‘Under the Vines’ Recap: ‘Season 2, Episode 3’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Under the Vines’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

It has often been said that we truly learn who is with us and against us during trying times, and well… there is a lot of merit to those words. Because time and time we’ve seen people that claim to be our bestest friends in the whole wide world, step away when the going gets tough for whatever stupid reason, while others… step up to the plate or reaffirm why they’re in our lives or why they need to be. Which makes trying times… beneficial in a way, since they help to inform us where to put our energies when it comes to the people in our lives. If anything, this particular lesson is top of mind today, simply because it was put on full display in the next episode of Under the Vines on Acorn TV.
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For this is a story that saw trying times come to Oakley. Some of which was self-inflicted. Since Daisy and Louis hosted the banker, they met in season one, the one whose prized turkey Louis let perish because he was so eager to be at the meeting when they could have helped. And in a strange twist of guilt-ridden fate, Daisy and Louis basically ensured they would be the caretakers of the banker’s new prize show turkey, David Bowie, for a little while. Which went, about as well as one might expect. Because David Bowie made the like the Goblin King and escaped into the labyrinth of the vines, prompting the need for a replacement turkey and that decision… ended in an explosive manner, literally. Since it fell into the de-icer on the property while it was running, and what made this so harrowing and concerning, is the sheer fact that this was all designed to help them get a line of credit and a lack of turkey would obviously jeopardize that. 

But that wasn’t the only tough time that surrounded the vineyard. Because both Philippe and Tippy sensed in the core of their bones, that a surprise frost was coming. Which was later confirmed by the weather service. One that would easily destroy the harvest and the future of Oakley Wines, and well… that more or less left the team to their own devices. After all, Marissa clearly hired Philippe as a psyche out measure for Tippy and that meant the normal network of support between vineyards couldn’t be trusted here. Which forced the Oakley team to scramble and do their best to save what they could. Simply because… they didn’t have the manpower or the supplies to properly handle the frost and for a time… it really seemed as though the situation was going to become quite dire. Since that lack of supplies denoted real danger for the harvest and the future of the winery.

However, that’s where the reminder of those words came into play. Because despite his wife’s actions, Don decided to go the extra mile for Louis, whom he truly thought to be a friend and he made some calls on his way to the winery… so that the town would come down and ensure that the harvest wasn’t lost in the slightest. Which was beautiful to see take place, since it spoke to how the community had accepted everyone and how close everyone had grown, since everyone on the team chipped in late to ensure the health and survival of the harvest. Making it clear, who was in Louis and Daisy’s corner and who would stand by them day or night, and for those efforts, the harvest was saved, and they even got their line of credit. Since Major Tom Turkey came back from his sabbatical to rejoin his family at the end of this.

However, while that seems like a lovely and happy ending, there was mention of the fact that tough times teach us who is against us as well. And it is important we recognize that… since real trouble is brewing because of that. For Marissa didn’t care if the Oakley Winery failed since she wants to utterly destroy them for humiliating her and Philippe believes in her cause. Despite the fact that he helped out, because he understands who is signing the checks and is doing his best to bring down family of all things and well… that’s the perfect way to assemble and encapsulate this lesson and it sets the stage for a fascinating second half to this season. Since now we can clearly see, it’s about a fight for Oakley’s survival, all because a bitter woman cannot handle a bruising of her ego or a little friendly competition across the way. Until next time.

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