I Love LA Recap: Back 2 Back

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The hardest arguments are those where everyone involved has a valid perspective, and that’s certainly the case with Maia in “Divas Down.” She has a lot going for her, making the conflict particularly difficult.

Maia is dealing with a difficult situation involving Tallulah, who is both her best friend and a client. Since starting a new relationship with Tessa, Tallulah hasn’t been putting much effort into either their friendship or her work. Although Maia is successfully negotiating profitable deals for Tallulah, Tallulah remains upset about a previous embarrassing advertisement and lacks motivation to pursue new projects. Their disagreements are usually expressed through subtle, indirect comments. However, things escalate when Maia accidentally throws a large kitchen knife while opening a mountain of publicity packages for Tallulah, and it lands, shockingly, through her shoe, her toe, and right through Alani’s immaculate floor.

The rest of the episode, again directed by Lorene Scafaria, moves very quickly, particularly when Maia rushes through a packed hospital. She’s determined to get Alani to a crucial meeting with Antoine (played by Tim Baltz from The Righteous Gemstones, who delivers every line with comedic brilliance), and won’t let Alani’s badly bleeding foot stop them from achieving their goal.

Tallulah continues to lack drive. She’s never explained what she wants from her job or what she expects from her manager, and this needs to change in the next season of I Love LA if we’re going to care about her career as an influencer. Beyond promoting products like Ritz crackers, what are her ambitions? Is she just aiming to maintain a cool image and keep receiving designer gifts? We need to see more from her!

For now, Tallulah is satisfied with getting Maia to agree that the Ritz advertisement was completely wrong for her image, whatever that may be. Even though Maia reminds her it still earned her $100,000, Tallulah insists it was a failure. Like any good manager dealing with a difficult client, Maia finally gives in and tells Tallulah what she wants to hear. More importantly, Maia convinces Tallulah that getting Antoine’s approval will lead to the exciting and stylish campaigns Tallulah has always dreamed of.

Maia’s intense focus on her career has helped her advance quickly, but it’s now causing problems at Alyssa180. She’s determined to get Tallulah an invitation to Antoine’s exclusive Formé dinner, and pushes for a meeting despite Alyssa clearly wanting another client to attend. Maia feels she needs to prove herself, and is still energized by a past challenge from Antoine, her former boss. When Alyssa cancels the meeting, Maia refuses to accept it. Ignoring medical advice (“forget about my toe!”), she tracks down Antoine and arrives at the restaurant with Tallulah, only to discover Alyssa has secretly taken her place in the meeting.

I have to say, Maia’s totally justified in being furious! And honestly, it was kind of amazing – and wild – to watch her respond to Antoine’s challenge by dramatically putting her injured foot on the table right next to his drink. She said it was to prove how badly she wanted him to meet Tallulah. Antoine, who clearly wishes everyone would just relax and enjoy life – he’s all about smoking in museums and flirting – was completely into it. He told a clearly frustrated Alyssa that Maia was “insane” – in a good way, apparently! He immediately invited Tallulah to dinner and even to Kristen Stewart’s place for homemade sushi (and asked if she was pregnant!), leaving Maia to deal with her boss, who might be playing games, but also has a right to be upset.

Maia works for both Tallulah and Alyssa, creating a tricky situation. She managed to get Tallulah a meeting with Antoine, which was both a success and a breach of protocol. When Alyssa questions whether Maia is willing to prioritize the company over her client, Maia is honest and says she can’t. Alyssa reluctantly accepts Maia’s resignation. Alyssa accuses Maia of being too focused on advancement to appreciate what she already has, and lays on the sympathy a bit heavily. Really, she’s annoyed that Maia cleverly played her at her own game, and condescension is all she has left to offer. However, Alyssa has a point, especially considering how the show ‘Divas Down’ ultimately concludes.

You know Maia has a boyfriend? Well, she hadn’t remembered that fact at all during a really strange and difficult day, and he’s officially had enough.

Dylan was already on edge from a terrible game night last week, and he was still clearly upset at the start of this episode. He even finished Maia’s joke for her – a simple one about sand being dirt – with a level of frustration we haven’t often seen from him. But when his girlfriend forgets about dinner with his dad, and then doesn’t even tell him she’s been to the hospital, it’s the final straw. The fight that follows is harsh, with Dylan relentlessly questioning her. Whether he asks about specific instances, like why she didn’t call him, or broader questions about their relationship, like when they last did something he wanted to do, she struggles to answer.

He claims she’s changed since Tallulah returned, but Maia knows he’s really upset that she’s the one prioritizing her career. “I want to live a full life. I thought you supported that,” she cries. He has a point, but Dylan feels increasingly insignificant as her ambitions grow. “It feels like the more you achieve, the less space there is for me,” he says. Both he and Tallulah struggle to understand why she won’t pause, even briefly, to focus on something – anything – besides work. While I sympathize with their frustration (Maia is definitely overdoing it with these work commitments), she does grasp a reality that they don’t.

In the entertainment world, it’s easy to be forgotten. She feels immense pressure to seize every opportunity, fearing she’ll regret it if she doesn’t. While Dylan doesn’t seem to understand, her feeling is valid. However, constantly chasing opportunities can mean letting go of other things. Now, as she’s about to reach a new level in her career, she’s forced to consider: is Dylan someone she’s willing to risk losing?

Just Circling Back …

I’m just wondering what Maia’s long-term plan is. How will she create a stable career for herself now that she’s leaving Alyssa180? Tallulah seems to be doing great, but she’s currently Maia’s only client, so things really need to go well with this New York opportunity.

Okay, so I thought the bit with Maia pretending to be a Jewish person injured in the bus crash was really clever. Apparently, Rachel Sennott, who made “Shiva Baby,” gets mistaken for Jewish all the time, and it felt like a really knowing, self-aware moment. It was a great little meta-reference, honestly.

Aside from happenings with the Maia family, Charlie unexpectedly received a hair transplant – apparently, so did all the senior vice presidents at Netflix – and was rehired in his previous position. Meanwhile, Mimi Rush’s attempt to change her look with a new stylist didn’t go well; the stylist tried to transform her image from ‘alien’ to ‘mermaid,’ but it resulted in a very public and embarrassing failure onstage.

It was also deeply embarrassing, but a striking image: Charlie wearing a hat proclaiming “Mimi Rush Fired Me For Being Gay & Jewish” just for her, and managing a smile despite the pain of his transplant as blood ran down his forehead. Here’s hoping their unusual connection lasts!

With ‘Heartbeats’ and ‘Oblivion’ already featured, many fans are predicting the show’s finale will begin with the song ‘Time to Pretend’.

• “I lied. I didn’t come to pick up my antique French scoliosis corset.”

• “We got an invite to the Formé dinner.” “…I’m so mad that I know what that is.”

• “‘Berthume’? That’s what I said!”

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2025-12-15 07:55