Episode 111 Recap: "The Lady Next Door"

A neighbor walking her dog hears the commotion that has erupted after Marcie uncovers Randal's secret affair with her best friend and neighbor, Alex. The neighbor calls the police, and an on-duty Esperanza receives the call. She sends the address over dispatch, and Eddie and Lushion take notice. "That's next door to Brad," Eddie says. He puts on the flashing lights and takes off toward the house.

Meanwhile, a worried Esperanza calls Kelly. "Is everything okay at Marcie and Randal's?" she asks. "We just received a call for a domestic disturbance at that address."

Kelly, who knows the real story, offers to go knock. Esperanza insists that she stay put. She'll send Brad, Alex's husband, over instead.

Esperanza rings Brad and Alex's house. Alex picks up, but Esperanza insists on speaking to Brad, who agrees to knock on Marcie and Randal's door to see what's going on. Outside, he finds Kelly, who urges him not to knock.

"If something is wrong, then I need to help," Brad says. "They are our friends."

Alex has also rushed outside. "What's going on, Kelly?" she asks.

As Brad is about to knock, Eddie and Lushion pull up and approach the house. Randal answers the door. "We got a call of a domestic disturbance," Eddie says. Randal hesitates to let him in. "My wife and I were just arguing," he says. "We're fine."

Finally, Randal lets Eddie and Lushion inside. Furniture is turned upside down, and Marcie is slumped over on the couch. Eddie stays with Marcie as Lushion takes Randal outside.

"Is he hitting you?" Eddie asks. "You can tell me."

Marcie replies in the negative. "I hit him," she says.

Eddie tells Randal that he can press charges against her.

"Well, can I press charges for all the mental hell he has put me through while he was screwing that bitch next door?" she says. "Can you wait while I get my bag? I just want to get out of here. I can't stay here. He won't let me leave."

While Eddie waits for Marcie to gather her things, Lushion talks to Randal on the porch. Randal reasserts that they just had an argument.

Brad walks over. "This is not like you two. You never argue," he says. "This must be bad, huh?"

"I'd say so, yeah," Randal says.

Marcie comes out of the house with Eddie. She walks past her husband and sees Alex standing outside. Giving her a fierce glance, Marcie gets into her car and drives away. Randal goes back into the house.

Brad asks Eddie what's going on. "He's sleeping with her," Eddie says, motioning to Kelly. "That's what she said. He was sleeping with the 'bitch next door.'" Brad is left in disbelief as Eddie and Lushion leave to answer another call.

Brad and Alex head back to their house, where he tells her what he's just learned. "You won't believe this. Randal is having an affair," he says.

When he says the other woman is Kelly, a nervous Alex asks whether Marcie said it was Kelly. "Yeah, she told Edward that he was sleeping with the 'bitch next door,'" Brad says.

"What?" Alex exclaims.

"It's so sad. I mean, you really think you know someone," Brad says. "I thought they were so happy."

Across town at Natalie's apartment, her daughters are playing while Quan and a group of thugs are gathered outside. Joey tells Natalie he's going to look for a job. "You know I didn't take that money," he says.

"Do I?" Natalie says.

"Yes, but Lushion said you can't admit when you're wrong," Joey says. "You know, he's a good dude." Natalie stops. "You've hated him since I met him," she says.

"He treats you well. He's not like my daddy or the girls' daddy," Joey says. "You should be nicer to him."

Joey leaves with Natalie right behind him. "What are you doing?" he says.

Natalie walks right up to Quan. She tells him never to lay a hand on her family and demands that he get back the money stolen from her store. "Y'all walk around here thinking y'all so damn tough. I'm a bitch from way back, and I was out here before any of you were born," she says. "Trust me, you don't know gangsta. You don't know pain, and you don't know thugs until you come messing with somebody I love."

The next day at the call center, Eddie sends Lushion to find out whether Esperanza is going to the surprise party Alex is throwing for Brad later that night. Esperanza, preferring to talk to Eddie directly, approaches him. Their conversation turns to the events from the night before, and Eddie reveals that Randal is having an affair.

"It's your girl Kelly," he says. "I was with Marcie, and she said he was screwing the 'bitch next door.' You do the math. The bitch next door. Two plus two equals four around here."

Later that night, Esperanza and Natalie meet Kelly at her house before the party. They intend to talk to their friend about what they believe is her bad behavior.

Kelly is taken aback when they confront her. "Who told you that? Alex? She said that to get the heat off herself," Kelly says.

Confused, Esperanza and Natalie say Eddie was the source. Kelly asks her to repeat what he said verbatim.

"He said Marcie said that Randal was sleeping with the 'bitch next door,'" Esperanza says.

"First of all, I'm not a bitch," Kelly says. "Second of all, I don't live next door to them."

Esperanza and Natalie are stunned. Then, the phone rings. It's Alex, and she wants them to come over in time to surprise Brad.

"Let's go," Kelly says. "He's on his way."

The surprise goes off without a hitch. "I knew there was something up when you asked me to go to the supermarket at 8 p.m.," Brad says to Alex, kissing her.

Brad greets his guests, including Randal. Randal then tells Alex that she looks beautiful, hugs her and runs his hand across her derriere.

Natalie sees everything. "That ain't cool," she says to Esperanza.

Brad opens his gift from Alex in front of everyone. It's something he's always wanted: Cuban cigars.

"I'd like to make a toast to my beautiful wife, who is pregnant with our third child and who I said not to do a surprise party for me this year because she has had the worst morning sickness," he says. "But she goes above and beyond every day. I love you, baby. Thank you so much."

After everyone applauds her, Alex runs upstairs to the bathroom. After collecting herself, she heads downstairs but is pulled into a bedroom by Randal, who has been waiting for her. He tells her Marcie found the texts and emails from "Peppa" and figured out it was Alex.

"I'm the only one that calls you that ‘cause the first time we made love was in your car," he says. "I never told anybody that."

Alex becomes agitated. "You have me in your phone as Peppa?" she says. "Randal, you put a bumper sticker on the back of my car that says 'Peppa.'"

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Randal says that Marcie will probably divorce him. Alex says she's sorry. Randal reaches for her and leans in to kiss her neck, but Alex balks at his advance.

"These stolen moments...in a way I'm kind of glad she found out. She left," he says. "I still love you, and I want you like hell."

Alex protests. "I love my husband," she says. "He's going to be looking for me. So you better go."

Randal leaves to find Natalie standing in the empty hallway. "What are you looking for, Natalie?" he says. "There's a bathroom downstairs."

Natalie confronts him. "That woman is married, and so are you," she says. "So you stop following her and keep your damn hands above her shoulders when you hug her. You got me?"

An angry Randal goes downstairs. Natalie is now face-to-face with Alex. "Alex, are you sleeping with him?" Natalie asks. "You've got to tell Brad."

"I can't," Alex says. "Brad adores him. He's going to be devastated."

Natalie leaves her with some parting words of advice. "I'll let it go," she says. "But I'm telling you right now: If you do not handle this thing, it will handle you."

Meanwhile, back downstairs, Esperanza confronts Eddie about why he's taken Lushion as a partner. "Are you trying to set him up for something?" she says. "You don't take on a partner unless you're doing something crazy."

"Come on," Eddie says. "You know me."

Esperanza says she does. "I'm telling you right now: If he goes down because of something you did, I will sing like a canary."

The party is in full swing when another guest makes her grand entrance. It's Marcie, disheveled and carrying a present. "Open your gift," she insists over and over to Brad.

Randal tries to pull her away, making the scene worse. Lushion helps Randal get Marcie outside, where Eddie is smoking a cigarette. Randal asks her to stop, and Marcie goes off.

"You were sleeping with her right under my nose. She pretended to be my friend," she says. "I hate you! You are evil! I have given up everything for you. My whole life, I spent with you."

Kelly comes outside to help her friend, and Eddie is confused when Marcie willingly accepts Kelly's comfort. "Didn't she just tell us that this man is sleeping with Kelly?" he asks.

"Yeah," Lushion says. "She said he's sleeping with the lady next door."

Then, it dawns on Eddie. The lady next door is Alex. He lunges at Randal and punches him.

Now, the party has spilled out to the front yard. Brad demands to know what is going on. "What did you do to my friend?" he asks Eddie.

"He's not your friend, Brad," Eddie says. "This guy's a punk."

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Brad goes back into the house, looking for Marcie's gift. He finds it in Alex's hands. "Please, Brad, just let me explain," she says.

Brad rips open the box, which contains printed copies of every email and text message Randal and Alex had exchanged. He storms back outside and attacks Randal, knocking him to the ground and then kicking him a few times for good measure. Furious, Brad then climbs into his SUV and drives off into the night.

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