This episode proved that some wishes do come true. Nikki’s did, when Artem finally proposed. And Bryan’s did, when Brie became pregnant for the second time. Unfortunately, my wishful thinking that this episode was the season finale was incorrect, and there’s apparently two more episodes to go. Ugh. Check out the full recap for all the painful details.
Nikki and Artem welcome Brie, Kathy, JJ, and Lauren to the rental house that they’ll all be sharing in Paris, where the twins will be attending a wine festival. Nikki’s nervous, since Artem’s parents and brother will be coming there as well, and this will be the first time she meets his family. Her nerves make her particularly edgy, and she immediately insults everyone’s wardrobes, despite her wearing a ridiculous jockey-themed outfit, including a helmet.
Brie gives Artem the ring that he bought for Nikki that he asked her to bring to Paris. Nikki walks in on them talking about it, and awkwardness ensues. She didn’t see the box, though, so crisis averted.
Later, just thinking about his family’s imminent arrival has Artem bawling, and everyone has to pretend like they’re not weirded out by his emotions. He goes outside to get some air, and his parents Anna and Vladimir, arrive, leading to more tears. Vladimir fits right in with the rest of the cast, as he is surprised by Brie and Nikki’s resemblance to one another. Apparently, in Russia, there’s no such things as twins. They don’t speak English, so Artem has to translate the conversation. He tries to teach Nikki how to speak some Russian, but predictably, she fails.
Later, the twins go visit the winery where they have to pick some blends for their Belle Radici wine brand. In an unfortunate moment, when scarfing down hors-d’oeuvres, they mistake snails for mushrooms, thereby blowing six years of veganism.
After the tasting, Artem pulls Kathy aside and asks her to take a walk with him. While strolling, he asks Kathy’s permission to marry Nikki. Initially, Kathy hesitates and winces, likely because she knows that Artem really isn’t interested in girls. But she knows that weddings bring ratings and she has no other job but this show, so she gives him her blessings. He’s planning on proposing the next night.
The next day at the house, Kathy and Brie decide to tell JJ and Lauren about Artem’s planned surprise. During the conversation, Lauren jokes about Brie being pregnant. Then, during a talking head segment, Brie reveals she has indeed been feeling ill recently, which may be morning sickness, but could also be the after-effects of jet-lag, wine, and snails. Snails – seriously, what’s with the French? Kathy and Brie then go through an elaborate plan to set up Nikki for her surprise engagement party, which is being done under the guise of being a birthday party for the twins at the winery.
That afternoon, Artem heads to the winery to set up the decorations for the room where he’s going to pop the question. And, boy, he’s really talented at interior design and flowers. Just saying.
That night, everyone heads to the party at the winery chateau. Artem’s brother Anton arrives, but luckily, Artem doesn’t start sobbing again. They all join in for a toast to the twins for their birthday. Artem tries to make a serious speech, but the twins are already in Brie Mode, and they keep interrupting him with stupid comments, ticking him off.
Artem takes Nikki into a different room where he starts his surprise proposal, starting off with a live string band playing so they can ballroom dance. Cheesy music plays and they show flashback clips of the two of them from Dancing with the Stars and other appearances they’ve done together, while he gets down on one knee and proposes. She accepts. Both families join them in the ballroom, and the happy celebration lasts all night.
Days later, everyone’s back in the States. Bryan returns home (he wasn’t in Paris), and surprises Brie and Birdie with his haircut and trimmed beard. Brie tells him that she’s been feeling tired and nauseous lately, and he wonders if she may be pregnant. She thinks it’s possible since apparently she said “Yes! Yes! Yes!” after they healed their marriage and let go of all the negativity between them during that retreat to Sedona (as shown on last week’s episode). A few days later, she takes a pregnancy test, and it’s confirmed. They’re both very happy with the news.
Later on, the twins are out, and Nikki says that she feels like she should take a pregancy test even though she’s not experiencing any symptoms. Brie chalks it up to twintuition, the sympathetic connection between the two of them, and when Nikki is confused, Brie gives her the news. Gross – she actually is walking around with the used pee-stick in her purse. Seriously, who does that? Nikki says she does want babies, but wants to go through the traditional sequence – marriage, and then kids. Time will tell.
