Archive

“Venice:The Series” recap (4.1) – Lemon Pies and Lies

Season 4 of Venice: The Series debuted this week, and it was full of so much drama that my head is still spinning. (If you need to catch up on Venice, check out our refresher course.)

When we last left Venice, Gina’s brother Owen had been stabbed by Sammie, who then slipped away into the night. We see a flashback to that night, and The Colonel rushing to Owen’s side. It fades to black. Well, that doesn’t bode well. But then again, it’s a soap. People get nearly murdered all the time. Right?

Gina is sitting in her kitchen, KISSING ZOE BELL. Where did she come from? Ok so it’s not Zoe per se, it’s her character, Stella. Stella straight up asks Gina if she’s still hung up on Ani, and Gina admits to it. She tells Stella about the letter she wrote and that Ani never responded. Speaking of Ani, she still staring at the engagement ring that Lara presented to her. Lara looks slightly petrified that Ani hasn’t responded yet, but her fears are assuaged when Ani says yes. They kiss the kind of kiss that only happens when you are taking a leap off a cliff with someone. Then there’s Owen. He’s not fighting for his life in the back of an ambulance. He’s not making cryptic jokes underneath his oxygen mask. He’s lying in a body bag, and it’s terribly, terribly sad. Guya’s boyfriend Det. Brandon is on the scene, and asks if the Colonel touched anything at the scene. Way to be a bro, Brandon. The Colonel calls looking for Gina, and Stella tells him that she’s on her way to Owen’s place. Just then, Gina opens the door and sees her brother. She collapses to the ground. Ani and Lara are having a celebratory make out session, when Ani gets the call about Owen. In fact, all the major players get a call about Owen’s passing except Guya. Gina and The Colonel go to her home to tell her in person. Ani arrives at Gina’s place and pockets her engagement ring before pounding on the door. Gina tells her to go away, and closes the door in her face. Ani stands there helpless and conflicted. At Owen’s memorial service, there is talk about tracking Sammie’s whereabouts. Brandon tries to appease Gina, but she wants justice and she wants it now. Ani and Lara show up and it’s as awkward as you are imagining. Lara says the perfunctory “sorry for your loss”, but Ani looks like she just wants to take Gina in her arms. When Ani gets Gina alone, Gina is short and dismissive. Ani asks if Gina is mad at her (which is such a lesbian thing to do) and Gina says she’s mad at the world. Lara runs into a snarky blonde woman, who she ascertains to be Logan, one of Gina’s old flames. Logan stokes the fires of Lara’s insecurities about Gina and Ani, and I sense some future plotting with these two. Gina has prepared a plate of lemon pies in memorial to Owen. It flashes back to the scene where Owen, Gina and Guya are reminiscing about Owen eating Gina’s half of a lemon pie as a kid. It’s wonderfully sweet and sad. Gina places the pie in front of Owen’s picture and tells him he can have the whole thing this time.

Richard (who for our purposes today shall be referred to as ‘Not Peter Reckell’) walks into the memorial with a young woman at his side. Jamie, decked out in a fabulous veil, leans in to gossip about it with Ani. Ani figures out pretty damn quick who the girl is utters the cutest, most bewildered “oh no” that’s ever been uttered. Not Peter Reckell feels that this would be the appropriate time for Gina to meet Sara, you know, the daughter she gave away for adoption twenty-one years ago. Gina, not surprisingly, is really pissed off. She accuses Richard of trying to replace Owen with Sara like she’s some kind of puppy. Gina storms off and Ani chases after her. Ani’s attempt to comfort Gina backfires, and she walks away from Ani too.

Ok, so are you ready for this? Owen is eating a lemon pie…in a waiting room…in heaven. Yes, they are going there. I can’t help but feel that this is a nod to Galen Gering’s turn in Passions. For those of you who don’t know about Passions, it was a soap where a talking doll made martinis for a witch. Pretty much anything that could happen, did happen on Passions, so Owen in heaven wouldn’t be a stretch.

I’m not sold completely on this idea, but having an aunt that can communicate with spirits could come in handy for him. Back at the memorial, Guya gets a chill, and notices the pie is gone. Jamie suggests someone ate it. Owen watches Guya’s reaction from a television…in heaven. Did I mention that? Oh yeah, I did. Owen asks his angel case-worker if he’s got any options, because he’s really like to go back now. The angel tells Owen that he’s dead as a doornail, and the only options he has are to go to heaven or return to earth in different body. Owen opts for going back because Gina needs him. There is a brief scene between Alan, the charming hotel chain owner, and Katherine Pierce, the wealthy widow. She tells him that she’s finally happy again after losing her husband and he knows that he’s got her hook, line and sinker. He excuses himself to make a “business” phone call, but instead he calls up some guy who’s doing lines of coke off his iPad. How tech savvy of him. They are ready to implement a plan that will rob Katherine blind. There is a picture of Ani underneath the coke residue on the tweaked out guys iPad, and I’m suddenly really nervous for her.

Gina is bereft and Jamie imparts some of his kind wisdom to her. He tells her to stop pushing everyone away. Life is too short.

Ani is staring at her engagement ring in bed next to a sleeping Lara. Ani’s phone vibrates and when she sees who it is, she gets up. Lara wakes and watches her leave. Guya and Brandon are also in bed when Guya wakes up. She calls out, thinking she’s in the presence of Katie. Then something washes over her, and she calls out to Owen. Brandon wakes and holds her close as she cries. Ani goes downstairs to find Gina waiting for her on the deck. Ani wraps her arms around Gina, tears in both their eyes. What did you think of the Season 4 premiere of Venice?

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button