‘Trying’ Recap: ‘White Lies’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Esther Smith and Charlotte Riley as Nikki and Kat in Episode 407 of ‘Trying’ – ‘White Lies’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 407 of ‘Trying’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Every parent out there makes a vow when their child is born, or when a child enters their family through adoption. In that, they will tell no lies. They will be honest and up front with their kids because that’s how one should communicate. So that their kids learn to be honest as well and never once feel as though they’re not seeing the bigger picture. Which is a noble vow for certain, one that speaks to the beautiful moral core of the parent in question, and it is a vow… that every single parent will eventually break. Sometimes out of anger and frustration and the wrong reasons… and sometimes… for noble ones. To protect their little one from a pain that they cannot comprehend until they are the right age.

If anything, that unfortunate lesson about parenting is top of mind today, simply because Nikki had to learn it in the next episode of Trying. But before we dive into how that came to be in ‘White Lies’, we do need to take a moment and reflect upon the wondrous dad moment that Jason took part in in this tale, since it livened up a serious story and reminded us of what parents can do when they apply themselves in a positive manner. Because Princess let all her schoolwork go the wayside in the midst of the search for Kat, so to support her, Jason called in all of the family. To work on her assignments and help her in school. Which went… okay until Karen stepped in… then it went great. But it was just lovely to see a dad step in and support over punish and belittle and it really did break up… a pivotal and powerful story.

Because in the land of Spain, Nikki made her way to the address that Kat left with the florist and at first, that appeared to be a dead end. Because that address was nothing more than a restaurant, so there was no way that someone was living there. But it turned out that Kat worked there and with Kat in Nikki’s sights, she went for it and told all kinds of lies to get into Kat’s good graces. All because… she wanted the answers everyone sought back home, and for a time, this plan worked. But alas, a quick discovery in Nikki’s bag, specifically the picture of Kat she was carrying to identify her, made the entire interaction less pleasant and allowed for truth to come forth from Nikki about her intentions, and she was able to learn a great deal about Kat by dropping the façade and telling the truth.

In that, bad person was the only phrase to associate with Kat. For Nikki came to learn she was only concerned with herself and nothing more, and there was nothing in this life that would ever convince her to be a better person and to perhaps pay her daughter mind. In fact, the rotten in her core was so bad, she just left. Which in turn left Nikki facing down the lesson. Because she had a choice in hand, either tell Princess the truth about her mother, or lie. Lie and protect Princess so that she could just move forward. And so… Nikki chose the latter, after she told Jason the truth and confirmed with him, the pain the truth would cause. So, as far as Princess was aware, Kat was never there and there were no clues left to find her, seemingly closing the book on the search for a deadbeat mom.

Which made for a powerful ending to this tale. One that really did offer up amazing life lessons for parents. Because while some may lament what Nikki did, she did the right thing. Because for parents, it isn’t always possible to tell the truth, and a lie must be put in place to protect a young mind and undeveloped emotions… that just won’t understand. The trick… is whether or not the truth comes out, and if it does, there’s real complications in figuring out the right time to do so. But this episode deserves a round of applause for taking the time to showcase, this tough moment and this tough decision. One that let parents know they’re not alone in breaking a powerful vow that can never be kept. Until next time.

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