TV Recap: "Nine Perfect Strangers" - Season 2, Episode 7 "Mergers and Acquisitions"

Recap:

Helena and Martin (Lena Olin and Lucas Englander) are talking about how she wants him to share responsibility for Zauberwald with Masha (Nicole Kidman). Helena leaves the room and proceeds to cough up blood in the bathroom. It’s at this point that we learn Martin is Helena’s son and he states that he doesn’t like Masha and doesn’t trust her.

On a long drive through the Alps, Martin waits to see Masha arrive at the retreat, and they both know this is the end for Helena. Masha and Helena talk about how good they were to each other, and Masha is very deferential to her old friend. Helena offers Zauberwald to Masha, but Masha tells her friend it should go to Martin. Helena is all out of charm and tells Masha that Martin has no charm and Zauberwald needs a leader with vision.

Now in the present, sitting in Helena’s old room, Masha is remembering what she was told, and then exits. Agnes (Dolly De Leon) finds Martin sitting by the fire staring off into oblivion. She asks him if he is alright, and Martin responds that it has been a long time since anyone has asked him that. He discusses his failures and asks about Agnes’ crisis of faith. Martin tells the former nun that he thinks he is having a crisis of faith, and in the pity parade that he starts, Agnes tells him he is a good person. Brian, Tina, and Wolfie (Murray Bartlett, King Princess, Maisie Richardson-Sellers) ask if Victoria (Christine Baranski) is okay. Brian is curious to know why she has a whole medical team attending to her.

Martin tells them that she had an adverse reaction to her medication. When David (Mark Strong) states that Martin dosed a severely ill woman with psychedelics, Martin tells them all that Masha is running a madhouse and putting them in danger.

Peter (Henry Golding) meets Masha in the library, and confronts her with the idea that he, Masha and David will be in business together. In the parlor area, Martin proceeds to explain to the group how David and Masha will tear Zauberwald from his family’s hands. Peter explains to Masha that David is interested in Masha’s trick and will do anything to learn how she achieves her magic, but his father won’t stay forever.

While David questions Martin’s place at Zauberwald, he explains that it was he who spent all his time caring for his mother in the months, and in the final days, he sees Masha swoop-in and convince his mother to give the retreat to her. Martin then explains to the group how Masha came to her mother for treatment after her daughter died. He details how much his mother was in love with the pain that Masha experienced. Now working with his mother’s former patient, Martin believes that Masha is a lunatic. (The truth is so obvious, thankfully Martin is voicing my inner monologue.)

David ends Martin’s outburst by telling him that clearly, he is not professional enough to be the leader and not even capable enough to be Masha’s assistant. The group leaves, shocked by how Martin acted, but Agnes tells the angry scientist to be kind to himself. Alone he picks up a vase of flowers and smashes it on the floor as Masha watches on CCTV.

In Victoria’s room, as the matriarch sleeps, Imogen (Annie Murphy) questions Matteo (Aras Aydin) why her mom never told her how sick she was. Matteo asks how often they talked. Victoria awakens and Imogen asks what her plan was. Imogen wants to know how long she has, and Victoria says that she might have a few years. Victoria apologizes, and Imogen tells her mom that she went back to the day her dad died in her session, and she worries about what will happen to her if her mom dies. Victoria tells her daughter that they do have some time, and they should make the most of it. (Murphy and Baranski deserved more than this one scene to connect their characters. I wish we had a whole episode about them.)

Tina will not stop complaining about how terrible things are, but Wolfie is not listening. She’s tired of hearing her girlfriend complain. (This relationship is in more danger of expiring than Victoria.)

Imogen finds Peter outside, and they talk for the first time. He wonders how her mother is, and Imogen asks if he has got to spend time with his dad. Peter admits that he should have spent more time with the incredible woman who liked him instead of his dad. Peter tells her that he spent most of his life scavenging for love and that he sees no decency in his dad. Imogen tells Peter that Victoria has been hiding her deadly illness.

As the two look at the sky, Peter wonders aloud if they will be this crappy with their kids. This catches Imogen off guard, and Peter tries to deflect and sees an opening to begin again. The two share a laugh over the cuteness of their potential offspring.

Brian is trying to sleep but is awakened by the sentient version of his puppet Jesse Bear. The bear asks him if he is still worried about what happened to that child who saw his angry outburst and all the other children who idolized him but saw him fall from grace. Brian decides he doesn’t want to listen to the insults of this inanimate object and locks him in the suitcase and throws it across the room.

In the lab, Martin is mixing mushrooms and creating a new ‘tea’ that might open a whole new world to him. He drinks a large quantity of psychedelic tea and gets ready for a trip to another dimension. As Martin gears up for his drug trip, so is Masha, as she tries to bring Helena to her. David arrives at her door, and Masha lets her in. David describes how he could help Masha take full control of Zauberwald. Masha wants to know if he believes in her therapy so much, why not give up everything else that he has. Masha tells David that she really wants him to meet their daughter Tatiana. Together they will take a controlled dose together and meet the lost child.

Masha gives David a massive dose of the drugs, and while she is getting him ready for the experience, she subtly removes the device she has on. (Masha is psychotic. Martin was correct all along, and now she is going to get David killed.) Just as Masha is getting ready to begin with David, Helena appears to her and states that she is finally going through with it. (Masha’s visions only confirm what her subconscious is saying. She was out to get David, there was never anything to heal, it’s pure revenge.)

Fireworks explode around the property, and while the guests are confused, Masha comes on a public speaker and asks everyone to meet her downstairs for an emergency meeting. Down in the lab, a drugged Martin sees his mother Helena and she tells him that she has missed him.

In the parlor David awakens to everyone staring at him, and Masha tells him that he will learn and grow from this breakout session. (Masha is seriously disturbed. If I was David, I would be ripping that device off him and calling the police.)

Review:

I am disappointed that Annie Murphy and Christine Baranski get their moment in a scene rather than an episode. I feel like this storyline could have had a great narrative for a whole episode, and sadly it’s a footnote to the vengeful Masha story.

I loved seeing Martin lose control and act out. He was bound to question the insanity of Masha, and thankfully Lucas Englander had a great moment in the show that was fun to watch.

Line of the Night Award:

This goes to Agnes played by Dolly De Leon. As she talks to Martin about her crisis of faith, she beautifully describes the true depth of her despair with this line.

“You’re just an empty vessel plummeting further and further away from yourself."