‘Under the Vines’ Recap: ‘Episode 5’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘Under the Vines’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the Acorn TV series, Under the Vines, has done a phenomenal job of portraying the fresh start/second chance in an honest and earnest light. Since we are now fully aware of the fact that this particular concept is not the romantic and fluffy process, we have always believed it to be. Instead, we’ve come to learn that starting over or getting a second chance is difficult work. The kind that forces us to face our demons and hash them out if we want to truly embrace the opportunity that is in front of us and that’s led to some powerful and moving stories, where Daisy and Louis have indeed faced down a lot of the skeletons in their respective closets. But while it has been wonderful to see a series really address this concept in visceral manner and see Daisy and Louis begin to find peace… what the series has yet to address, is what comes next when we’ve finally started to address the tough stuff.

Which is important to explore because that is really when the fresh start gets underway and when we start to make the progress toward the better tomorrow we dream of and thankfully, this series decided that the next episode was the perfect time to bring that exploration to life. As it turns out, one of the first steps in genuinely making a fresh start, involves making some bold decisions. Such as say, going above and beyond to correct a wrong. Which in Louis’ case, involved sacrificing time with the Winery team in order to be a better father. Since his son swung by the Winery in the hopes of spending time with dad and dad obliged, knowing full well the Winery needed all kinds of attention being this close to the big day. But this was a chance to reset with his son and show him how loved he is and watching Louis grow in this manner and set things right with his son, was so powerful and so wonderful.  

As for Daisy, well her journey explored something quite unique regarding the fresh start. In that, sometimes when we deal with our issues in order to properly face new challenges ahead, we come to realize there’s more we need to address. Which in Daisy’s case, turned out to be the unresolved emotions she has when it comes to the late Stanley Oakley. Since we learned that they had a falling out and separation when her mother came down ill, a reality that put regret into Daisy’s heart and helped her to understand in the here and the now, that she has a lot of unresolved trauma when it comes to Stanley’s death. The kind that she does need to deal with, and while that wasn’t handled here, pointing out that self-care is ongoing and that we will uncover more to work on when we finally acknowledge we aren’t a flawless human being, is a brilliant and realistic moment to inject here.

Especially since it allowed for the story to transition into a supremely healthy point regarding self-care and the push to be better for a better tomorrow. Since we also came to learn that despite having a great deal of doubt about the progress she was making and whether or not she’d done enough to really embrace this new opportunity, Daisy has in fact… accomplished wonders. Because people are no longer seeing her as a flake or vapid… they’re starting to see her as someone that is hard-working and dedicated and truly believes in the mission of the winery and that’s huge. Because it helps to remind us that when we really do work hard on improving ourselves and embracing a fresh start, we make more progress than we are aware of, and it is important to step back and recognize that… in part to motivate us further to keep up the work, but also so that we can celebrate the progress we've made.

If anything, this was just a beautiful entry in this already magnificent tale. For it truly helped us to understand that Daisy and Louis are making stunning progress in their growth and they’re finally becoming the people they’ve always wanted to be and that gives this story, unprecedented depth and meaning and it invests the audience in a unique manner as well. Since we’re watching realistic growth happen in real-time and that does leave one to wonder, how all of this is going to come together in the season one finale. Because this is still a story through and through, and there has to be a payoff for this kind of growth and it would seem, the showcase is going to bring all of these important moments home, and that will make the wait for next week’s episode as difficult as can be, since we are all eager to see the payoff to Louis and Daisy’s incredible work. Until next time.

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