UnREAL Review: Projection (Season 3 Episode 7)

Owen wins UnREAL Season 3 Episode 7, “Projection.” Graham, hand him the beard trimmer, the watch, the bead bracelet, and the rose — he earns his Everlasting place.

On a show that mixes up different feminism cocktails each week, Owen pours us the strongest and most delicious elixir on “Projection.”

First, he stands up for what he feels and rejects Serena’s decision to be her hometown date. It’s not a put-on emotion or dramatic display. He is communicating from his real emotions, which might be a first for a male on Everlasting.

Owen calls out Serena for keeping Jasper around, even after she learned that Jasper made a $40,000 bet that he would sleep with her first. He spills that good tea, telling her that she is willing to forgive Jasper because they have the same wealthy, fancy background.

This is feminism. Owen doesn’t remain silent and brooding. He doesn’t lie and take advantage of the situation to win Serena over, hiding how her choices are making him feel.

Owen doesn’t put Serena or himself on a pedestal, which is something we see time and time again in a system that oppresses women.

Owen respects Serena’s emotional maturity and values his own feelings. He shows that respect by communicating his needs and then listening to Serena when she responds.

There is no violence in the interaction. There is no manipulation. That, my friends, is some Everlasting-loving progress!

Then Owen makes his big speech to Rachel. She’s off in her projections, and Owen speaks a truth that she just can’t argue with.

The speech itself is just gorgeous. Owen praises Serena for all of her wonderful qualities, NONE OF WHICH ARE ABOUT HOW SHE IS ABLE TO PLEASE HIM.

He gives Serena the space to be a “bad mom” and the option to take as long as she needs to connect with Riley, including if she never does.

Owen also does something epically feminist in the speech: He highlights that being a good mother is not innate to all women.

Hallelujah! That this came from a hypermasculine firefighter is another example of why UnREAL is raising the bar for feminist programming and should be gathering all the Emmys.

Rachel’s reaction to Owen’s speech reveals how she relates to men.

Rachel rewards people with her body. It’s sorrowful, because I believe it’s based on her sexual trauma. But we see time and again that when someone is good to her or helps her, she offers her physicality to them.

Owen does not give her any romantic or sexual vibes, but when he earns Rachel’s respect, she steps near to him and reaches out to adjust his lapel.

She does her classic Rachel lean-in move, and it doesn’t actually seem sexual, even though at the same time it’s clearly sexual.

I think it is Rachel’s way of saying thank you and I respect you.

The fact that Rachel has not shown up at Jeremy’s room is a good sign that she is trying to advance that relationship and move it beyond the sexual exchange it has been in the past.

The theme of “Projection” is that women project their childhood experiences onto their adult understanding of motherhood.

I can’t be the only one who starts to squirm a bit when Rachel starts to project her past pain onto Riley and Serena. It hits close to home. Honestly, it’s painful how real UnREAL can be.

The episode titles on Season 3 all use therapy language. It is very fitting because watching an episode often takes me to therapy. Admittedly, some messed-up sessions, but therapy nonetheless.

Rachel’s overly empathetic approach to Riley on “Projection” highlights how far she has come in her healing and how far she has to go.

In Season 1, Rachel uses the contestant Mary’s daughter as a pawn without hesitating. She doesn’t seem to connect with or recognize the full humanity of the child — she’s just producing.

With Riley, however, Rachel is able to see the child’s experience and care about the lasting impacts the show might have on her.

True, Rachel is guilty of the projection on “Projection.” But she would still be closed off and unable to empathize if she were as stuck in her trauma as she was on Season 1.

Rachel is still unable to use healthy, honest communication. She turns a blaming finger onto Quinn and tries to convince Serena that she’s not mother material.

There is more work to be done, but Rachel isn’t just projecting the real progress she’s made.

I think New Shrink Simon is really helping Rachel! If only he wasn’t being so creepy and unethical with the hidden cameras.

Quinn also projects on the episode. We learn from her candid and quick chat with Fiona that Quinn has essentially raised herself.

She laughs at the sad, lonely, childhood she had to endure.

It is a quick peek into Quinn’s history, but it does much to illuminate her perspective on her “mother” role for Rachel. She has been there for Rachel and refuses to abandon her.

Not just Rachel, but Jay, Jeremy, Chet, and almost Madison as well. Quinn will be crude, mean, and biting, but she will never abandon you.

It is really important that when Riley runs out in front of the truck and is almost killed, we see Quinn’s reaction for a full two seconds.

Quinn is not heartless. She is frightened and worried, but she takes a breath, stores that fear away deep down, and laughs it off.

Knowing what we know about her childhood and her relationship with Chet, this is how Quinn has survived the blows of her life.

Sure, it’s easy to vilify her for it. It is easy to blame her and cut her down for never being a mother.

But you know what? She is a woman, too — a phenomenal woman at that.

Real Talk:

• NO, Jay! I can’t stand to see sweet Jay walking down this terrible path. I hope his storyline pivots soon. Alexi is not worth it!
• I don’t care for Charlie much as a character — we’ve kind of been there, done that with “other Jeremy love interest.” But I love the commentary on the female-gaze and how a woman might really get how to light a dick shadow.
• I ship Serena and Owen. #Serwen has a nice ring to it.
• Madison’s comment about hometown dates being like Everlasting prom has a real ring of truth to it. I’d put some dollars on that coming from experiences on The Bachelor.
• Graham talking about penetrating deep into the earth while wearing a Troop Beverly Hills-esque costume is living-giving.

What did you think of this episode of UnREAL? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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UnREAL airs Mondays at 10/9c on Lifetime.

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