (That’s “face tattoos”, Kenny, and mostly they’re on prisoners. Don’t go to prison in Mexico, Kenny.. You wouldn’t last 5 minutos). When Trey arrived at the table, Isabel became instantly annoyed, claiming she feels he is a womanizer and a bad influence on Gabito. Gabe tried to subtly hint towards Trey not to mention they were members of the “Frequent Diners” club of this particular establishment, as it seems to be a hotspot for American expats, and Isabel gets soo maaach jealous/ worried Gabe will meet someone else. Gabe brought up the topic of revealing his true self to Isabel’s parents (well, not in a “revealing” way…. that would really up the awkward factor). He worried that they would be unaccepting due to their religion and Machismo culture. Trey and Tattoo-Lou seemed to agree that getting Father Isabel’s blessing may be a bit of a challenge. On a scale from 1- Mother Summitt, it’s looking like a 6. 

The next morning they packed up the kids and family’s pet turtle into the car and headed off to Isabel’s old stomping grounds. They were greeted warmly by the Parent’s Isabel, who seemed to have really taken a shine to Gabe. Over family dinner, Gabe tried to feel out Father Isabel’s reaction to a possible proposal, asking what qualities he would want Isabel’s future husband to possess. Though “bottom surgery” was not on the list of attributes, most of the other features discussed described Gabe perfectly. He took a deep breath, contemplating how he was going to tell the parents, as they all ate their arroz con pollo (that’s “chicken with rice, Kenny, and stop making “yucky” faces, you’ve been in Mexico for like 10 years now. Get with the program).

Jen & Rishi:

It’s apparently purple day in India (everyone was wearing purple, probably even Mother Sumitch as she sits somewhere hating her life) as Jen(ny) and Rish(eet) were headed to an old looking temple of sorts to sit and discuss their issues…….amongst an audience of homeless cows, pigs and monkeys. And feces. 
After last week’s “wife training” session, Jen realized she may not be cut out to be a traditional Indian bride after all… who knew?!
Seeing as how this living arrangement style was not going to work for her, Jen asked Rishi if he felt they could move out on their own after they were married. Rishi explained that it would just be easier if Jen joined his already bustling household (file that under “things you should have talked about while long distance for 2 years”). 
Ultimately Rishi agreed to talk to his family by the Summer time, hoping to ease them into the idea of living separately. He did not, however, mention the year of said Summertime- a loophole which will come back to haunt Jen later. He assured Jen that even if his family had an issue with their relationship, he would still stand by her side (and he said all of this while wearing some kind of purple sleeve thing on his head that looked like he was in the middle of getting dressed and got distracted and never fully finished)
After the big talk, she went down to an immigration lawyer’s office to discuss some options. She basically needed the “Sommeet-cold-feet” package (as they call it in India), which allows her to travel to another neighboring country instead of all the way back to the U.S., until she’s allowed to come back on her Visa in hopes that her Indian boyfriend will have come around. The lawyers dropped the bad news that the particular Visa Jen had used is “single entry” only, meaning that she would not be able to return to India without going home and reapplying for a whole new one. Jen (who previously mentioned she had 2 Masters degrees) somehow neglected to read the fine print, and was confused on how to proceed. She was informed that getting married ASAP would be a help to the cause, but she at least had enough sense to admit that now wasn’t the right time. 

The next day she went to meet up with Rishi on a random street corner where a man was getting an outdoor haircut (no cows were seen, but that’s not to say one couldn’t wander up and ruin your haircut). Rishi was waiting on the sidewalk, drinking his chai (which was poured by a guy who looked a littttttle too maaach Summit-ish. I think he snuck in). He greeted Jen with a “How’s you?” (which I’m personally planning on adapting to my repertoire), though was quick to find that the answer was… not soo mach good. Jen explained her inability to read the terms of her Visa properly, which now means she will have to leave in a week with no return in sight. Rishi was visibly upset, claiming that he would try to talk with his family sooner in order to try and make things work. (A lot of times when people are upset, they decide to get a drastic haircut. Rishi could do this only a few steps away from the street on the sidewalk, but he better save those curly oniony locks if he’s possibly going to return to his status of “Jaipur’s most eligible bachelor”). 

Debbie & Oussama:

The unlikely couple headed back from the airport and enjoyed being in each other’s company. They decided to stay a few days in the larger city of Rabat before heading home so Debbie could “Meet the parents”, of whom she was probably older than. As they drove on, Oussama explained he would like Debbie to act like “Half of a Moroccan woman” (which half, he did not elaborate). He expects her to learn how to cook and clean like all the other kids’ wives, along with refraining from drinking any alcohol in the home. Debbie seemed put off by the sound of what is to be her new reality (mainly the lack of wine and takeout), but was still excited to be with her human “Ren & Stimpy” character. 

They arrived at their hotel which was a hidden gem inside the city, filled with plants, flowers and lots of charms. As per Morocco’s rules, they made sure to get two separate hotel rooms, since they were not yet married. 
The two prepared separately for their first dinner together in Morocco, with Debbie putting on her 20 lb golden lion necklace to add that “wow” factor. She appeared in front of Ousama in a tie-dye caftan, like some kind of magical trippy fairy. 
Debbie brought up the logistics of the next leg of their adventure, asking how long they would be staying with the Family Oussama before traveling back to the city of Rabat to look for an apartment. Oussama felt it would be best for them to stay down on the family farm for a month or two, until Debbie inevitably went back to the US. Of course this was confusing to Debbie, who packed all of her many jewels and best caftans with the idea that she was making the move to Morocco for good. O-man, however, seemed to be backtracking, explaining that he wanted to use this trip to feel things out and spend time together in “reality” (a place I’m guessing neither of them tends to frequent). Debbie was furious, feeling misled by her 24 year old counterpart, as she sashayed off into her private quarters. Though there is trouble in Morocco, previews do show the two riding a camel. This one looks to be a bumpy ride in all ways possible

Kris & Jeymi:

So this week Kris was still laid up in bed, in pain, and unable to accompany Jeymi to dinner with her 2 besties. Unfortunately Jeymi had to go solo, and her friends were spared the pleasure of meeting Kris and her nunchucks, as she stayed back to “detox” from the stress and pain of it all…

Once at the restaurant, Jeymi filled the guys in on all of the drama with Kris including but not limited to her neck/back pain and sudden need to leave the country. Immediately the Friends Jeymi picked up on the weirdness of the situation, feeling that Kris was getting cold feet aside from all of her other ailments. Jeymi admitted that she had her doubts about Kris’s ability to return to Colombia after her brief stint home, as she had “ghosted” her in the past. (Meanwhile, is anyone else wondering how Kris can travel if she’s in so much pain that she’s unable to get into a cab?!) Previews for next week look like a wedding may actually be taking place for these two! I hope the best friends/makeup artists are able to work some magic on Kris’s eyebrows..