Starting Over Season 2, Episode 13: Controlling the Trust

Starting Over, Again

The season begins with Josie, a house guest from last season, waiting anxiously by the phone for the results of a DNA test that would prove who the father of her baby, Chloe, is. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, we see a huge Spanish Hacienda in the Hollywood Hills where the house guest will be living. We meet the first houseguest to arrive. Amy Harkin greets her at the door to find out her name is Towanda. Amy says in the confessional that she is there to share her experiences and to show the women around the house. Amy shows Towanda to her assigned room which is the largest in the house. Jennifer is the second roommate to arrive followed by Kim. Kim is unhappy when she realizes she has the smallest room in the house and wants to change rooms. Amy tells her that they cannot change rooms. They are put where they are for a reason. Kim, however, continues to try to find a way to get a bigger room. Deborah(Duh-bor-ah) arrives and immediately begins to question the women about their issues and te

60 min

How Ya Livin'?

Today in group, Josie tells the women about her experiences in the Chicago house, her leaving the house and Chloe's birth. Josie wants to be strong and independent like her grandmother. She says she didn't have a good relationship with her mother until Chloe was born. Rhonda asks the burning question...""Who is Chloe's father?"" but receives no response. After group Jennifer confides in Kim that she hates her father for not apologizing for his actions which led to a SWAT team raiding their house and taking her father to jail. She also hates her mother for still being married to her father. Iyanla has a one-on-one with Jennifer where Jennifer says that she has trust issues and fear keeps her from living her life. Jennifer became the financial support for her house and felt bad when she moved out. Deborah works out on the treadmill while Kim and Towanda gossip about her. They say she has no respect for others personal possessions. Later, Deborah wants to go to ""Target"" but wont get on the

60 min

Father Figure

After being pressed by Rhonda, Josie reveals that Johnathan is NOT Chole's father as she had hoped but one of her best friends. She and Johnathan no longer have any contact. Josie is more determined than ever to graduate and have the tools to make Chole's life better than hers was. Deborah calls Josie out and questions her morals, falling short of calling her a whore. The next day Iyanla takes the women to the park and asks them to write down the one thing they need to feel complete. Sinae writes ""me""; Jennifer writes ""security""; Kim writes ""inner joy""; Towanda wants ""a baby""; Josie wants ""a home for her and Chloe""; while Deborah merely wants to pay off her mortgage. Iyanla says all of these are available to the women. They make paper boats out of what they want and set them a float. They all watch their dreams set sail but Kim's turns over. Deborah gets on the phone with a friend and claims she still plans on leaving the house. Deborah complains about the argument she had with Sinae a

60 min

Family Secrets

A tearful Deborah tells Rhonda she wants to leave the Starting Over house because she feels everyone hates her and it's making her feel negative about herself. Jennifer wants to befriend Deborah but isn't sure whether she should make the first move or not. Iyanla challenges Kim to take Deborah out for dinner but Kim is unsure how to approach her. Josie tells her to keep it simple and from the heart. Rhonda and Sinae visit a retinal surgeon in hopes that she will find a way to correct her vision but the doctor confirms that Sinae's vision cannot be improved and will stay the same. Rhonda challenges Sinae to get a taxi and get back to the house on her own. Later Sinae and Rhonda meet to create the steps she'll need to take to start over and graduate from the house. Later, in the loft Rhonda gives Deborah a test in patience by asking Towanda to tell her story today. She reveals she in the sister of R&B artist Toni Braxton and was a member of ""The Braxtons"" with her sisters Trina and Tamar

60 min

Midnight Emergency

Josie calls Rhonda to tell her that Deborah is leaving the house. No one knows why but Kim says that she did everything to make Deborah to feel welcome. Deborah claims to be emotionally worn out and doesn't trust anyone in the house. Rhonda asks her to not do anything until she gets there and they can talk. Deborah agrees but continues to pack anyway. The cab arrives to pick up Deborah but the roommates send it away. When they tell Deborah what they did she breaks into tears and demands to know why. Deborah tells them how humiliated she feels and the roommates listen until Rhonda arrives. Rhonda takes everyone to the loft and explains how ""Starting Over"" works. Deborah explains that she's having problems adjusting because at home she has complete control over the household. Rhonda tries to explain Deborah's feelings to her and much to the rommates amazement, Deborah agrees to stay until the end of the month. Later, Deborah takes the van and drives to a remote phone booth. Luckily the s

60 min

Day of Pampering

This episode begins with Deborah on the phone with her daughter asking her for help with a situation she wants kept on the ""down low"". It is most likely associated with the phone call she made yesterday. The doorbell rings and Josie answers it to find two very attractive men at the door looking for Jennifer. They explain they are there to pamper her for the day. Jennifer is reluctant to be pampered. Later, Iyanla treats her to an nice breakfast. Jennifer explains that she isn't used to being treated like that and it felt uncomfortable to be in the spotlight. Iyanla begins the days group session with asking Jennifer about her relationship with her father both before and after he was sent to jail for buying and selling illegal narcotics. She was ""daddy's girl"" before he was sentenced but afterwards became the bread winner of the house in fear of becoming a burden. She got her first job at 14 and grew up really fast. She explains she hates having other people wait on her because she does

60 min

A Dark Secret Revealed

This episode begins in the kitchen where Kim, Sinae and Jennifer are discussing what happened with Deborah last night at the dinner table. Deborah is becoming unbearable. Kim and Iyanla go to the park for a one-on-one. Kim reveals that she has been in counseling since she was 13. Iyanla says that Kim needs to be in control and if she isn't she shuts down and runs away. Iyanla leads Kim into the woods and blindfolds her. Kim has no control and only has Iyanla's voice to follow to get out of the forest. Kim can only surrender control after she learns to trust other people. Deborah and Rhonda sit down to discuss how she is doing in the house. Deborah says her problems in the house may be because she is in the early stages of menopause. Rhonda asks her if she could be pregnant to which Deborah lies and says ""no, I've been celibate"". Rhonda confront Deborah with the video from the day she used the pay phone and talked about the broken condom. Deborah, embarassed, admits to having sex after

60 min

Understanding Forgiveness

The episode opens with the life coaches and Dr. Stan together again discussing Deborah. Iyanla says she can stay as long as she becomes totally honest. Dr. Stand and Rhonda believe the same but realize it is going to be a difficult time for Deborah and she may not make it through the process. Deborah, once again, has told everyone she is leaving. The women decide NOT to talk Deborah into staying this time as they have done the last 2 times she tried to leave. They've really had enough of the woman. Deborah calls Rhonda and tells her everything and says she doesn't want to be around always messing things up. Deborah tells Rhonda she has to leave and Rhonda replies that she had a good outlook for Deborah but she can't help unless Deborah can be 100% honest. Later, while packing, Deborah admits to Iyanla that she wants to stay. Iyanla asks her to stay one last time and invites her to group but Deborah gets in a taxi and leaves the house. In the confessional, Jennifer says a small part of

60 min

Assessing the Past

Today in group, the women talk about about Deborah and why she left. Iyanla states that this was a choice Deborah made, not because of them but because she believed it was best for her. She stresses that this is not an abandonment. Rhonda explained that Deborah left because she wasn't completely honest about things. Sinae relates the story of her boyfriend Matt, a relationship that is hanging in limbo. They never really broke up but the aren't exactly together. Rhonda suggests that Sinae call Matt and ask him to come to the Starting Over house for the weekend. Sinae makes several attempts to call Matt but is not able to get in touch with him. She tells Rhonda that having him constantly walking in and out of her life is frustrating. Rhonda worries that Sinae will give up what she wants to be with Matt. Sinae is finally able to get in contact with Matt but decides she doesn't want to see him at all because she is just calling him out of desperation, not out of a need to be with him. Dr.

60 min

A New Addition

Today in group, Dr. Stan has a discussion on divorce. The women agree that men are greedy, selfish and ""born to lie"". Jennifer and Kim feel robbed of their childhood while Towanda hates her parents divorce because she felt like she had to take a side. Dr. Stan makes them think about their anger and asks, ""What's the payoff for being angry?"" In the front yard, Iyanla has an assignment for Towanda. She has to write down her perceptions of her family on large stick figure representations of them. Towanda refuses to write anything on the representation of her stepmother because to her he is just ""daddy's wife"" and Towanda won't even recognize her. Towanda labels herself as sad and a failure. Towanda would love to give up her anger. Later, with Dr. Stan, Towanda reveals that because her husband Andre is a man she only trusts him 80% and believes he will cheat on her one day. The women have been informed that a new roommate will be arriving and taking Deborah's place as Kim's roommate. Iyanl

60 min

Rough Start

This episode begins with Towanda on the phone with her husband Andre complaining about Sommer and the affair she had. Both Towanda and Andre agree that Sommer is a woman with no redeeming moral fiber. Iyanla leads a group session on love. The roommates talk about first love. Then they discuss how to mend a heartbreak. Sommer explains that she gets over it by falling in love again. Towanda disagrees and in the confessional, she admits that she just doesn't want to agree with Sommer on principle. Jennifer and Iyanla meet in the park for a one-on-one. Jennifer is wearing her necklack and says she thinks she only has to wear it because Iyanla knows she doesn't want to. Iyanla questions Jennifer about love, asking her if she's ever seen or been in any good relationships in her life. Jennifer says no and tells her about her ex-boyfriend Jack, he lied to her about a person that kept calling him. Iyanla says that, to Jennifer, love looks like lies. Jennifer's assignment is to take pictures of

60 min

Plain Jane

The episode opens with Dr. Stan and Sommer having their first session together. Sommer says she is having a difficult time getting close to the other women. Sommer agrees that she is a control freak but wants to work on it. Later, Sommer and Jennifer talk about Josie. Jennifer explains that Josie is a little over sensitive and Sommer says she feels terrible about the other night. Sommer hopes the bathing suit she ordered will make amends. Sommer decides to confront Towanda about the tension between them. Towanda explains that she is staying quiet to prevent herself from snapping at Sommer. Jennifer is working on her next assignment from Iyanla. She has to tape record things that her father, mother and sister have done to show that they love her. In the confessional, Jennifer admits that she is having trouble doing the assignment and is rushing through it to complete in on time. Iyanla notices that Jennifer did put much effort into it. They talk about Jennifer growing up too quickly bec

60 min

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