We’re back with more Southern Hospitality Season 4 recaps! This week, the mini-break is over, and we’re heading back to work. In this episode, the gang ends their trip to the lake with a bang, Brad says goodbye to his friendship with Emmy, and Maddi and Joe face some serious issues. Here’s everything that happened in Southern Hospitality Season 4, Episode 6: “Ruckus on the River.”
What Went Down on Southern Hospitality Season 4 Episode 5?
We pick up right where we left off in the last episode. Lake’s still upset about Michols and decides to talk to Bella about it.
Lake admits that she has had crippling anxiety all her life and realizes her coping method is talking to friends, usually Michols. She knows she probably shouldn’t have talked to Ella about what Michols told her. She admits she has a big mouth and it’s getting her in trouble.
The boys are getting ready for the hoe down in their denim overalls. We learn that Michols’ mom sent him to cotillion and ballroom classes when he was younger, as he and TJ set the table. He admits he may be slutty, but he has impeccable manners.
Emmy decides she wants to tell Brad that she’s ready to talk when he is. Maddi and Bella both try to give her pointers on how to explain her microaggression and wording so she can articulate to him properly and get on the same page.
A tale of two apologies, or how Emmy and Lake tried to make things right
Brad decides to talk to Emmy despite not wanting to because he keeps his promises. She tries to tell him that she’s sorry about using “unsafe” because her safety was never her concern that night. But once again, it feels like she’s more concerned about her than how she made him feel.
He admits that he’s mad because she says one thing one day and changes her mind. He confronts her that she said sorry in Folly and then told Justin the next day that she only did it so Brad and TJ wouldn’t “ruin her life.”
Emmy tries to give “context” to that, but Brad says there’s no context. Either you mean it when you say you’re sorry or you don’t. She said she just wants them to stop attacking each other. Brad feels her apologies are fake and is done. Instead of understanding why, Emmy feels “silenced” as usual.
At dinner, Michols and Lake finally have it out in front of everyone. Mia calls Lake out on her angsty emo teenager vibes, and she admits she feels bad. Michols has had enough and says he is 1,000% frustrated by her. He told her something in confidence, and she ran her mouth immediately.
Michols tells her she needs to stop acting like the victim in this because she is not. He says he can’t be friends with her if she keeps breaking his trust.
Lake gives a sincere apology, Emmy still makes it about her
While Lake is upset and crying, Emmy talks to her, but instead of comforting her about Michols, Emmy makes it all about how Brad won’t listen to her side and how she feels silenced. Lake was shocked that this was somehow about Emmy once again.
Lake returns to dinner and apologizes sincerely to Michols. She admits to breaking his trust and explains how talking to confidants is her way of coping. She was worried when she heard Brad felt she didn’t defend him because she is an advocate for POCs.
But she knows she broke Michols’ trust and she’s sorry. Lake apologized repeatedly to everyone. Brad and Michols accept her apology, and she and Michols hug it out.
Meanwhile, Emmy is upset because Brad accepts Lake’s genuine apology and won’t accept her less-than-genuine one. It turns out she wants an apology from Brad, too, so that may be why she can’t be sincere.
Fireside hook-ups, hang-outs, and anteaters
After dinner, everyone settles into “slumber party mode.” Mia and Justin are talking (and flirting) by the fireside. He is telling her why he would be a good “hang.”
Michols and TJ tell them they’ll kiss if Mia and Justin do. Both pairs end up kissing and making out, and everyone inside cheers Justin on as he kisses Mia again. According to Justin, their kiss was some “electrical type sh*t.”
TJ and Michols retire to their room, and all the lights go off. In the dark, TJ asks Michols if something he came across was his “anteater.” Michols tells him not to be scared because his anteater is nice. As the scene fades, everyone knows what’s going on from the sounds alone.
The morning after and the consequences
The next day, everyone is sluggish and a bit hungover, especially Molly. Justin and Mia admit they made out. Maddi and Lake ask them if they’ve talked to Jordyn. Mia says she hasn’t. She and Jordyn aren’t friends, and Justin is acting completely single.
Justin, however, did call Jordyn (before Lake could – fair) and told her. She cussed him out (also fair), and it looks like that’s the end of them. Justin admits that he may have dragged out that situationship for too long.
Meanwhile, Maddi and Joe are getting ready to go. Joe still has to plan his big birthday bash event. He is putting five months of his rent into it, so he needs it to work out. The group packs up the cars. Bye Edisto!
Joe has a bit of a quarter-life crisis, and Maddi has some decisions to make
At Republic, it’s obvious Joe is going through it and needs to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He feels he should be doing more, and he thinks about how Leva worries he’s not 100% into the business.
Maddi is worried that Joe’s turning to alcohol to cope. She tries to talk to him about it, but he brushes it off and says he’s fine. That night, Leva talks to the team because they only booked four tables, which is “weak” and “lame.” She spoke to the whole group, but Joe took it especially personally.
The next afternoon, they are setting up Republic. Joe rolls in 23 minutes late, and Maddi reveals she’s pissed at him. He told her he was working the night before, but when she checked his location, he was at another bar. Michols confirmed Joe didn’t come in and said he was probably out drinking. Trouble ahead!
Sure enough, when Maddi confronts Joe about it, he freaks out. He says he came home at 11 and she’s overreacting. Maddi thinks he is “going on a bender” and that if he focused more or stayed at home, he’d have more things figured out, like a business or a marriage proposal.
Joe is not taking it well. He eventually tells her he can’t deal and splits. Maddi follows him out, but he just drives off.
Michols sees it all and comforts her. Maddi says he’s gaslighting her, and she worries that she’s enabling him. She also admits his alcohol issues are triggering for her sobriety. Michols says Joe’s behavior doesn’t seem like it’s going to change any time soon.
Uh-oh. It looks like Maddi has some choices to make.
Southern Hospitality airs Thursday nights at 9/8c on Bravo. It streams on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK JOE MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM? DO YOU THINK THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS GOING TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF IT?
