Welcome back to the latest recap for The Valley. Last time, Lala marked her seventh sober anniversary while also mourning the passing of her beloved dog. And Kristen and Janet failed to make amends. Shocker! Here’s what happened in The Valley Season 3 Episode 17: “Guilt Tripping.”
What happened in The Valley Season 3 Episode 17?
Michelle and Jesse signed their divorce papers, while Luke and Kristen began couples counseling. Meanwhile, Brittany and Zack had a disagreement at Chili’s. And Kristen revealed that Nia guilt-trips Zack.
Zack and Benji discuss the future in The Valley
Zack and Benji dissected their recent meeting with an immigration attorney. While the attorney said there were “a lot of options,” none would be considered “a slam dunk.” Benji feels like his “life is on hold” because of his Visa problems.
“Well, if we get married, then you can apply for that temporary work thing, and then do the green card and go through that process,” Zack said. An emotional Zack added that he doesn’t want to marry Benji and later decide that he doesn’t want children.
“I do want to have like a hard deadline to start the process of surrogacy,” Benji responded. When Zack said he would like “a year” to think it over, Benji called his boyfriend’s comment “a little unsettling.” Benji added, “Kids are a non-negotiable” and urged Zack to “do some soul-searching.”
Michelle and Jesse close a chapter in The Valley
Elsewhere, Michelle went to Jesse’s house to finally sign their divorce papers. “Two seconds to get a license at the courthouse, and two years, four days to get divorced,” Jesse stated. Finally, they signed the paperwork.
“Today marks the end of an era with Michelle and I. All terms of the divorce have been agreed upon,” Jesse said in his confessional. “But we’re always going to be family together ’cause we have Isabella.”
It was an emotional moment, and Jesse brought out some champagne. “To a new chapter, the end of this story, but we are together forever because of Isabella,” Jesse said in his toast. “So, not a celebration of this, but a celebration of a new chapter, and of her.” They clinked glasses, and Michelle said, “Yeah, we have a special little girl.”
A teary-eyed Jesse revealed in his talking head that in his garage, he has a box containing every card that the former couple ever gave each other. “The most important thing is that she realizes one day that she was made out of love,” Jesse said. Aww!
Later, Michelle, Lala, Schwartz, and his girlfriend, Kiana Carroll, hit up a floating tiki bar. Schwartz had already given Kiana a key to his place. Then, Schwartz revealed that when the guys went to visit Danny before his operation, Jesse was “empathizing” with Janet and explained how she was dealing with a past trauma.
“I think it rubbed Danny and Luke the wrong way,” Schwartz stated. “I had lunch with Doute. She was so dismissive, too,” Schwartz said.
“I want to believe that if Kristen knew, that she would have an open heart,” Lala told the group. “Very disappointed in a lot of people.”
A tense moment for Kristen and Luke in The Valley
Luke and Kristen visited a psychologist for their first couple’s session. Kristen admitted that she thought Luke “would really want to be around” after she gave birth. “I definitely felt very lonely … because I felt like I got way more criticism than anything from her, and I wasn’t able to go do the things I like to do,” Luke explained.
Naturally, Kristen asked Luke how he felt about marrying her. He expressed concerns about other couples in their friend group getting divorced. Plus, he cited “built-up frustrations.”
“When you got down on one knee in the most beautiful way and proposed to me before we got pregnant with our daughter, none of that was of topic,” Kristen stated. “And pregnant Kristen’s someone I hadn’t met yet,” Luke replied. Yikes! The psychologist said, “That was a big thing to say.”
“I have gone through some like depressive times, and my mind has been like, ‘Did I f*ck up?’” Luke explained. In her talking head, Kristen said, “That was a gut punch. We just continue to be the best parents to Kaia, and try to rebuild our relationship.”
Right away, Luke apologized to Kristen. And she shared that she wanted to hold off on a second baby until she had a better grasp of what pregnancy does to her body and her emotions.
Brittany calls out Zack in The Valley
It was time to enjoy some chill time at Chili’s. Just kidding! This crew is never chill.
Janet planned the lunch but chose not to invite Kristen and Nia. Instead, she invited Lacy! Zack revealed that when he drove Danny home from his vasectomy, he remembered everything that he said to Lala in Mexico. “Hopefully, Daniel will be on his best behavior since being neutered,” Lala remarked.
“I feel like we’re giving this guy a lot of grace, and it’s hard, selfishly, for me to watch this because I made a mistake last year,” Janet said. “And I’ve gotten zero grace from it.”
Zack couldn’t hide his frustration. “I thought we had moved past this, but I guess we haven’t,” he stated. Michelle felt that Danny needed “to apologize and not ever do it again” to end this merry-go-round of drama. Then, Brittany chimed in. “But let’s think about how you treated Janet for so long,” she said, before adding, “how this whole group…”
“We should really watch where we go with this conversation,” Zack said. “Am I not allowed to talk? I can’t say anything,” Brittany fired back.
She sounded off in her talking head about her friendship with Zack. “And you’re going to automatically dismiss my feelings or not believe the things that I’m saying are truthful?” Brittany remarked. “This is not my Kentucky Zack anymore.”
Meanwhile, Zack excused himself and suffered an unfortunate bathroom incident while trying to pee. It cost him his underwear and his dignity.
Who did Kristen throw under the bus?
Kristen and Lala accompanied Brittany to a photo shoot to celebrate her new body. When Brittany brought up the Chili’s lunch, Kristen admitted that she knew about it.
Brittany pointed out that Zack and Jasmine had moved on, and “even Lacy” showed up. “Lacy was on the phone with me until she walked in the door of Chili’s, having a f*cking meltdown about the fact that she had to be around Janet,” Kristen said. She added that “Zack talks sh*t about Janet” constantly.
According to Kristen, she told Zack to be friends with Janet if he wanted to, but he has no desire to be Janet’s bestie. “Maybe you’re guilt-tripping Zack,” Brittany remarked. “I do not lay guilt trips on Zack ever. Nia does,” Kristen responded. “I do not.”
Both Lala and Brittany felt that their suspicions about Nia were justified. “I feel like Nia’s like, the mob boss. Nia’s hands are always clean, and Kristen’s are always dirty,” Lala commented in her confessional.
Of course, Kristen tried to downplay her remark about Nia. “Zack comes to Nia and I in group chats all the time running his mouth about Janet,” Kristen stated.
Later, Lala went to visit Kristen and discussed Janet’s past trauma. While Lala didn’t give any details, she told Kristen, “I know that if you were to hear it, because I know you, it would hit you pretty hard.”
In her talking head, Kristen said, “So, I feel empathy for any woman who’s gone through something like that. But Janet having trauma has nothing to do with why Janet and I are not friends.”
Lala urged Kristen to “look at Janet separately” from the situation with Danny. “I don’t need to know what her story is to believe that she has a story,” Kristen stated.
The Valley airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo. Episodes will stream on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE VALLEY SEASON 3 EPISODE 17? HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE WAY THAT JESSE AND MICHELLE TURNED THE PAGE?