“The Valley” is ostensibly a show about the lives of a group of friends and frenemies in their mid-30s to mid-40s as they navigate babies, divorces, and messy social situations. However, what it’s actually about is the harrowing nature of legally tying yourself to a toxic, dangerous man!

The central force of the sophomore season of the Bravo show is the split of two couples who were overtly dysfunctional in season one: Jesse Lally and Michelle Saniei, and Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright. It’s the latter of these two couples (read: Jax) who really gives viewers a crash course in male rage, manipulation, and abusive dynamics. In the premiere, Brittany recounts a harrowing incident where Jax flipped a table into her knee after reading her private texts with another man while they were separated. (And had mutually agreed to see other people!!!!)

The whole thing is utterly horrifying; a small peek into the toxic behavior that Brittany has likely been suffering through for a decade. (It’s also no surprise that some of these behaviors would escalate during a period of time when she’s attempting to leave him.)

In this episode, we dig into “The Valley” season 2 premiere, including Jax’s alarming patterns of behavior, the continuation of the Kristen-Janet drama, and the pleasure Jesse takes in torturing Michelle. We also listened to a handful of podcast episodes that came out ahead of the premiere so you don’t have to! Hope you enjoy. Xo

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