UnREAL Review: Burn that Mother Down (Season 4 Episodes 6-8)

UnREAL ends in a satisfying, inglorious, delicious blaze, with the series’ two anti-heroes, Quinn and Rachel, surviving the vicious lick of the flames like a pair of gorgeous cockroaches.

They may not be mothers of dragons (or equipped to be mothers of anything) but as Quinn cradles the tiny Rachel against her abdomen, as if she were her baby, I grin triumphantly and thank my maker for this powerful show.

By the closing titles of UnREAL Season 4 Episode 6, “Tilt,” UnREAL Season 4 Episode 7, “Bluff,” and UnREAL Season 4 Episode 8, “Sudden Death,” Rachel and Quinn made it, together, where they belong.

The uneven and rehash-happy season finishes strong and hot on the final episode, “Sudden Death.”

“Tilt” and “Bluff” build up the tension so that the shocking exposures on the series finale really burn. It is a fittingly head-shaking, jaw-dropping end to an incredible series.

I already miss it.

Three of a Kind

There are three moments on the finale episode, “Sudden Death” that legitimately surprise me to the point of audible gasping.

First, when Rachel walks down the aisle to confront Quinn:

Rachel: You were supposed to put the gun to my head!

Quinn: I could never do that to you, Rachel. Never.

Those words, so nakedly honest and simple, are more a confession of love than Rachel has ever received.

It’s romantic and makes me burst with sick happiness.

The bond between Rachel and Quinn is an addiction, a curse, and a lifeline. Their relationship IS everlasting.

It is also not romantic. I have no doubt the actors could have easily gone there if desired. But, it is more interesting and special for Rachel to be the love of Quinn’s life, the person she can never forsake, while with Chet. She loves Chet and wants to be with him. But, it’s not the same as the closeness and intimacy between Rachel and Quinn.

Their friendship is as twisted as the plot lines they produce, but it’s also the most realistic depiction of unconditional love I have seen between adult friends. I truly cherish it.

Chet recognizes this as he gently encourages Quinn on “Bluff” that Rachel will come back to her. It is one of the sweetest moments of the series between the couple.

Quinn doesn’t have to say anything. From just body language and context, Chet gets why his love is so despondent.

That he reacts with empathy and support, not jealousy or frustration, is a real testament to the softened character of the main male character on the show (sorry, Jay. You slipped this season). Craig Bierko nails the performance and as the series closes I realize Chet has become one of my favorite characters.

The second moment on “Sudden Death” that makes me sharply suck in my breath is when Rachel is snuggled in Quinn’s lap and she whispers:

There was nothing wrong with the baby, was there?

WHAT?! I am shook.

In part because, oh dang! And in part because, of course!

Earlier in Season 4, we see Roger, with Rachel’s help, grotesquely take back the night and declare, “this is what a feminist looks like.”

Here, Quinn quietly, with zero fanfare or fame-seeking, shows us what choice looks like.

She is Quinning till the end and I love her.

The third jaw-dropping moment on “Sudden Death” is the Everlasting mansion going up in flames. I love watching fire. This visceral, over-the-top gesture of destruction is a perfect end to the series. All of the madness has nowhere to go but up in smoke.

It is a wonderful self-referential moment too. UnREAL garnered critical acclaim with its first season, including winning a Peabody. Then it faced much criticism and debasement on its sophomore go. This final season brings UnREAL to Hulu, a new home for its shortest and last season.

I hope that Quinn’s optimistic “we can do better,” line is a message to all of us fans of Sarah Gertrude Shapiro and Stacy Rukeyser that their creative efforts are just beginning.

Noelle

Meagan Holder was perfection as Evelyn on Pitch (I’m still not over Pitch’s cancellation).

I am thrilled to see that UnREAL doesn’t sleep on her talent.

On “Bluff,” Holder’s character Noelle has an arc that serves as a thoughtful portrayal of how even an “almost” rape, or a milder sexual assault, can deeply traumatize a victim. Her story also shows that victims are imperfect human beings who mistakenly slut-shame others in order to try to get revenge or justice.

Her vulnerable performance allows Constance Zimmer and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman to believably respond with their characters actually caring about Noelle.

Noelle allows Quinn and Jay to blossom as caretakers.  Her redemption story is one that propels both Quinn and Jay to leave Everlasting forever after.  That would not have been possible without the raw showcase Holder provides.

The acting is really superb from Holder and Bowyer-Chapman. It is unfortunate that the season takes so long to spotlight these performers. UnREAL too often focuses on the white, heteronormative character stories, while the queer and people of color are given B or C plots.

It is fair criticism that UnREAL goes too far is showing the despicable and depraved actions of Hollywood producers. The show and the show within the show cross too many lines and don’t give the rape story-line a sufficiently appropriate ending.

I understand this view, but I think it mistakes UnREAL for its glossy and satirical Everlasting and it misunderstands the reality of a sexual assault case.

The fact is, rape and sexual assault are depraved, destructive, vicious crimes. There is no happy ending to be had after such a crime.

Justice was NEVER in the cards for Maya. Nothing can give her back that night or somehow erase the violation of her safety and bodily integrity the Roger caused.

Stabbing his penis is, frankly, a decent attempt to levy something real to atone for the trauma he inflicts. But, it’s limp (and illegal) justice.

The most Maya can hope for is healing, and that is a long hard battle ahead.

Rather than go too far, UnREAL peels back a reality of being a victim of sexual violence in the most mangled, dumpster fire way. The reality is confronting sexual assault, especially when it occurs in the context of heavy drinking, is always a total sh*t show.

Like in the real world, UnREAL‘s hunt for justice is rushed and sloppy and full of completely errant curveballs. The show captures the absurd tone and hair-pulling frustration of a real case of sexual assault.

In reality, the idea of justice after a sexual assault is absurd. There is nothing that can take away the trauma.

As Noelle illustrates, slut-shaming your producer doesn’t fix it.

That move was a sad one, and it didn’t attack the true culprit in all of this: Roger.

Somehow he gets forgotten in all this. Rachel produces everyone, but she never suggested to Roger, even for a second, that he rape Noelle.

Did she know he was a rapist? Yes. Did she produce him into being a rapist? No.

She crossed a line when she set Noelle up to be assaulted, but that should not force us to look with more disgust and hatred at Rachel than we do at Roger.

We live in a patriarchal society, though. So, when blame is doled out, it is going to land on the backs of women.

The only option is to burn it all down.

Ultimately,  UnREAL drives home the point that women exist in a constant lose-lose world. Men can make mistakes and be dark depraved people and still achieve a happy ending.

Women cannot. If they are disgusting and manipulative, heck if they are too over-eager, they become damaged goods who are unworthy of happiness.

When Tommy huffs and whines and ditches out on Rachel, I am not worried about him. He is a charming, young, fit, white, male. He will be FINE.

There is no way he is ruined.

That would not be true if Quinn had called out Rachel like she wanted Quinn to do.

The truth of the deep gender disparity that existed in the real world and on Everlasting is revealed over and over on the final episodes of Season 4, even when the delivery is a moral gut-punch.

The deck is stacked against women, and playing by the rules is never a real option.

So, the best thing to do is find your person, and return to her each and every time.

The world may not let you make mistakes and when you do make mistakes, the world may not let you be a wifey. But the world can burn to the ground.

You can emerge stronger if you have a person who loves you unconditionally.

Real Talk

• Maya is drop dead gorgeous in her black on black suit. I would be very interested in a Maya spin-off with Candy Coco and Noelle by her side!
• It is fitting and lovely that the one woman to get an unadulterated everlasting ending is the stripper, Candy. She was always wifey material, wasn’t she?
• I see that I’m Still With Her t-shirt in the final shots, Rachel. Truly, excellent costume and wardrobe for the entire series of UnREAL.
• It’s not a space suit like I hoped, but OH MY WORD, Graham in that puffy bomb squad gear is MAGIC. Unicorn status!
• Rachel and Tommy’s sex scene is way less explicit and prolonged than I prefer. Let’s make sure they get cast together in something real soon, okay?

What did you think of these episodes of UnREAL? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Season 4 of UnREAL is streaming now on Hulu.

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