Dead to Me season 3, episode 5 recap – why did Judy keep her diagnosis from Jen?

By Marc Miller
Published: November 17, 2022 (Last updated: February 3, 2024)
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3.5

Summary

Things come crashing down for Jen in Dead to Me, quite literally, in the season’s most satisfying episode yet.

We recap the Netflix series Dead to Me season 3, episode 5, “We Didn’t Think This Through,” which contains spoilers.

We have hit the halfway point of season 3 of Dead to Me. Episode 5 is a sobering reality for most characters. Judy (Linda Cardellini) has come to grips with her cancer but is too afraid to ask for help. Jen (Christina Applegate) takes Ben (James Marsden) to her grief group, where the waterworks pour out. And Jen is still keeping the secret of being the one who killed Steve from Ben.

Dead to Me season 3, episode 5 recap

Jen and Judy wake up happy after spending the night with their respected lovers. Judy wakes up with Michelle, and it feels like a one-time thing. She never tells Michelle she has cervical cancer. Jen and Ben are sickeningly sweet as they pay each other compliments. They connect emotionally, with Jen offering to take him to her support group for grief. Charlie then walks in on them, and their secret is out.

The leak in the kitchen ceiling is getting worse, so Ben offers to fix it. Yes, the man who couldn’t fix a bird’s tail is an expert plumber. Of course, we know the leak is from when Jen tried to pull a breaking bad and test dissolving a rat in her bathtub. Why? Because she had Steve in the freezer and was thinking over ways to get rid of his body. The chemical put a hole in the steel pipe and caused the leak. Judy comes to Jen’s house and finds out Ben ran into them. They are both excellent with it. However, the story prevents Judy from telling Jen she has cancer and needs help. She lies and says she is going to Sonoma with Michelle for three months.

There is no party like a karaoke party when you invite over the members of a grief therapy group. Jen is not handling it well, making passive-aggressive comments about Judy going to Sonoma and leaving her family behind. That’s when Michelle shows up, and Jen lets another passive-aggressive comment out. Michelle pulls Judy aside and apologizes. For what? Michelle heard what Judy said about having cancer and pretended not to listen to her. While this is a red flag, it says a lot. She came back, admitted this, and apologized. Michelle offers her support and asks if she needs anything. Yes, invite her to the restaurant when it opens, Judy says.

Ben comes over to the party and, of course, is drunk. He learns Steve died of drowning, not from the head strike. Well, I mean, that skull cracking didn’t help matters. After Ben falls into the pull and is pulled out by the girls, Charlie becomes protective. He tells Ben to stay away from his mom and get his stuff together.

Dead to Me season 3, episode 5 ending – why did Judy keep her cancer diagnosis from Jen?

The ending of Dead to Me season 3, episode 5, shows Judy admitting to Jen she has cancer and needs help. Why did Judy keep her cancer diagnosis from Jen? Simple, she didn’t want to be a burden. Jen’s response? She tells her off and says she wants to help because Judy is her heart.

Ben goes to Nate at the station and asks for help with his alcoholism. Nate then asks Ben where he got the bird and tells him from Henry, Jen’s son. The next morning, the kitchen ceiling caves in on top of the kitchen island. A clear metaphor for the rest of the season.

What did you think of Dead to Me season 3, episode 5? Comment below.

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