Welcome to the Summer House Season 8 Finale recap! In this week’s episode, titled “Point of No Return,” Lindsay is able to walk away from her and Carl’s latest fight and have fun at the party while Carl’s still stuck in his feelings. Carl just wants a little love and understanding from his partner, but Lindsay insists she’ll never be a “Stepford Wife – this is who I am!” And finally, we get to see Carl break off their engagement on camera. Was it a brave move on Carl’s part or an underhanded “blindside?” You be the judge. Here are the highlights from the Summer House Season 8 Finale.
Carlito’s stuck in his feelings
Carl and Lindsay wrap up their never-ending fight at the end-of-the-season party, and as Lindsay stomps back into the house, Danielle scurries to her side.
Carl just wants a little love and support from his partner, but all Lindsay can do is criticize. She thinks he wants her to be a Stepford Wife, which she’ll definitely never be. Lindsay feels he’s been at home for the past 10 months trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life, and she doesn’t have any “coddling” left in her.
While Lindsay decides to just enjoy the party, Carl is stewing in his feelings. “I don’t bounce back like she does,” he says.
After everyone goes home, he explains to Kyle that he thinks Lindsay just handles things differently than he does. She thinks she’s strong cause she got through her abandonment issues on her own. She thinks Carl should just tough out his sobriety and doesn’t realize what a struggle it’s been for him.
Lindsay doesn’t seem to have much empathy for others, and Carl’s not sure that’s what he wants in a partner. He wants someone who cares about other people’s feelings. He’s starting to realize how different he and Lindsay really are.
A failure to communicate
The next morning, Lindsay and Carl are barely speaking to each other. Carl tries to explain his feelings. He just wants a little more loving support, but that’s just not who she is.
She thinks it’s rude when he says he didn’t sign up for all the criticism she gives him. How can he be surprised? She’s always been like this.
Lindsay refuses to accept that the way she speaks to him affects the way he feels. I totally understand where Carl’s coming from ’cause I’m the same way. He’s frustrated that she won’t even listen to what he needs in a partner. She refuses to even talk about it.
He feels like they’re “two ships passing in the night,” and she just refuses to understand what he needs in their relationship. Carl wonders if they’ll ever be able to resolve their differences.
When he says they need to figure out how to communicate with each other before they get married, she thinks he’s saying he doesn’t want to get married. What?! Is she even listening to him? It’s like talking to a wall. Carl’s starting to have “second thoughts.”
As Lindsay’s packing to go home, Danielle stops by. Lindsay tells her that Carl “talks in circles,” “slings insults,” and then gets all defensive. I don’t see that at all. She was the one getting defensive. He was just trying to tell her how he feels. They really have a huge communication problem. It’s like they’re speaking different languages to each other.
Lindsay thinks Carl is depending on her to boost his confidence and his happiness. She says, “I have nothing left in the tank for him.”
Three days later…
Carl and Kyle meet up at a café for coffee. Carl tells his friend that he and Lindsay are just “unable to resolve conflict in a healthy manner.” Their wedding is only two and a half months out, and he’s worried. Things didn’t go well coming back from Montauk on Sunday night, and Carl ended up sleeping in the spare bedroom.
He says that all summer, the only person he was “tense and didn’t get along with” was his fiancée. How are they supposed to get married in two months? They’re just so unsuited to each other.
Carl continues that they have no intimacy and haven’t had sex in three weeks. Lindsay’s only response is, “I’m never gonna change. This is who I am.”
Sh*t just got real for Carl. He just realized Lindsay’s never going to be the person he needs. They’re never going to be able to communicate effectively or get along. Does he want to spend the rest of his life like this?
Kyle advises his friend to focus on whether he’s getting what he needs in the relationship. “If there are things you think are just never gonna change, and you feel like you’re putting in the work, and she doesn’t meet you halfway … marriage doesn’t solve any of that,” he says. “You’ve just gotta be honest … Do you want to marry her?”
Carl says he doesn’t know. What he means is he doesn’t want to face the wrath of Lindsay if he breaks off the engagement. She’s going to be PISSED.
Two hours later…
Carl finds Lindsay curled up on the couch. A film crew is there, so she knows something’s up.
She doesn’t want to fight with him because it’s not productive. She asks questions to be a “sounding board” to help him figure things out and doesn’t understand why he’s suddenly feeling attacked.
He explains that making career decisions makes him anxious, and he just wants a little support from her rather than an inquisition. Her negative comments have shot down every idea he’s had.
Lindsay claims she’s the same person he’s known for eight years. It’s not like she suddenly changed into somebody else. She wants to understand what he needs so she can adjust. But then she says, “This is who I am. I’m not going to change.”
He accuses her of always painting herself as the victim. He feels like she runs the show and controls him. Whenever he brings up ideas he wants to pursue, she bulldozes him with her negative comments. She’s called him “a loser,” “a little b*tch,” “a little baby,” “a mama’s boy,” etc.
“We continue to hurt each other,” he says. “I don’t want to live like that. We’re supposed to be married in two and a half months, and I’m not ready to do that.”
“I’m hurt, I’m unhappy, and I really don’t think our communication is going to improve,” he finishes. Better to break it off now than to be miserable for a while and then get a divorce.
She thinks he’s quitting without trying to work things out, but he says they’ve been going to counseling for a year and things haven’t gotten any better. He doesn’t want to go to counseling for the rest of his life when things aren’t improving. They’re done.
The post-mortem
Two days later, Paige, Amanda, Ciara, and Gabby meet up in Danielle’s apartment.
“Carl did them both a favor,” Paige says. “He should never have even proposed to her.”
Ciara wants to hear what Danielle thinks since she was so upset about the engagement in the first place. Danielle thought they were rushing into things, and it turns out she was right.
“I would never say, ‘I told you so,’” Danielle says, “but this is exactly what I wanted to avoid.”
Amanda admires the strength it took for Carl to call off the engagement, but Gabby doesn’t agree since she’s Lindsay’s bestie.
The doorbell rings, and it’s Lindsay. She’s in tears, but Paige assures her, “He did you a favor. Please!”
“This is what you get for not inviting me to your wedding,” she adds. Too soon?
“I can’t understand this,” Lindsay says. “How could you do this to your best friend? … You f*cking blindsided me.”
“He did you a favor,” Paige reiterates. “Let him go. In a year, you could be married with a baby … Let him go so that someone else can come in.”
“What about Mexico?” they all wonder. They start talking about a girls’ trip rather than a destination wedding. The trip is non-refundable, so they might as well go and have fun.
“If you guys want to go to Mexico, I’ll go to Mexico,” Lindsay laughs. And this time, Paige is invited.
The two-part Summer House Season 8 reunion begins Thursday, June 6 at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SUMMER HOUSE SEASON 8 FINALE? DID WATCHING THE BREAKUP CHANGE YOUR OPINION ABOUT WHO WAS AT FAULT?
