Stone Cold Fox

Bea likes the old-money atmosphere of Newport, RI, and she is excited by the prospect of the proposal, even initiating sex with Collin when they arrive at the Case’s home. Bea wants to go out for dinner, but she acquiesces to Collin’s desire to dine in. Collin claims he told Bea that Gale would be joining them with her supposed boyfriend, Luke, and Bea is upset. However, Bea refrains from getting angry, framing herself as a martyr as she gives up her weekend alone with Collin for his friend. Bea thinks it might be good to unload some nervous energy on Gale, rather than risking her situation with Collin. Gale and Luke arrive late and meet Bea and Collin in the dining room. Luke is attractive, and Bea quickly realizes he is a paid escort Gale hired. As Gale prompts Luke to begin an interrogation about Bea’s time at Duke, he reveals that he graduated in 2012. Bea counters that she graduated in 2016, meaning they had no overlap at Duke and ruining Gale’s plan to expose Bea. Gale quickly changes the subject, but, as Bea continues to ask questions about Gale and Luke’s relationship, even Collin becomes suspicious.

At night, Bea overhears a conversation between Gale and Collin, noting how Gale sits close to Collin, periodically touching him with her hand or elbow. Gale prods Collin on why he loves Bea, and he says Bea is the perfect woman for him: beautiful, smart, and attentive. He loves that Bea listens to him and makes him feel valued. Gale criticizes Collin, saying Bea is only interested in Collin’s money, but Bea knows that kind of comment only reinforces Collin’s love for Bea. Collin says he thinks there is another reason Gale dislikes Bea, and Bea hopes he will open the discussion of Gale’s obsessive love for Collin. Collin backs down, though, and Gale decides to leave. Collin tells Gale he plans to propose to Bea, and Bea and Collin do not see Gale or Luke for the rest of the weekend. Collin proposes to Bea at a fancy restaurant, and Bea notes the immense size of the engagement ring.

In a flashback to Bea’s childhood, Bea and her mother live with Dean, who thinks Bea is Danielle and her mother is Denise. Bea likes Dean a lot, and Dean reads to Bea, gives her gifts, and treats her to delicious food, though her mother insists she not eat much. Bea worries they will leave Dean, and she thinks about telling him how she and her mother move from man to man. Bea’s mother worries that Bea has not menstruated, noting that she had her first period at 11 years old. Bea is friends with boys at school, as she likes playing sports and joking around, but she is not interested in having a boyfriend, even though her mother asks her about boyfriends often. Dean buys Bea’s mother a fancy car for their first anniversary, promising to buy Bea one on her 16th birthday.

Dean fears that Bea has an eating disorder, but Bea’s mother continues to openly criticize Bea’s appearance, insisting that she needs to continue to lose weight. For her 13th birthday, Dean buys Bea a cake and a pair of diamond earrings. Bea cries when Dean says he loves Bea because no one has said that to Bea before—not even Bea’s mother. Bea gets her first period a week later, signaling the inevitable departure from Dean.

In the present, Bea’s coworkers throw her an engagement shower, which Bea resents, though she enjoys seeing the women in the office seethe about Bea’s happiness. Bea seamlessly moves into Collin’s townhouse in Chelsea, sending her few belongings to his home without notice. Bea leaves Morris, who does not mind her leaving, as she stopped sleeping with him long ago. The Case family visits Bea and Collin, all wearing black except Calliope to show their disapproval. Calliope jokes with Bea about the townhouse, and Bea feels that Calliope is truly happy to have Bea in the family. Discussing the wedding, Haven hires a planner for the event, hinting that the Case family will have to pay for everything due to Bea’s parents being dead. Bea calls out the insult and offers to pay with her own money, but Hayes rejects the offer, knowing that the high society will expect the Case family to throw an extravagant wedding.

The Case family throws an engagement party for Collin and Bea, at which Bea notices Hayes looking down her shirt, confirming that Hayes will eventually be on Bea’s side, as well. Gale arrives, and Bea is shocked by how terrible she looks. Gale hints at a prenuptial agreement for Bea’s marriage, and they go outside. Gale implies that she knows about Bea’s true past, but Bea feigns ignorance, confident that Gale could not have found out anything about Bea’s identity. When Gale mentions Las Vegas, Bea decides to cry at the moment Collin finds them outside the party. Collin chastises Gale for upsetting Bea, and they return to the party. Collin implies that he and Bea will discuss the Gale issue later, but Bea refuses, thinking she needs to prepare for an all-out war with Gale.

Bea decides to ask Gale to be one of her bridesmaids. Fortunately, Haven rejected Collin’s desire to have a plethora of people involved in the wedding, limiting both sides to four groomsmen and bridesmaids. Chloe and Calliope were required for Bea’s side, then Wren Daly, a socialite and fitness instructor Bea knew, and, finally, Gale. Haven suggests tea in Connecticut to gather the bridesmaids, giving Bea a definite timeframe within which to gather intel on Gale.

Bea takes a day off work, takes Collin’s ring of friends’ apartment keys, and goes to Gale’s apartment building in the Upper West Side. Telling the doorman she needs to bring makeup to a friend, Bea gets access to the building, and the third key she tries opens Gale’s door. A chain blocks entry, though, a man calls out from inside the apartment, and Gale’s cat, Hemingway, escapes the crack in the doorway. Bea hides, waits for the man to leave, and goes to the elevator. The man stops her, asking if she has seen a cat, and Bea is struck by how attractive the man is, wondering what his connection to Gale might be. As the man continues his search, Bea risks going back to Gale’s apartment, where she is struck by how green Gale’s belongings are. Bea breaks into Gale’s safe, which uses Collin’s birthday as a code, and finds files on all the Case family, Gale’s friends, and more. Bea takes Collin’s file, not finding one of her own, and leaves, noticing that the man spots her with the file on her way out of the building lobby.

In a flashback, Bea is 14 years old. She lives with her mother and Mike, and Bea goes by Mackenzie. Bea’s mother criticizes a hot pink dress Bea bought, but Bea reveals she is wearing the dress to the high school prom, even though she is only in the 8th grade. A classmate’s brother, Brendan, asked her, and she can see that her mother is jealous. Bea notes how women avoid her, now, even teachers, because she is attractive like her mother. Mike looks at Bea, too, and Bea thinks Mike should only look at her mother. Bea’s mother asks what Bea wants from Brendan, and she slaps Bea when Bea says she does not want anything.

At Brendan’s house, Bea gets ready with the high schoolers, and they sip beers on their way to prom. All night, Bea knows the girls are talking about her, and the boys are envious of Brendan. After prom, Brendan brings Bea back to his house, and they have sex on the pool table in his basement. Bea is unimpressed by sex, and she is hurt when Brendan stops calling. The kids at school know that Bea had sex with Brendan, and they talk about her behind her back. Bea’s mother brings up Brendan just to hurt Bea further, but Bea pretends that she did not like Brendan, anyway.