SCANDAL! The Bare is back for a second course! Our SCANDAL! reporter connect Erich Mees and videographer Brenden Davis are back to dish up the freshest, hottest twists and turns for you every week to keep you up-to-date on the drama.
The Food Service struggle saga continues…
Stevia’s baby is here. Shermie is taking his relationship with Molly to the next level. The restaurant is undergoing an extreme renovation and hiring new staff to transition into the fine dining sphere for real, but nobody knows what the end goal for the reinvented W.T.Fridays even is.
The pressure is on, and the heat is only getting more intense in the kitchen as Shermie, his staff, and his family desperately try and keep their ever-changing business afloat!
Photography by Chelsea Patricia and Casey Gardner Ford
Poster design by Lily Stancill
S2E1: Back to The Bare
One morning at W.T.Fridays, Adelaide receives a voicemail from her father, Bill, stating that he was coming to the restaurant to visit her.
- He apologized for her last visit, acknowledging that the naked women (and the cameraman) must have been a surprise, but she should have called first. He explained that was why he was calling first, to make sure there’d be no surprise when he comes by to support her.Adelaide wasn’t sure if she could deal with her dad’s visit, telling ABC that the last time she visited him “I saw my dad in an official banana hammock.” ABC doubted that there was any such thing as an “official” banana hammock, but let her continue. She explained that her father always wanted her to follow him in the family cross-country transit business, but she had to follow her own dream of cooking.At Donna’s home, Donna suggested to Stevia that, when the time comes to reopen the restaurant, she should just follow her brother Shermie’s directions. When Stevia pointed out that she had a degree in restaurant management from Valdosta University, Donna offhandedly mentioned that she’d shredded that document along with other old junk.Over at W.T.Friday’s, Lenny walked into the dining room carrying his new “ward,” a bag of flour that he was carrying as a “practice cat” to prove he could handle the responsibility of adopting a cat. He met Junior and Alex, the restaurant’s new expo, who explained to Lenny just what an expo does. Seeing Lenny taking care of the “practice cat,” Junior confessed his jealousy that Lenny had more in his life than just the restaurant. Alex told Junior that her expo duties included being a life coach, and offered to boost Junior’s confidence. She took the bag of flour from Lenny, opened it up, and told Junior to make something great from it. Lenny was heartbroken by this abuse of his cat “Beatrix Kitto” (“It’s a Kill Bill reference!”)Over in the dining area of the Pitt, Molly and Shermie met for lunch. Molly told Shermie that it had been an eventful day, as she’d treated people from three different helicopter crashes. (“Have you ever seen a man with a helicopter wing embedded in his neck?”) Shermie got hung up on the terminology, pointing out that helicopters don’t have wings. A call for Molly came over the intercom, but Shermie assured her that the rest of the hospital could handle it, and that she needed to take some time to look after herself.Waiting outside the mayor’s office, Stevia was on the phone with Alex, who asked if the restaurant had had any HR issues. Stevia replied “We’ve been accused of a lot of things, but I haven’t filed anything, so we should be fine.” Just then, Stevia got a call from Lenny, who wanted to file an HR complaint because “someone stole my son.” Switching lines, Stevia asked Alex about Lenny’s allegations; Alex explained that Lenny’s “son” was a bag of flour, but Stevia pointed out “ALL children matter!” Stevia promised to resolve the situation before Shermie found out about it, then ended both calls and entered the mayor’s office.Bill entered the restaurant, despite its being closed, and introduced himself to Lenny. Lenny asked for some fatherly advice:LENNY: “What would you do if somebody opened up your daughter?”BILL: “Somebody gotta die.”Lenny thanked him for the advice, and left. Shortly afterwards, ABC entered, and recognized Bill from the “banana hammock” video (while still insisting that there’s no such thing as an “official banana hammock,” any thong can be one). In quick succession, Bill also met Junior, Stevia, Shermie (who was the first to point out that the restaurant was closed and that Bill shouldn’t be there), Alex, and Adelaide. Everyone started arguing and talking over each other, until everyone but Bill and Adelaide left. Adelaide told her dad that he couldn’t just drop in at her work. Discussing their family issues, Adelaide pointed out that she had been there when her mom was dying, and he wasn’t there. Bill admitted that it had been too hard for him to deal with, but he wanted to be there for Adelaide now.ABC consoled Lenny over losing “Beatrix Kitto,” as Lenny lamented that he’d just let Alex take the bag. ABC assured Lenny that if it had been a real cat, Lenny WOULD have stopped at nothing to protect it. To demonstrate, ABC took his apron and told Lenny to pretend that it was his cat. They fought for it. Lenny declared that nothing would stop him from protecting his “cat son” Beatrix.Fixing up the restaurant, Stevia was putting up a curtain rod; as she started to lose her balance, Junior rushed in and steadied her. She explained that she needed to get ready for the mayor’s visit, and asked Junior if he could help, as a favor for a friend. Junior noted that she’d been using the word “friend” a lot, and he thought they were more than that.In the dining room, Alex and Adelaide were serving Bill as a “practice customer.” Bill and Adelaide reminisced about Adelaide’s childhood, when she would join Bill on his trucking jobs. He replied that he’d always hoped she would join the business. He also clarified that those sex videos of him were not for public consumption, but just for his own benefit as “highlight reels” to refine and improve his performance, like athletes use. Alex asked whether she should leave them alone.Donna visited Molly and Stevia in the kitchen, to see how the wedding cake for Molly & Shermie was coming along. Donna explained that she wanted the wedding to be perfect, so she would begin the ceremony by singing “The Rose.” Molly took Stevia aside and told her that Donna’s micro-managing was overwhelming her, comparing the situation to the PTSD she got from treating the helicopter crash patients. Donna yelled that she could hear everything they were saying.The scenes began cross-cutting, with each argument escalating until Donna threw a cake at Molly.In the kitchen, Junior was trying to figure out where he stood with Stevia, when Bill entered. Junior asked, “You ever felt like something was within your grasp and you let it get away?” He tried using a metaphor of a perfect recipe that couldn’t quite come together, but Bill didn’t understand the reference until Junior demonstrated by letting Bill taste the cake-frosting. Bill advised Junior to let Stevia know how he felt, to be direct, and make sure there’s no misunderstanding.Adelaide and Molly went for a walk to vent about their problems. Adelaide was upset by the video she’d seen on her dad’s phone; she acknowledged that she shouldn’t be upset that her dad has a sex life, but she didn’t need to know about it. She was also concerned that it might mean that Bill was forgetting her mom. Adelaide said that her parents had known each other since third grade; Molly related, since Shermie had been HER third-grade crush…but she was worried that might be ruined, since Donna had thrown the wedding cake at her face. Shocked, Adelaide exclaimed “You NEVER waste a cardamom Bundt cake!” Adelaide advised Molly to follow her heart and not let Donna spoil it. Molly asked Adelaide to be her maid of honor.Alex entered the freezer and heard Donna sobbing inside. (“Is there a cougar in here? I’ve fought cougars before!”) Donna explained that she’d been sleeping in the freezer all night since her argument with Molly. Donna admitted that she was a mess; her son meant the world to her (she even had his face as a birthmark on her butt), but now he was going against the family tradition.Shermie was sitting at a table, smoking (“After the restaurant opens, we won’t be able to do this anymore”). ABC entered, and Shermie compared his situation to having an old bruise and being compelled to touch it and remember the pain. He asked if ABC understood that feeling.ABC: “I’m an Arab-American, and today’s 9-11.”SHERMIE: “Point taken.”As they spoke, Lenny rappelled in from the roof, beginning a very loud, clumsy, and destructive “stealth” mission to recover his flour “cat.” ABC and Shermie continued their conversation without noticing the ruckus. Lenny made his way to the office and “rescued” Beatrix. Before he could straighten up the overturned furniture, Stevia entered, barely noticing the chaos. She told Lenny that, as a mother herself, she understood the lengths a parent would go to for their child. She informed Lenny that she’d put his name down as a trusted contact for her son Matildo, because she knew Lenny would do anything for his kid. Stevia then confessed that she’d tried to convince Molly not to trust Donna; Lenny was shocked, considering this a betrayal of parenthood. Suddenly, Stevia accidentally dropped the “Beatrix” bag, and flour filled the air.Molly invited Shermie to sit beside her on the couch (broken during Lenny’s mission); Shermie did so VERY carefully. Shermie confessed that his mother had fucked up the majority of his life, and he didn’t want that to continue. Molly informed Shermie that she didn’t want Donna at their wedding. With great relief, Shermie agreed; he’d just been too weak to refuse Donna himself. They began making out on the unstable couch.At the end of the day, Stevia began setting out tables for the family dinner. Junior arrived and apologized for his behavior. ABC and Bill arrived; ABC was surprised when Bill informed him that there IS an Official Banana Hammock. Lenny arrived cradling Beatrix Kitto, and Junior apologized for not considering Lenny’s feelings about his practice cat. Everyone began dining together.Across town, Donna came home to her empty apartment and (also broken) couch.TO BE CONTINUED…
