This week, Venice: The Series opens with Jake and Alan, sweating it out over Gina’s miraculous return from the jaws of death. Jake is squirming all over his bar stool like a ferret in a cardigan, but Alan tells him to play it cool. They had planned to royally screw Gina before she got nearly maimed, so nothing has changed. Jake hisses out a warning about Katherine before he slithers on out of there. He hits a nerve because Alan looks a little uneasy.
Katherine for her part, is giving Logan a little pep talk about loooooove and stuff. Katherine asks Logan if she’s going to get back with Gina, but Logan assures her that door has been closed-while she was still standing in it. Katherine tells her that if she can find love with a lying, duplicitous, son of a bitch, then so can Logan. Logan is touched-and frankly, who wouldn’t be?
Jake the Snake finds his way to Lara and Ani’s just as Lara appears to be heading out to Zumba. She’s not happy to see him and tries to avoid him like the plague. Something she should have done five episodes before. He oh-so-gently reminds her that no one would ever believe what she did to Gina was an accident. This is Jake’s ways of saying, “I’m in love with you, oh lesbian of my dreams.” She calls him out and he apologizes. Everything has been taken care of and there is no way she can be traced to the scene, she promises. He’s a little flabbergasted that she managed to convince Ani to marry her so quickly, but that’s how things work on Venice. Haven’t you been reading my recaps, Jake?!
Zoe Bell-I mean-Stella is relaxing and drinking herbal tea on her breezy porch when Gina strolls up the walkway. Gina is all apologies and quips, but Stella doesn’t let her off the hook so easily. Gina’s pushed everyone away, and it’s going to take a grand gesture to get her out of the doghouse. Luckily, Stella is a real pal and offers to help her. Also, Stella could drive a car through a ring of fire with just her feet, so that might come in handy someday.
Ani is on the way to pick up her wedding dress, but as usual, is having vivid flashbacks about Gina. It’s almost like there is this nagging voice somewhere trying to tell her something. Oh wait-it’s just the distant sound of fans screaming, “The letter! The letter!” She remembers Gina’s self-preserving kiss off, and tries to convince herself that she is ready to move on.
At Malbec, all of Gina’s close friends and family are gathered. They are confused as to why they’ve been summoned to Malbec. No, unfortunately it’s not all you can eat spaghetti night. Gina is throwing a shindig to make up for being a real ass. Gina arrives and offers up her best non-apology, until Guya gets in her face with a very threatening looking dirty martini. She demands a real apology, which Gina humbly offers. The Colonel gets teary eyed. Then everybody hugs! Except for Sarah. No hugs for you until your plotline gets fleshed out.
At Chez Lani, Lara is cooking up some guilt-flavored nibbles when Ani comes home. Everything is all wedding cakes and sunshine until Ani brings up Gina. Ani tries to reassure Lara that her intentions are all friendly like, but at this point, no one is buying what Ani is selling. When Lara gets up to check on the main course, Ani goes to take a sip of Lara’s “seltzer” and it turns out to be a vodka soda.
Things escalate quickly from there. Ani confronts Lara, who lies about how much she’s been drinking. Lara tells her that she isn’t perfect, but all Ani wants is honesty. (Ani, everybody lies about everything on this show, including you.) They then play a short round of “Who’s manipulating who?” Spoiler: They both win.
Lara tries to touch Ani but she pulls away. Lara cries out that she loves Ani more than Gina ever could. Her apologies and admissions of addiction don’t sway Ani however. She takes off her engagement ring, leaves it on the table and walks out on a crying Lara. The fuse has just been lit on the ticking time bomb that is Lara.
What did you think of this week’s Venice: The Series?
