Grosse Pointe Garden Society Episode 3 Recap: Companion Planting

Episode 3 of ‘Grosse Pointe Garden Society,‘ titled ‘Companion Planting,’ wastes no time following up from the previous episode’s cryptic ending, leaving our four main characters with many issues to navigate. In episode 2, Alice discovers a gun at her home, one she suspects Doug used to kill her dog, Molly. Although she has no evidence, it still leaves her in a state of panic and anxiety in the third installment. Meanwhile, Catherine finds it hard to contend with Tucker’s behavior as she comes clean about past mistakes. Brett is caught between a rock and a hard place as he tries to figure out what is best for his children in light of his own jealousy against Melissa and Connor. On the other hand, Birdie is unsure how to deal with Ford, considering how he swindled her in the previous episode. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Catherine is Confused By Tucker’s Forgiving Attitude

The episode kickstarts into action with Catherine and Tucker coming out of their conversation, where the former reveals everything about her cheating episode. Tucker asks her a few specific questions about the extent of her infidelity before closing the matter entirely. Catherine is confused by how matter-of-factly her husband deals with the news, almost wanting him to shout at her to make her feel better. However, Tucker tells her that he has forgiven her and walks away. Catherine watches from her bedroom window the following day as Gary leaves the house. With his one trump card to blackmail her gone, the lawyer is forced to abdicate the premises. She is slightly taken aback when she sees Tucker fist-bumping him on his way out of the house.

At the gardening club, Catherine expresses her concerns about Tucker’s forgiving attitude to Alice, Birdie, and Brett. They plant the idea in her head that maybe her husband is involved in something bad himself, possibly even an affair, which is why he is acting so saintly in front of her. Subsequently, Catherine begins an investigation into Tucker’s life, rifling through his office materials and personal mail to get an idea about what he has been up to. The plan backfires on her as Tucker catches her red-handed in the middle of going through his possessions. When they return home, Catherine decides to talk about the subject and try to understand why Tucker is so fine with her cheating. He tells her that he feels partly responsible for her drifting away from him. As such, he urges her to move forward and work on rekindling their lost passion once more.

Birdie Makes Things Worse With Ford

Birdie tracks down Ford at the same parking lot where she confronts him about his scheme to extract money from her. She tells him that she knows everything about the Xbox he bought with the money she gave him for a different cause. He realizes that the game is up and admits that he conned her. However, Birdie does not let him go without any compensation. She makes him work as an intern at the gardening society, handling menial tasks for the entire group. While the whole thing is meant to be educational and teach him about not cheating people out of money, it goes awry when he is stung by a bee. Unbeknownst to Birdie, the young boy is actually allergic to bees, and the bite turns into a much bigger life-threatening issue than anyone expects at the start.

Ford is rushed to the hospital, where Birdie moonlights as his mother, making the legal process with the treatment much smoother. Fortunately, the doctors are able to stabilize his situation quite quickly, relieving her to no end. However, they suggest that he be kept overnight as he is still capable of going into anaphylactic shock. This dampens Birdie’s mood as she might land in hot water with Ford’s parents by involving herself in the boy’s life again. Ultimately, she has no choice in the matter and can only endure Ford’s mom’s anger when she arrives at the hospital. During the conversation, Birdie learns that Joel is actually Ford’s stepfather, which confuses the whole question surrounding the boy’s parentage. The earlier episode hinted that Birdie might be Ford’s mother and Joel his father, but something still doesn’t quite add up.

It is possible that Joel and Birdie are Ford’s parents, as his mom actually adopted him in the first place. So, Ford might be a son that Birdie and Joel had together and later gave away. The situation still leaves a lot of ambiguity. We will likely learn the real truth in the later episodes as Joel and Birdie’s relationship becomes even clearer and the secrets they are hiding emerge into the open.

Alice Takes Doug to Couples Counselling

Episode 3 also sees Alice confronting Doug about their marriage problems. However, it all kicks into gear after Alice discovers the gun hidden in the house at the end of the second episode. After finding the weapon, Alice becomes increasingly doubtful that Doug may have killed her dog, Molly. It logically makes sense in her head as he has recently started talking about having children and settling down as a family. He also shared that he had no connection with the dog when it used to live in the house. Distrustful of her own husband, Alice orders him to accompany her to couples counseling, seeing it as an opportunity to lay out the doubts bubbling beneath the surface in an openly vulnerable environment. Doug is unsure about the whole thing but listens to her anyway.

At the therapist’s office, the pair begin to explore their reasons for taking counseling. Alice pivots out of the situation by pulling out the gun and questioning Doug about his so-called hatred for Molly. She indirectly asks him if he did something terrible to her. Doug reveals that he was the one who opened the gate and let Molly run away in the first place. However, Alice is still unhappy with the subject and pushes him further. Soon, it becomes evident to Doug that Alice only wants him to admit his guilt in Molly’s murder, even if he might not have done it. He throws away the bullet and says he is the one who did it in a sarcastic tone. Alice asks if he is really telling the truth, but her line of questioning hurts him more, and he walks away.

Later, Alice returns home to find Doug packing his belongings and heading out. He tells her he will stay with his parents for a while, effectively announcing a breakup of sorts. She is devastated by the news and heads to Brett’s apartment for comfort. Elsewhere, Gary is abducted by a van of masked goons and whisked away in the blink of an eye.

Brett Uncovers the Identity of His Stalker

One of the more important storylines explored in episode 3 is Brett’s present-day exploits. The four central characters decide to dig up the murdered victim out of the resting hole as the garden is soon to be overturned completely. However, as they prepare to shovel the dirt, they notice a car watching them from afar. Worried that they are being spied upon, Brett forces the others to abandon their mission and head to safety. Meanwhile, Brett notices the car following him everywhere he goes for the next few days. Its presence spooks him, and he wonders if the truth behind the murder is already out. The person watching may have already noticed everything the four have been up to. Desperate to know the answers, he confronts the driver one day while he is busy tailing him.

It turns out that the man stalking Brett is a PI hired by his ex’s husband, Connor. Apparently, he was tasked with collecting dirt on Brett’s life, which would help separate him from his children and hand their custody over to Connor and Melissa. Brett is frustrated by the whole incident and goes to Melissa’s house to fetch his children. However, the latter urges him to go back as he is in a state of hysteria, basically calling him incapable of being a stable parent at the moment. It is unclear whether Melissa is also involved in the act with Connor, but he decides not to push the matter further and heeds her advice. At the gardening club, Brett watches in alarm as a cop is pointed in his direction. The episode closes with the officer asking Brett whether he knows the whereabouts of an unnamed person. Again, the anticipation of the victim’s body remains hanging in the air.