“Plant Parenthood” is the place Grosse Pointe Backyard Society actually hits its chaotic suburban Massive Little Lies-meets-Determined Housewives stride. The stakes are increased, the secrets and techniques are deeper, and the passive-aggression is served with precise aggression now.
Let’s begin with that killer (perhaps actually?) chilly open: we’re six months sooner or later on the fancy backyard gala, the place Marilyn is taking part in gracious hostess with the heat of a rattlesnake in a cashmere cardigan. She’s mid-auction when a movement alert on her cellphone sends her operating dwelling—the place she finds one thing, or somebody, in her bed room. “How may you do that to me?” she screams. The drama is already in full drive, and that was simply the chilly open.
Then we flash again 5 months to the current and the home drama is scorching. Marilyn and Mayor Buzz are having an icy breakfast. He casually mentions he’s working late with somebody named Tara, which sends Marilyn spiralling. However the episode isn’t nearly Marilyn’s spirals—it’s additionally a meditation on motherhood, and not-so-subtly, the opposite form of parenthood: being liable for the delicate, high-maintenance lives of each vegetation and folks.
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| “Plant Parenthood” – GROSSE POINTE GARDEN SOCIETY. Pictured: AnnaSophia Robb as Alice and Nancy Travis as Patty. Photograph: Daniel Delgado/NBC ©2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
The voiceover provides us an ironic throughline, with Marilyn evaluating child-rearing to gardening—costly, exhausting, and, simply whenever you assume you’re performed, you need to begin yet again. Similar may very well be mentioned for Alice’s emotional rollercoaster: between Doug’s oblivious portray highs and his mother Patty’s wildly manipulative plot to bribe Alice into motherhood by way of an art-buying Ponzi scheme, she’s flailing. The new canine scene with Patty is a standout—humorous, uncooked, and layered. (Observe: Patty calling Marilyn a “phony bitch” will get bonus factors.)
In the meantime, Catherine’s juggling being one of the best mother to her youngsters with actual property goals and will get a tempting provide from charming Pierce Goldman, solely to be yanked again into mom-mode when puke strikes at dwelling. Her “5 magical minutes of pleasure in a day of hell” monologue about parenting hits onerous.
Talking of Brett: his arc is quietly devastating. At his son’s party—an overproduced nightmare courtesy of Melissa and Connor—he is making an attempt to point out up, however it’s Cricket who helps him save face when Connor’s cringe-dancing threatens to emotionally scar the birthday boy. Melissa’s emotions for Brett are effervescent up once more, which is an issue contemplating Connor’s already hiring personal investigators to tear his youngsters away and flee to Chicago. (Additionally: who brings a PI to a custody battle and makes breakdance entrances at birthday events? Connor, that’s who.)
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| “Plant Parenthood” – GROSSE POINTE GARDEN SOCIETY. Pictured: Melissa Fumero as Birdie, Daniella Alonso as Misty and Felix Wolfe as Ford. Photograph: Daniel Delgado/NBC ©2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
After which there’s Birdie. Oh, Birdie. Her determined try to avoid wasting Ford from expulsion spirals into rich-lady theatrics within the principal’s workplace and a morally murky cut price that proves she is going to purchase justice if she has to. However probably the most gutting second? Ford calling her out for courting his dad and confessing he cheated as a result of it was simpler to be the screw-up everybody assumes he’s. The heartbreak is actual and so is the shared pie metaphor, apparently.
The episode’s central theme, what are we keen to do to nurture the issues (and folks) we love? builds to a fever pitch in its many mini-climaxes: Alice not telling Doug the reality about his artwork profession, Melissa selecting her youngsters over her husband’s profession goals, Catherine selecting her sick daughter over a profession comeback, and Brett making a literal take care of the satan (Connor) simply to remain related in his son’s life although Connor is scheming behind his again to get full custody of the youngsters in order that he can take a job at a high-power regulation agency in Chicago. This would possibly not finish properly,
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| “Plant Parenthood” – GROSSE POINTE GARDEN SOCIETY. Pictured: Aja Naomi King as Catherine and AnnaSophia Robb as Alice. Photograph: Tina Rowden/NBC ©2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
Oh, and in case you forgot, somebody is likely to be useless. Marilyn might need stabbed somebody. Again sooner or later, Marilyn, panicked and bloodied, washes a knife in her sink. She grabs clear bedding and flees. Within the final scene of the episode, we catch her in a vet’s workplace, blood on her chest. She claims she saved her cat from coyotes. Alice involves assist Marilyn, who tells her that somebody stole the quilt. Marilyn says she noticed it within the trunk of a black Cadillac, which simply occurs to be the identical form of automotive smarmy Gary drives. Alice performs dumb. Marilyn swears she’ll get the quilt again. Alice hugs her and whispers “It’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be nice.” She is making an attempt to persuade each of them.
“Plant Parenthood” juggles thriller, messy feelings, and realness like a professional. It’s humorous, poignant, and bursting with quiet bombs that go off lengthy after the credit roll. Secrets and techniques are sprouting sooner than tulips in spring, and by now, the soil is soaked with drama and perhaps blood.