'SLOMW' recap: Breaking down Taylor Frankie Paul's shocking season 5 moments after Mikayla announces exit

I remember every day just holding my breath. Is Muse gonna break? Is Taylor gonna go to jail? Like, is Dakota gonna go to jail? It was so scary. Virtual reality. Hi, I'm Denny Murphy. I'm Evan Real. And, oof, the Mormon wives' lives. I mean, they're always kind of a mess, but this season, a little extra messy. It was really messy. I mean, obviously, this was the lead-up to Taylor, Frankie, Paul, and Dakota Mortensen's domestic abuse allegation scandal that ultimately led to the demise of Taylor, Frankie, Paul's season of The Bachelorette, the reason why it was pulled, but we're getting a lot of behind-the-scenes tea. We get the spoiler that Doug won, but then he ultimately didn't win because Taylor went back to Dakota, but then was also canoodling with Ben. And called off their honeymoon weekend, or whatever it is. Happy couple. Yes. Going into the first happy couple visit with Doug, there was a point that clicked. I was like, this isn't going to work, and I'm going to break it off. She said, oh, I am happy coupling, well, not happily coupling with other people, but having that. I know it is always the crazy thing that the domestic dispute that pulled The Bachelorette is what this season one episode, one of the Mormon wives started with. Right. So it's honestly, as a viewer, it's a bit confusing, to be honest, because we, it's like every episode, it's like three weeks until the production pause, two weeks until the production pause. And do you know what I didn't think helped is that at the end of the season, there's this kind of like intense, like the whole cast is fighting with Taylor after she comes off this fight with Michaela and Macy and Jesse, while they were trying to pull the Cartier ring hijinks for Layla to get Mason's Cartier ring back after Mason and Layla broke up, which we're so glad that Layla moved on to Mason. Layla, I am so happy, and I'm sorry you've been through so much before you can legally rent a car. No, literally. You are too young to be dealing with this. She's only 24. I am. I love anyone discovering their sexuality. No one has needed to be with a woman more in their life than Layla. Layla, these men are not for you. I mean, if you end up with a man that's complex, but I feel like this woman is a good energy for you. We don't know her yet. Yeah. I just know the bar's low. Oh, totally. Very low. Oh, my God. Every every man involved in the mom talk orbit is just kind of like, I don't want to say trash. That's rude to garbage. No. Oh. Because you know what I mean? Because they're what is what I hate is it's not even it's the manipulation. Yeah. And I feel like it's a lot of them. It's a lot rooted in like, they've watched these women flourish and have such amazing opportunities as the women are helping these men out every step of the way, mind you. And now I don't know why there's levels of jealousy. And I think kind of things of like, but I'm the I feel a lot of them are like, but I'm the man or not even the house, but I'm the man. You can't be doing this. And Chase, we had amazing interactions with him in April when he did our live show before this came out. The way he's talking to everybody. You don't even have a woman at home. Why do you care what these women do as you're getting DUIs and making Miranda's life hell? I know. And Miranda really handled that with such grace. She's a stronger woman than us all. We were saying Miranda is such a level-headed person. She really is the voice of reason. And when she's going through so much with Chase and his DUI and worrying about how that will impact their kids and their family life, she's showing up for her friends like Layla when she's going through her messy Mason situation. She's just the best. Like Miranda is the best. She really is. And I will say, I know a lot of people kind of feel like, oh, Whitney doing Chicago. Can she act? Yada, yada, yada. She acted like she gave a ---- about Jen Affleck's drama so well this season. So girls get an EGOT when she had to sit down because Whitney really did everybody a solid and came back. She didn't want to come back for this final. She didn't want to do that. She didn't. Whitney, you don't have to say anything. Whitney did not want to film anymore the second she got Chicago, my opinion, my assumption. And then they're like, and Jen Affleck's like, I want to have a sit down with her because I just feel we have to right some wrongs. Whitney's like, I don't give a ----. Well, especially because Jen is talking about things that happened season one years ago. Yeah. Like, I just. What? I rewatched back everything and you said that I was a bad friend. You're talking about season one. Yes. Like two years ago. Yes. I don't understand her commitment to what seems to be an inability to move on from the past. I think, I mean, she was fighting with Whitney, who doesn't even look like the Whitney we see today. You know what I mean? Like Whitney's been through so much and she's changed so much and the whole cast has evolved and grown. Everyone has changed so much. Yes. Yeah. But Jen, and with much love to Jen, it just kind of seems like she's stuck. It doesn't even seem like she has any strong allies in the cast, with the exception of Miranda, who's not even that close to her. Miranda is the one who went to check in on her. Wait, Jen doing a sad TikTok alone. She's just doing one by herself. Oh my God. Okay. So that made me laugh so hard. I was kind of on the floor. I was like, this is really sad. So when they were in New York, right, it was a brunch before they were all heading back to Utah. And she really just, Jen could not even fan happiness. She told Whitney, I'm so happy for you, you did incredible as Roxy Hart in Chicago. But when Whitney was talking about it at the brunch and all the opportunities, all the girls were like, do you want to do more Broadway? Do you want to add everyone gassing Whitney up? Because not gassing, just giving her the flowers that she earned. Yeah. Jen just couldn't handle it. You could tell she was seething with jealousy. And then they were all going to do a group TikTok and they invited Jen to be a part of it, but she was like, no, I don't feel like doing it. And she does the solo TikTok. And it was almost like she did it on purpose so that fans would know she's in the same exact location. And then it sort of builds this narrative, I think, was her, I think that was her intention to build this narrative. Oh, they're leaving Jen out. They're being mean girls. They're being exclusionary. Oh, exactly. Yeah. And I will say also, um, I hope not, we're not Zach Affleck fans, particularly. Oh, sorry. I mean, I don't know. Historically, no. Historically not. But an interesting thing, I thought it was really interesting. I think we're on the same wavelength. Yes. I'm like, Zach, now listen. Now watch. When Jen was like, I'm having you go talk to the Mormon bishop to get you back on track. So that you can be worthy enough to give your daughter a Mormon blessing. But he was explaining he hasn't gone to church for the last year and a half because he's been supporting this reality TV lifestyle, which was shunned by the Mormon church. So then he sort of, I don't want to say succumb to her new lifestyle, but he was supporting her in the most extreme level because he stopped going to church. And he was like, this is what we want to do now. To reality TV. He was saying, you, I was learning from our conversations how much of the church is rooted in the patriarchy. Right. And I want, I want to be a better, because he's having a metamorphosis. Well, he's not like doing a little bit of now, I think him and Jen are doing like awfully now. I don't even know. But it's like, he was growing and evolving. He was trying. In a way. He's the one guy here who's somehow not toxic this season. Yeah. And I would, you would think that Jen would appreciate him sort of separating himself from those traditional values and beliefs within the system of the Mormon church, because she's out here wanting to pursue her dreams of acting and dancing and singing and doing sports illustrated. Now, the one thing which we find out later in the season, when she talks more about her acting aspirations, he's not down with it. And he said he talked to God a lot about that. And so I understand her frustrations being like, well, you need to support me. However, like it going back to the bishop and the baby blessing of it all. She should have just understood that he was uncomfortable with that and didn't want to do that. And because she was so like, the mom talk started like fighting against the patriarchy of the Mormon church. Why would you be so hellbent on getting your baby blessed within a ceremony that is so rooted against what you stand for? Rooted in the patriarchy. Do you think God heard Jen Affleck's song? Miranda. I want my pink back. Look, I love that she built a studio. I love that she used her Dancing with the Stars cash to build something that can help her potentially facilitate some of her dreams. And I think it's courageous of her to sing live on television. Absolutely. Like that's we don't all have that confidence. She's like Whitney sang live. Here's Jenna. I'm going to sing live too. I want my pink back. She was explaining that flamingos, when they give birth, they lose their pink color and she's given birth many times. She's about to give birth again. She has opened up about the mental health struggles she experiences when pregnant yet she and Zach are having another baby, which I don't know whose idea that was, but that's a conversation happening online right now. But I hope she gets her pink back. I hope she gets her pink back. And I hope maybe the ladies, because she is going on to do Seeker Lives and Mormon Wives Orange County. I hope she has friends there. I have to imagine because she has better allies. Because it's funny when her and everyone was in a igloo in Central Park and it was Taylor and Jen together. I was like, how did we get here? How did we get to this? And also with Taylor, Taylor in the city, this whole Ben saga was crazy, really. And also it's crazy that she was like, what do you want our kids to be, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then she got stressed that he wants to be in a relationship. Do you think because Jesse called it out? Do you think it's just coincidental or planned that Taylor and Dakota got out of relationships at the same time? I mean, I don't know. I feel like maybe a bit of both. I don't know. I just, it's like, it's sad with Taylor and Dakota. It makes me so, so sad. You know, this Ben situation obviously like did not make Taylor's life any easier because he also had kind of a girlfriend too, but it wasn't his girlfriend. I forget her name. But they kept using that Ferris wheel clip over and over again. Dakota with the new girlfriend. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. I can't even remember her name. Emily, Emma. I have no clue. We didn't really get much of her on the show. It seems like she filmed a little bit, but I guess she wasn't really that, I don't know. Maybe she was just like a non-factor, but Ben was a factor in New York city at this massive penthouse apartment hotel room, which looks like amazing. The bathroom was spectacular. However, I don't know if that bathroom scene was so spectacular. What went through your mind when she was slurping water before she was slurping water when Ben was showing off his booty cheeks to the camera blurred. So I don't even know what the booty cheeks were doing. I just, I don't know. I felt so bad. Taylor loves it. She was like, I can't believe you did that on camera. I felt so bad for the camera person. Cause like, I was like, I'm going to, y'all have been sweaty all around the city. Well, he hasn't really left the apartment, the penthouse he's been hiding because she's under her strict bachelor NDA. She can't be seen with another man for months and months and months of her mom's worried about it. Yeah. When she chaotically ordered every dessert at Serafina, then ran away. I was like, and then of course, Michaela MAC went to deliver the desserts cause they wanted to see what was going on. And I will say they were very kind to Ben, but they, I think they just wanted to see for themselves. Like, okay. So this is why Taylor's. Why do I know? Like they like hand fed each other, New York cheesecake in that bathtub water. Sounds kind of, I mean, I'm not saying no. And also, I don't know why it hits her differently. I mean, like I drink tap water, but like, I don't know if I would drink bath water that I'm actively in. Was she rinsing her mouth and spitting it out or do you think she actually drank it? She consumed it. I hope so. Cause Ben said that she reminded him of a wild animal, which maybe there's a turn on, but his face wasn't, his face was like, well, so Ben, it's like you're dating Taylor, Frankie Paul, like with love. Like she strikes me as a girl who would drink the bath water. Do you know what I mean? Like, I'm not even saying that in a bad way. I'm like, she wears the same sweatpants every scene. She does. And she looks so good in her sweatpants and that tight little long sleeve shirt and her boob job is just like boob jobbing. And you know, say what you want about Taylor. She's a really beautiful girl. She's so pretty. And I feel like she's just lost. I mean, I don't know. It just stresses me out. She stresses me out. And we were talking about it at the start of this recap, but that ending sort of towards the end when she's having this, well, it turns into a mea culpa with all the girls and everyone's saying sorry. But before that, there's this very heated discussion. You know, Macy and Michaela, they are very concerned about Taylor and the way she's moving through the post-Bachelorette journey with Dakota and with Ben and doing all this and that and the other. And this is a lingering conversation that stemmed from the quote, what they're calling a street fight. I think Michaela said it was like Jerry Springer in the streets. When after the hijinks of trying to retrieve the Cartier ring back for Layla amid the Mason breakup, somehow they came into this discussion. It's almost like the girls wanted to get Taylor in the car so they could really corner her to talk to her, to have this kind of like intervention about what she's doing with all these three different guys after the Bachelorette between Dakota, Doug and Ben, whatever. And Taylor was just not receptive to it. And it became this discussion like Michaela and Macy, you think you're perfect. So I feel like you're perfect. You're not perfect. And then Michaela and Macy are like, oh, we never really said that. What's going on? And then they try to, they try to make it work at this. I think it was, was it a Jessie's housewarming? She got a new house that she bought in her own name because she knows what's up. She saw the writing on the wall that she and Jordan were not going to sit together. They're together on the show right now. But it's so crazy to walk up a finisher. It's so, it's so wild. So at Jesse's house at the housewarming, they're having this like discussion and Macy and Michaela. So Jesse and Taylor, they connected after filming the street fight scene. And Taylor had sent an apology note to all the girls, Michaela and Macy did not interact with it. And Taylor was upset because she felt like Macy and Michaela were being fake because they wanted to save the conversation until they had a camera in front of them, which is a good reality star, right? Like maybe that's just their job at this point. You know what I mean? And so, and also like, instead of just texting it, it was like, I want to be in person to your face. Right. So Taylor, I don't like weaponizing is too harsh a word, but she was kind of like weaponizing their delayed response and like using that as like her main ammo. But she did apologize for like freaking out in the text message. But Macy and Michaela wanted to address it in person. And then it becomes this like whole thing where Michaela accidentally brings up Shania. Shania is the former best friend of Miranda who f***ed Chase and Dakota. Shania seems like a piece of s***, but no one's really placing the onus on Dakota in this situation because Dakota and Taylor have been up and down. Shania didn't really, Shania mattered to Miranda because that was her best friend. Shania did not matter to Taylor. And but with Miranda, she made a really good observation in one of her confessionals. She was like, Taylor did this out of spite, Shania is just a piece of s***. Dakota did out of spite. And so no one's really, I wish Miranda would have said that in front of Taylor to Dakota's face. You know why? It didn't, it wouldn't matter what you said in front to Taylor about Dakota, nothing you say to Taylor about Dakota, nothing you say to Dakota about Taylor will never register anything. And if you ever find yourself in a situation where your drama is involving a Dakota, Doug and Ben, like, girl, what are we? We gotta, we gotta change it. I know. It just makes me really sad for Taylor. And then, you know, at the end of the season, we see that The Bachelorette is officially canceled after the video comes out. And she didn't even show up to that. There's a last group scene, I think, I forget whose house it is. Someone's house. Oh no, they all have houses. They're gathering on a white couch as the girls do in their sweatpants. And Dakota, I mean, Taylor doesn't show up and explains like, oh, Dakota's being an a**hole. And then the video comes out and The Bachelorette is pulled. And then, you know, we're left with this question, will Taylor return to the secret lives of Mormon wives? But it seems like Hulu, that's like up to y'all. I don't know. Like, that's like we don't that's not really even up to Taylor. That's like literally up to Hulu. Up to if she gets a contract. Right. So. And I mean, what is crazy? I want her to return. I really do. I'm rooting for Taylor. I know she's done a lot of bad stuff, etc. Like, you know, we've seen the videos. Dakota's done just as horrific s**t. But I think, you know, the thing is, like, this is the incident that kicked off the show. That's the thing. So now it's just like a show. Right. And so now there's video evidence of it. OK. We we knew it was heavily documented. It was it was the start of the show was the reason why she was arrested. I know. But I know they're actively filming now. So we're going to get the season five B six sometime soon. And I'm really going to want to know how Jesse goes from how she talks about Marciano now. Oh, right. Also, speaking to Jesse, Jesse, if you're watching, you look beautiful. I don't want you to be insecure about your face. She talks a lot about her plastic surgery regrets, which just, like, honestly broke my heart. She was like, I want my old face back. I don't think I personally know that looks that different, but also her one. That's her one. Like, that's what that's, you know, the same reason why people people choose to get plastic surgery for themselves. Her that one is what she wants for herself. We love you, Jesse. Yeah, I know. You're a beautiful girl. I just I feel so bad for her, but I am really interested to see how the Marciano situation plays out, because she's talking some mad about Marciano did not like him filming the show. And now it's cloud chasing. Now she seems happier than ever with him. Did she tell him she said all that or did he learn all of that on Thursday? I don't know. I feel like she probably gave him a heads up, but then they kind of hard, I mean, hard launch. But I feel like they've been hard. Like, oh, yeah. Yeah. Walking carpets together, doing their thing. She she was in the VRT comment section saying she's happier than ever, even though Michaela doesn't really approve of Jesse and Marciano. So Michaela says what she thinks. And I love love. I love Michaela. She will just say whatever the is on her mind. It's incredible. Like when she called on Mason at the dinner table, like, yeah, Laila gifts you all. And it feels a little bit imbalanced. And Mason was like, you could tell internally he was just like, like, I can't believe she's like saying this out loud. She's so giving. And that's like her love language is gift giving. I think it's an amazing quality to have. But it gets to a certain point where I'm like, it is too much. If you're getting taken advantage of. She has never met a filter and never, ever do. Never do. Hard. Macy are such a dynamic duo. Oh, my God. Love them. And so are Miranda and Laila. We talked about them on Page Six Radio. We were glowing how much of a great friendship dynamic they have, which is why, guys, I mean, vote for whoever you want. But we're saying the VRT awards are October 6th at Edison Ballroom, which is so fun. But you all can help us vote for the winner. So go to page six dot com slash virtual reality to put in your vote to vote every day until September 29th. One of the categories is dynamic duo where Miranda and Laila are nominated. They're against some like heavy duty, though they're against Lindsay and Gemma. Robin. Yeah. Sally and Austin. So if you're a Mormon fan, we're just letting you know that. But yeah, I guess we will. We're going to be back recapping so much reality TV. But I wonder when Orange County what's going to come first, Orange County Mormon wives or the next season of Secret Lives. Oh, I don't know. I'm honestly really intrigued by Orange County Mormon wives. That would be like a good palate cleanser from all the darkness and I need more details about that girl. That podcast girl, Bobby. Oh, yes. One who's like in bed with people and his friends with Jake or something. See, this is why we'll keep you posted when it drops. We will let you know about her. But until then, goodbye.