After the Sweet 16, we genuinely felt Ginny and Georgia had reached a good understanding with each other, but the story throws a spanner in the works — Zion. This will not be straightforward, and complications will likely transverse over many seasons (hopefully). Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 8 starts with politics; the mayor elections are heating up, with Cynthia making personal attacks and focusing on Paul’s relationship with Georgia.
She is fuming, believing they need to make a personal attack back, but Paul wants a more mature focus. Even Ginny is annoyed at Cynthia’s methods. Cynthia is not going in halves in “Check One, Check Other” — she wants that mayor position and is doing any tactic possible.
Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 8 Recap
Marcus breaks it off with Padma
We already know Marcus is conflicted with his feelings for Ginny, and “Check One, Check Other” sees him making a decision.
While Ginny walks with Maxine in the streets, she sees Marcus cutting things off with Padma. It’s an emotional moment, and Padma is furious. Ginny narrates that when her father and her mother get together, it always ends in pain. It’s telling that she links that narration with a scene with Marcus.
Zion returns
There’s a national essay contest. The question is, “where do you belong?” and Ginny seems interested in it. As Abby needs Ginny in her “time of need”, Ginny’s father Zion turns up at the school with his leather jacket and motorbike helmet on. Hunter introduces himself as the boyfriend.
Ginny rides back home with her father, and Marcus introduces himself. When they head inside, Zion calls Georgia “peach”. There’s trouble ahead — Zion is clearly a smooth character.
Ginny wants her mother to remain happy
Episode 8 sets Ginny’s mindset over her father’s return early on.
She tells her father about the essay and that she’s writing about Wellsbury — she likes it here. And then Ginny reveals that Georgia is dating someone, which is a brief awkward moment. Zion and Georgia are left alone, and the father senses a vibe between Marcus and Ginny.
Georgia doesn’t feel anything is happening. Zion reveals he and his partner have broken up. The sexual tension between Georgia and Zion is obvious. Late in the night, Ginny tells her mother to be careful with her father as due to the Mayorial campaign, the whole town is watching. She likes Paul and has never seen her mother this happy. He wants Zion to be a father this time and not Georgia’s ex. And that’s a fair ask by Ginny — she’s tired of living a broken life, moving from one town to the next.
Dinner with the ex
And “Check One, Check Other” gets even more awkward, and it also presents the great chemistry between the lead mother and daughter.
When Georgia gets to work, she tells Paul that Zion stays over. Paul tells Georgia that he trusts her, and he wants dinner with them. And the dinner happens on the same day, and Ginny and Georgia feel the awkward tension immediately, giving each other “the look”.
Zion reveals he has a book deal, which surprises Georgia, and he congratulates him. Paul is impressed with Zion’s photography expeditions, and the men get excited with each other. When Paul leaves, Zion tells Georgia that he likes him.
Zion is playing a blinder, folks. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
A night out with dad
Georgia reads her essay to Zion. He tells her it reads well, but he wants to know if Wellsbury is really her place. Georgia is stressing out about it, knowing the essay helps with getting into colleges. Zion wants to know where Ginny belongs and takes her to a slam poetry night.
Ginny brings up Georgia’s grandparents and sisters. Zion tells Ginny that her mother did everything she needed to be the “best mom”. Interestingly, Zion sticks up for Georgia — he clearly understands that she’s tried her best.
Ginny tells Zion that he needs him and wants him around longer — she keeps reiterating this message and wants stability; she doesn’t want him to start something with her mother and leave. Zion gets on the stage and talks about him and Ginny about how his little girl is growing up. As part of his speech, he tells her he will stay around. It’s hard to remain convinced.
Georgia’s slam poetry
When they return home, they feel the wrath of Georgia, who has learned information she did not want to know. Georgia reveals that she saw Marcus sneaking into their window — she explains it in slam poetry form and comically calls it “Motherhood”.
Ginny is in shock and states that they are just friends, but Georgia doesn’t buy it. Ginny calls her the worst mother in the world and storms off. Zion is smug that he knew about the vibe between Marcus and Ginny.
Ginny’s essay submission
“Check One, Check Other” brings an important moment for Ginny, who goes above and beyond with her essay.
In class, Ginny reads out her essay. She does it in slam poetry form. She talks about being an imposter and always being in a box. The students love it, and Maxine rallies applause. However, Ginny doesn’t win the round, Hunter does. She approaches the teacher, and he tells her it didn’t fit in the parameters and it was too unconventional. Ginny is understandably frustrated.
Maxine goes all the way, while Hunter and Ginny have a fiery disagreement
It’s about time Maxine had some love in her life…
Sophie helps Maxine rehearse lines for a stage play. Maxine is so grateful for her support that it changes the mood, they hook up, and she loses her virginity. Meanwhile, Hunter hooks up with Ginny, and he’s nervous about taking it further.
Ginny brings up the essay — Hunter tells her that the essay was unconventional and the “rules were the rules”, further supporting the evidence that he does not understand her as much as Marcus. The pair argue about stereotypes and identity. It turns to throwing insults at each other about “who is more white”.
Hunter leaves as Ginny cries on her bed. It feels it will be difficult for them to recover from that argument.
Later on, Ginny tells Zion that he’s black, and her mother is white. Zion tells her she will never be happy until she accepts who she is. There are many plot points about Ginny needing acceptance, but not only from others but from herself, from within.
Abby calls for a meeting
With Abby struggling, she takes rash measures; Episode 8 remind viewers that being a teenager is emotionally busy. Sometimes, it’s easy to lose a friend who is struggling.
Abby is not doing well in the social group. She seems irked by Maxine and Sophie. At home, her parents are going through a divorce. None of her friends is available throughout most of the chapter. She tells her friends to meet at Joe’s cafe. Abby reveals that her parents are getting a divorce — she feels abandoned by her friends.
Ginny tells Abby that they all have their problems, but then Abby slaps her and then slaps herself. Maxine then comically slaps herself, which makes all the group laugh — the emotional stress is getting to them.
On the news, Norah’s mother reveals that there are guns in Georgia’s house to Cynthia. Another political point-scoring by Cynthia — she’s taking the campaign by storm.
Norah apologizes, but Ginny changes the conversation and asks Maxine if she had sex, and the girls all giggle.
Dropped from the fundraiser
One thing we can vouch for is that Georgia is predictable, and we all knew a moment would arrive between her and Zion — she’s a character full of self-sabotage ready to be implemented.
Paul heads over to Georgia’s house and explains that he is pro-gun-control and that she cannot turn up to the fundraiser due to the reveal in the news. He asks her to not to keep things from him and storms out. Afterward, Zion lurks from the corner and tells Georgia that she’s capable of anything.
The pair hook up and sleep together in a moment of passion. Ginny returns home and sees them in bed, and she’s devastated. They both promised her it wouldn’t come to this. She heads into her room and sobs against the door.
Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 8 Ending
And then we witness a cruel version of Georgia that’s difficult to watch.
As she’s about to burn herself with a lighter on her legs, which is how she self-harms, Marcus comes through her bedroom window. He’s concerned about what she’s about to do. Ginny tells Marcus that her friendship is not healthy.
Marcus tells Ginny that he loves her, but she laughs it off and tells him he’s incapable of anything real and tells him to get out — she says it with venom in her force that cuts through the teenage boy deeply. Marcus tears up, but she continues telling him to get out.
Ginny narrates that pain can be overpowering. As she narrates, Marcus rides off on his bike. We hear a crash in the distance. Words can be impactful.
Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 8 escalates tensions and proves that a flaky band-aid cannot cure issues — as the story reaches the final two chapters, we can expect more fireworks and emotions.
Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 9 Recap
Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 9 (Credit – Netflix)
Ginny narrates how everyone thinks that “love is beautiful”, but she disagrees — she believes it’s painful and inconvenient. Scenes show her staying up at night, and she’s texting Marcus constantly, trying to apologize.
The next morning, Georgia tells Ginny that Marcus is having a CAT scan but will be okay. Suddenly, she sees Marcus return, and she watches him with despair from the window. The accident has made her realize where her true feelings lie.
The Zion problem
With Ginny having guy problems, so is her mother — they’ve managed to entwine themselves into difficult situations, and they are unfolding at the same time.
Georgia seems to regret sleeping with Zion, and he thinks it’s inevitable that she’s going to start ignoring him again. She’s also panicking about lawyer Marty, waiting for an update. A flashback shows Georgia visiting Zion. He’s annoyed that she disappeared. Georgia was worried that his parents were going to take control of Ginny and apologizes for making a mistake.
Georgia’s problems continue to mount up
But Georgia’s main problem is work and how she deals with Paul, who is already suspicious of Zion. She appears to have the choice of two great men who are willing to be in her life.
At work, Paul apologizes for storming out on her the other night. She tells him that they are great. She isn’t telling him that she slept with Zion. Meanwhile, the private investigator tells a judge about the Wolfsbane plant that’s poisonous and can cause heart attacks. He manages to get permission to dig up Kenny’s body for toxicology.
They believe Georgia killed Kenny. This story arc continues to bubble, predictably moving towards the finale of Season 1.
And another problem with Georgia, but this time, with her other kid. While Austin plays hide and seek with Zion, he finds a box full of money and documents, including his letters to his father that have been stashed away. She never sent. As Zion finds him, he stashes the box back away.
Men problems
Georgia picks Ginny up from work, and they both sigh as they enter the car — a beautiful moment and well-acted. They both talk about their complicated situations with men. Ginny tells Georgia not to blow up their lives due to their father. Georgia calls her moment with Zion a momentary lapse.
When they get home, Zion is cooking for the family and Ellen’s family. He tells Georgia that they could work now, and they are adults.
An awkward dinner
In a flashback, Zion returns home and plays the piano for baby Ginny. In the present day, Georgia is consumed by Zion, watching him cook. Ellen and her husband join for dinner with Maxine. Ginny is desperate to tell Max about her feelings for Marcus, but it’s making her anxious.
At the table, Zion tells the table that he’s here to stay in the town. There are so many unspoken words at the table. Ginny visits Marcus’s room and tries speaking to him, but then Padma enters. She asks Ginny if she likes him — she tells her that he’s selfish and will hurt her. As Padma leaves, Ginny tells her not to tell anyone about her and Marcus.
With every minute that passes in “Feelings Are Hard”, the closer Ginny’s secret with Marcus is about to be found out — it’s a massive problem for this character.
Zion wants to commit to Georgia
Georgia presses Zion about him staying. He tells her that he can provide for the family and that he wants to settle down. Zion feels Georgia is the only place that feels like home. He asks her if he can “come home”, and Georgia has a face expressed with love.
At work, Georgia wants Paul to go on the offensive, rally, plant trees, paint fences — she thinks they should show Wellsbury that they have a mayor who cares and acts. Paul loves the idea but then asks how long Zion is going to stay in town. “He never stays long” is her awkward response. The irony is, she barely stays around herself.
Sophie breaks up with Maxine
Maxine cannot catch a break in this series. She’s a character that’s become extremely interesting to watch outside the leads — episode 9 sees her suffer a major heartbreak. At one point in this chapter, Maxine says, “I love you” casually to Sophie, and you can tell that this hit Sophie like a brick, but not in a positive way.
Sophie speaks to Max about how she can never feel like herself with her friends and that Max feels like a “vacation”. Sophie doesn’t want to hurt her, but she wants to break-up — she doesn’t think it will work when they go to college. Max is devastated because she loves her. The women hug it out, and there’s plenty of tears between them.
Her friends come around afterward and give her moral support, but we really want a happy ending for this character.
Zion pledges to Ginny that he is completely ready
With Zion laying his claim for the throne (and by that, we mean Georgia), he still needs to convince Ginny.
Zion tells Ginny that she loves her mother, and she’s his person. He insists he wants to be with her. He then mentions an apartment in Boston and that they are finally going to be a family. Ginny is happy and hugs her father.
Ginny visits Marcus…but Abby finds them in a moment
The situation between Ginny and Marcus and no-one knowing about them was never going to last, and “Feelings Are Hard” sees how their nine lives are running out.
Ginny tries again with Marcus and visits his room. This time he’s awake, and she apologizes for all the mean things she said. Marcus tells her he wasn’t ignoring her texts, and his phone is probably on the side of the road somewhere.
The pair hug, nearly kiss, and then Abby catches them. Abby tells Ginny that her friend Maxine is devastated right now and she is not going even to consider what she saw; she warns Ginny that she is not breaking up the group and to stop being selfish.
The only problem, of course, is that Ginny and Marcus love each other.
Letting Zion go
Georgia runs the campaign. Zion takes photos and sees how much she cares about the campaign and the mayor. In a flashback, Georgia tells Zion that their relationship isn’t working, and she can tell he is angry — she wants him to be happy and get everything he wants, but she doesn’t want to hold him back. She wants him to live his life so that he doesn’t stop loving her.
The flashback says everything; Zion and Georgia are the right couple, but always at the wrong time. They seem to be cursed.
Paul makes his case, and Zion lets Georgia go
The next moment of Ginny & Georgia season 1, episode 9, is perhaps a surprising one and will make the viewers feel pumped!
After the campaign, Georgia speaks to Paul about Zion wanting to stay and give it a try. She apologizes and states she slept with him. Paul is irritated that she gave into unresolved feelings and that all she has his story and that he is not the future, just the past — it seems like he knew that Georgia would sleep with Zion.
Paul valiantly tells Georgia that they are cut from the same cloth, and they want power together. He tells her to choose — him or Zion. Paul plonks an engagement ring on the table and states he bought it after their date because he knew a woman like her only comes around once in a lifetime — “I see you”.
What high-octane emotional stuff — he pulls out all the stops to lay his stake and compete with Zion.
Putting a ring on it
When Georgia gets home, Zion has packed his bags, and she is dismayed. Zion believes that Georgia wants Wellsbury, not him. He tries touching her face, but she’s too upset.
Zion wants her to get everything she wants — he kisses her on the forehead; this is an absolute parallel to the flashback, but this time, Zion wants Georgia to pursue a dream. He leaves her sobbing in her house. She finally contains herself and looks at the ring given to her by Paul and puts it on. We have an engaged Georgia.
Ginny is dismayed so heads to Marcus’s room
But this makes for an uncomfortable moment between father and daughter and quickly switches to a moment where Ginny accepts her feelings for Marcus.
Zion has to see Ginny at work. Ginny senses that he’s leaving without her straight away and is dismayed that she believed him. As he tries to explain, Ginny storms off.
Ginny visits Marcus in his bedroom. She tells him her father left but follows it with, “I think I love you too”. Ginny admits that she tried to fight it. She also admits that she loves Hunter too, but she thinks about him all the time. Marcus grabs her, and they kiss. It quickly turns sexual.
Afterward, Marcus reveals he was a virgin when they first had sex and wanted her to think he was cool. Marcus then delves into how dark it got after his friend died, and he really scared himself. He then brings up how he saw Ginny with the lighter about to self-harm.
Ginny explains how the burning helps her concentrate her exploding feelings. Marcus asks her to get help, and she agrees. After, Hunter texts her, asking her if they can talk. The problems never end.
Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 9 Ending
When Ginny returns home, Austin is in her room which makes her jump. He seems upset and shows how Georgia has been storing letters from him to his father. Ginny vows to send them to his father for him.
In the mayor’s office, Cynthia snoops around and looks through the electronic ledger — she finds entries that are not found in the system; she’s uncovered the fraudulent activity conducted by Georgia. Meanwhile, as the private investigator visits Kenny’s grave, it’s empty. Look like Marty did the job Georgia asked him to do.
As the episode ends, Maxine finds Marcus’s phone and sees the texts between him and Ginny, including the photo where she is just wearing a bra. Uh-oh.
Where do we even start! Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episode 9 is a bubbling volcano of problems, and the most encouraging thing is, there’s another episode to allow everything to explode.
What did you think of Ginny & Georgia Season 1 Episodes 8 and 9? Comment below.
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