Last night’s season finale of Teen Mom was another super-sized episode that had each member of the franchise making very difficult decisions. Will Farrah take Sophia to Florida (thanks Life & Style for being a spoiler!)? Will Carly come to Catelynn and Tyler’s graduation? Will Amber reconcile with Gary? What will become of the Maci-Kyle-Ryan drama trifecta?
It’s Sophia’s second birthday, and Farrah wants to put the family stress of her impending move aside for her party. She walks into her parents’ home and her father greets her warmly. “Shut the hell up, MICHAEL!” she screams. Way to put the stress behind them. At lunch, Farrah’s mom brings up how much pain her daughter was in during labor. None of them seem to remember the day of her birth in anywhere near the same manner, but whatevs. Happy birthday, Sophia! Welcome to the cra-cra!
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Maci worries about how her fighting with Ryan is affecting Bentley and her relationship with Kyle. She enlists her mother to be the one who maintains contact with Ryan. Maci is hoping that if both she and her ex can communicate through Bentley’s grandparents instead of fighting with each other, her stress will be greatly decreased.
Catelynn is on cloud nine after finishing high school, and she has a lot of faith in her relationship with Tyler. Tyler’s dad/Catelynn’s stepdad Butch still can’t have contact with Tyler’s stepmom/Catelynn’s mom April. Butch requests to move in with the young couple until he is finished with his parole, and the couple discusses the pros and cons of letting him come live with them. They make up a list of rules for Butch while they consider their decision.
Amber and Gary’s court date to potentially terminate their no-contact order is postponed due to an ice storm. Gary talks with his mom about how much he wants to be able to see Amber. He then proceeds to start shoveling the walk in his short-sleeved (is that an Affliction?) tee. I don’t consider for even a second the notion that he could be cold. Gary’s mom drops off Leah at Amber’s house. Everyone is ready for this to be resolved.
It’s official! Butch is moving in with Catelynn and Tyler for three months. Butch also brings his dog, which they weren’t expecting. He has enrolled himself in out-patient rehab which is a step in the right direction. The trio hangs the rules of the house on the fridge as a reminder to Butch what he needs to do to remain a permanent houseguest.
With her contact with Ryan limited (for once on this show, not by court order), Maci is hoping Kyle will be open to moving their relationship into a more serious direction. Maci texts Ryan’s mom to see if she would be willing to meet for dinner to discuss Maci’s plan for little-to-no interaction with Ryan. She thinks Ryan’s mom will be upset, to which Kyle responds, “Life’s tough. Wear a helmet.” Truer words, Kyle, truer words. Almost immediately, Ryan begins blowing up her phone. He wants to know what she wants to talk his mom about. His mother doesn’t want to meet her for dinner, so Maci tells him that she will pick Bentley up from their house.
Sophia has a very special birthday, and Farrah’s mom tells her daughter how proud she is of her daughter for all she has accomplished. Farrah breaks down talking about Sophia’s late father. Her mother says she wants to give her the gift of watching Sophia while Farrah finds herself and attends school in Florida. The two actually share a semi-touching moment.
In Amber’s world, court is postponed again due to bad weather. Amber wants to get back together with Gary, but she needs him to change. Amber tells her friend that she grew up with women who acted like raging b*tches towards their significant others, so that is how she learned to treat Gary. Her friend reminds her that Leah gets to see how her parents act, and Amber wouldn’t want Leah going around b*tch slapping people when she doesn’t get her way. Amber wants her daughter to learn from her mistakes, not repeat them.
Even though Kyle and Ryan haven’t talked since Kyle turned down Ryan’s job offer, the doting boyfriend still wants to accompany Maci when she goes to pick up Bentley. Once at Ryan’s parents’ house, Maci calls Ryan and requests to speak with him alone. I wonder if all his friends who are over hanging out are just going to find a hiding spot in the garage. Maci reveals her plan for grandparent only communication and Ryan is super receptive and mature about the idea. I’ll hand it to Maci, she doesn’t lose her cool, and I do think she wants a stress-free hand-off as far as Bentley is concerned. As he leaves, Bentley expresses his love for Mimi while Ryan cusses Kyle under his breath, spits, threatens to “drop kick someone.” He’s vying for Father of the Year again!
Farrah confides in a friend that she wouldn’t be able to take care of Sophia 24/7 if it weren’t for the support of her parents. She tells her friend that she has plans to go further her education in Florida. Farrah discusses feeling torn about what to do about Sophia’s care. Her friend is supportive and encourages her to do what she needs to do to get her life in order so that Farrah can be the best mom possible for Sophia.
Maci and Kyle watch Bentley sleep and wonder if Ryan will comply with Maci’s request. She tells Kyle that if she was acting like Ryan, her friends would set her straight immediately, as it is not about her, it is about Bentley. Kyle is skeptical that Ryan will make things easy for everyone.
Things are going well with Butch, although Tyler can’t seem to get over his dad’s penchant for tomato juice with Texas Pete. It must be a sober man’s Shirley Temple Bloody Mary. Catelynn tells Butch about their graduation–and sidebar, isn’t it kind of awesome to see them graduating high school and being so grounded when we learned earlier that Tyler’s dad has been in and out of jail and on and off drugs since before Tyler was born? I must say it one more time during the finale, I love them.
The couple tells Butch that they have invited Carly to the graduation ceremony. He is upset that Carly will never know him as her grandfather. Catelynn and Tyler try to explain to him that if he does get to meet Carly, she will call him “Butch” so she won’t be confused. Butch is not at all onboard, and he reminds the couple that they wouldn’t have to worry about her attending their graduation if they hadn’t given her up in the first place. Ouch.
It’s been over a month since Gary has spoken to Amber. He waxes poetic about his love for her to a friend, and it’s these scenes that make me realize how scripted some parts of this show are. Boys do not talk to each like this.
Catelynn calls her father to invite him to her graduation, and she asks his advice on Carly’s attendance. He thinks that it could be a very awkward situation for Carly’s adoptive parents, as well as Catelynn’s family. She realizes she must make a decision as to who to invite.
Farrah attempts to talk to Sophia about her decision to move. She tells Sophia that if she comes with her to Florida, it will be very expensive for school and day care. Farrah has decided to let Sophia stay with her parents, and she tries to tell her daughter why it is the better choice. Seeing as the child just turned two, Farrah may want to explain it to her…oh, in a few years.
Well, Maci’s plan is bust as she has school and both her parents are at work. She is forced to call Ryan to watch Bentley and meet him for the exchange. The two don’t speak, but at least they don’t fight.
Catelynn discusses Carly’s invitation to graduation with Tyler. They really want their daughter there, but they know it will be especially hard and awkward for Carly and her adoptive parents. It seems that they either have to invite Carly or invite their parents. It’s an emotional decision, but the pair decides that while they would love nothing more than to have Carly share in their special day, they need to maintain their newly repaired family relationships. I am guessing that Carly’s adoptive parents will be relieved to hear the news. Now they won’t have to seem like the bad guys in the event they didn’t think it was a good idea to attend. What a mature decision from a mature couple. Here’s your spin-off, MTV.
The ice has finally melted enough for court to be in session. The couple walks out of the courthouse arm-in-arm. Good news! The order has been revised. Amber and Gary are allowed to be around each other, but not around each other with Leah except to exchange her. Gary is ready for many date nights, but Amber is not ready for things to move quickly. As far as Amber is concerned, Gary needs to fix some things in his head before he’s at her level.
Farrah and her mom go shopping for Sophia. Her mom is ecstatic when Farrah reveals her plan to let Sophia stay with her and Michael while Farrah moves to Florida. Her mother is very proud of her daughter’s decision, and she thinks it will be a very healthy change for Farrah. It may be a bit too much of an emotional exchange for a children’s clothing store dressing room.
Catelynn and Tyler send an e-mail to Carly’s adoptive parents expressing their feelings. They have a really sweet conversation about the sacrifices they made for Carly and their hopes for the future and the long road ahead. Love. Them.
My ears! I go from sweet Tyler and Catelynn to Gary assaulting my ears with a song he has composed for Amber. I’m not passing judgment, but I have a feeling Gary’s friend Evan (who keeps making appearances to give sensitive ‘guy-friend’ advice) is not really super tight with Gar. He looks like he is vying for some camera time in hopes of making it on the next season of the Real World.
Ryan’s dad busts out in sarcastic laughter when Ryan reminds him of what a fine young man he raises. To retort, Ryan’s father reminds Ryan that if you stay in the back of the pack, your view never changes. Bam! On a serious note, his dad wants to know what is going on between him and Maci. He questions his son, wondering if Ryan has ever apologized for any of his wrongdoing. Um, that would be a negative. Ryan texts Maci an apology for his part in their arguing, and Kyle predicts he’ll want to marry Maci within the week. Was it just me or did Maci hide a hopeful smirk behind a forkful of dinner?
Going from no contact to a lunch date, Maci and Ryan meet to discuss how they can better get along for the sake of their son. They both agree that Ryan has great potential, but just sometimes doesn’t give a damn. The pair has a semi-mature conversation…as mature as they can have with Ryan chomping on a straw the entire time.
Before moving, Farrah takes Sophia on a tour of all the places that remind her of Sophia’s dad. All joking aside, it seems like Farrah is still really struggling with his death. She is unloading all of her feelings in a dialog with Sophia that the child won’t understand until she watches the show years from now, but it seems to be very healing for Farrah.
Leah has given herself a make-up mustache with some of Amber’s most expensive eye shadow. Horror! Gary calls to serenade Amber. I’m glad he didn’t wait to play for her in person because I think all her eye-rolling would probably hurt his feelings. Gary professes his love but gets an angry tirade in return about not wanting to jump into a relationship. He sends Amber a self-pitying text about not putting himself out there anymore, and then sends her to voicemail when she calls him back. Glad to see they are back to a healthy relationship. Also, I am hoping Simon Cowell was watching this finale. Gary may need to be on X Factor with that smoldering voice.
Butch never came home the night before, and Catelynn and Tyler are worried. April comes by to tell the couple that Butch is back in prison. They are shocked as he seemed to be doing so well. April is beyond upset and her toddler Nick tries to console her. Tyler is equal parts angry, sad, and disappointed. He tries to make Nick feel better while April opens a beer.
Maci wonders if Kyle is on the same page as she is regarding marriage. She doesn’t need to get married tomorrow, but she wants to know he sees it in their future. Maci is surprised to learn that Kyle’s aversion to getting married soon has nothing to do with Ryan. He needs her to be patient. Maci gets upset discussing how much has changed because of the fact she got pregnant.
And cue some uplifting grunge band music with a instagram-inspired montage of all our favorite teen parents and their families.
The Dr. Drew special next week looks as if it will provide more drama than even this extra-long season of MTV’s original young mothers.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FINALE AND THE RECAP? DO YOU THINK FARRAH MADE THE RIGHT DECISION? DO YOU THINK CATELYNN AND TYLER WILL MAKE IT? WOULD YOU VOTE FOR GARY ON AMERICAN IDOL? 🙂
