In the City Recap: Homes Wrecked

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The drama surrounding Amanda Batula and West Wilson is bringing a lot of attention to the show In the City. It’s likely the reason In the City got a reunion season – while shows like The Valley, Next Gen NYC, Ladies of London: The New Reign, and The Valley: Persian Style didn’t – is because viewers are eager to see Amanda, Kyle, and the rest of the cast react to everything that’s happened. I’m happy the show is getting this much buzz, as it’s really starting to deliver, and I’m optimistic about its future. And that’s largely thanks to one person: Kenny.

Lindsay and Kyle have been great at what they do for years, but it’s the new personalities on the show who are really capturing our attention. Kenny is particularly compelling – he’s not just good during group scenes and arguments, he also has an interesting personal life we get to see. While storylines like Lindsay and Danielle reconnecting, Kyle and Amanda splitting up, and Danielle and Amanda’s dramatic fight play out, some of the most memorable moments actually come from Kenny when he’s on his own (often with Whitney, who is…unique – she was a contestant on The Bachelor and seems perpetually subdued).

He and Whitney pretended to run for a couple of blocks, then he got a call from a private investigator – he’s trying to locate his father. It struck me as odd; with tools like Google and social media, shouldn’t it be easy to find someone? Apparently, his father’s name is Larry Martin. A quick Google search turned up a deceased paleontologist, then a dead actor, and finally an Instagram profile of a young person with really impressive braids. Clearly, they need professional help with this search.

Kenny’s father moved to England when he was young and started a new family. Kenny visited every summer, but eventually grew to dislike the trips and resented his father’s other family. When he was offered the chance to stay home one year, he took it, choosing to play Nintendo with his mother instead. This led to 28 years of no contact – a silence so long, it’s almost a person! They get a lead from the private investigator, who provides two phone numbers for his father and stepmother, Debbie, in Tampa. Unfortunately, both numbers are disconnected. Whitney then suggests looking for Debbie on Facebook, joking that it’s a favorite pastime for people her age. It works! They find Debbie’s profile, and then they find his father. After some more online searching, Kenny finally speaks to Debbie, who excitedly tells him, “We’ve been looking for you.” It’s a truly emotional moment, like something out of a movie, and it feels like a hopeful sign for the future.

Honestly, I’m really drawn to Georgina’s confessionals and when she’s talking about her son, Robert. The story about him wanting to wear a dirty diaper and her filling it with chocolate? Wild! It also got me thinking – he’s obsessed with the color green, so… is his poop green? Is that even possible? I’m hoping to see Georgina really come into her own with the group, though. It’s not just about stirring up drama, but actually bringing some energy and fun to things. Right now, she’s mostly just… giving scrotal massages to wealthy men, trying to smooth things out down there. It’s just… a bit much. Some things are supposed to be wrinkly – like Shar Peis, linen pants, or even prunes. You just don’t try to iron out everything!

Georgina unfortunately misses the most chaotic event: Kyle getting everyone drunk on a moving trolley as they attempt to sell Loverboy to bars and stores throughout Manhattan. The moment that cemented Kyle and Lindsay as legends was Kyle giving Lindsay a piggyback ride while simultaneously trying to drink some Loverboy. The real drama, though, comes from Amanda and Danielle, who inevitably get into a huge fight after a day of drinking while riding around in a vintage vehicle. Danielle is furious because someone shared a rumor online – a blog post, specifically – claiming she’s interfering with her boyfriend Eoin’s divorce. It’s hard to believe Amanda actually thinks Danielle is a home-wrecker, especially considering… well, social media. The group chat includes Kyle, Amanda, Amanda’s best friend Katie Deluca (who is also friends with Danielle), and Katie’s husband, Matt. But the biggest question is: who showed Danielle the group chat in the first place? That person is the true villain. What’s said in private group chats should stay private, and anyone who reveals the chat’s existence or its contents is a traitor who deserves a punishment: having each of their toenails removed by Clavicular after he’s consumed 18 BuzzBallz.

Danielle felt they were spreading a rumor by discussing it in the group chat, but group chats are meant to be private conversations. They weren’t confirming the rumor as true – simply acknowledging that it existed and was being talked about publicly. Because these friends share both public and private moments, they’re constantly seeing gossip about each other online. It’s likely they were sharing the information not to judge Danielle, but to express disbelief at what was being said about her. They probably all checked in with Danielle afterward to ask if it was true, and she likely pointed out the unreliable source. Ultimately, they realized people often post things without verifying them.

Danielle seems upset, and it might be because she’s jealous of Amanda and Katie’s close friendship. Actually, that’s not quite right – she’s upset about this specific post, but it’s not anyone’s fault. I can understand why Amanda is reacting strongly; this is the first time I recall her raising her voice at someone besides Kyle. It seems she’s been feeling dismissed by him for a while, and past events clearly show that’s true.

The conversation shifted, and Amanda accused Danielle of sharing details about their friend group with online blogs, specifically referencing a post about why Craig Conover was asked to leave Amanda and Kyle’s wedding while he was dating Paige DeSorbo. Danielle insisted she hadn’t done this, but Amanda maintained it was true. Danielle misinterpreted this as Amanda accusing her of being a “homewrecker” and warned that if Amanda truly believed that, she’d face serious backlash at the upcoming reunion. Danielle shared this with Lindsay while they waited in line for pizza at L’Industrie, lamenting how New York City had become a place where waiting in endless lines is the norm. She reminisced about the days when the only line worth waiting in was for Shake Shack, and questioned why anyone would wait for pizza, bagels, boba, or pancakes when there are so many other options in such a great city. She ended with a frustrated plea for people to simply find other places to go.

The last scene is pretty intense, with Amanda leaving the house hoping to fix her marriage. But let’s be real, she’s clearly heading towards divorce. She’s angry that Kyle went out, came home, went back out, and then brought other people back with him. Honestly, I understand! If I were asleep and my partner brought people home without asking, I’d feel completely justified in losing it – even if it meant defending myself in court. The only scenario where that would be okay is if he’d warned me he was bringing home Tom Holland, Michael B. Jordan, and Kyle Cooke for a wild night. Otherwise, it’s a dealbreaker.

Amanda wished they could spend their final night in the house together, but Kyle reminded her she’d been mostly glued to the couch all weekend. They seem to be at odds with each other: Kyle is focused on having fun before the New York marathon (though he admits that’s not a perfect reason to party), while Amanda just wants to relax, watch clips of Interior Motives, and get high on the couch. Neither of them is doing anything wrong, but their desires just don’t mesh.

This scene really highlighted a sneaky editing tactic used on Amanda. Throughout Summer House, we’ve never seen inside Kymanda, which Kyle often criticized for being messy. Just as Amanda was moving out, with everything packed, the show included a shot of a huge, unstable pile of clothes on a chair – it was more dramatic than a game of Jenga earlier in the episode! This moment showed that Kyle isn’t solely to blame for the issues; it takes two people to create and resolve conflict. It seems like a lot of effort went into making the mess appear worse, implying both Kyle and Amanda contributed to it. Now that they’re separating, it will be interesting to see how each of them adapts and fares on their own.

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2026-06-17 06:57