Till Summer Do Us Part

Wilder feels awful that he caused Scottie to get injured on their first day of the retreat. He carries her to the first aid nurse, who tends to her wound. Scottie is a little woozy and jokes that she’s “been hit in the head many times” (107), but this is her first black eye, and she’s always wanted one. Wilder asks her who hit her, and she says she hasn’t been hit by someone, but by objects, such as cans and balls. The admission is disturbing to Wilder, but he doesn’t have time to ask her more questions as Sanders whisks them away to their cabin.

The cabin is luxurious but decorated with erotic art and fully stocked with lube and sex toys like handcuffs and dildos. Ellison is there to greet them, and Scottie cringes as she and Sanders exchange a passionate kiss. After they leave, Scottie declares that she can’t stay in this “sex dungeon,” but Wilder points out that all the cabins are probably the same because they are encouraging the couples to explore and be adventurous. Sanders returns with a basket full of condoms and lube, their prize for winning the game. They discover a menu for the “sex mini bar,” a list of exorbitant prices for all the products. Scottie thinks Sanders is running a racket, advertising that he’s helping couples, but he’s just in it for the money. They also discovered that the leaders searched their bags for “contraband” and confiscated the Nerd clusters. To make the room more comfortable, they remove the erotic art and handcuffs and store the sex products in a drawer. Scottie gasps when she discovers a dildo suctioned to the shower wall.

Scottie notices how attentive Wilder has been to her since the accident and thinks that her ex-husband, Matt, would have never been so caring and probably would have laughed at her. She makes a mental note to look for a guy like Wilder, one who’s compassionate, when she begins dating again. They go to the dining hall for dinner, which is decorated like a fancy restaurant as opposed to the camp mess hall they were expecting. Sanders, who is increasingly making Scottie uncomfortable as he keeps showing up out of nowhere, leads them to their table, which is right in the middle and very exposed. Scottie cringes, looking around at her coworkers, knowing now what’s in everyone’s room. She worries this may be an orgy. Wilder pulls out her chair for her, and she reminds him he’s supposed to be rude to her. Wilder apologizes, as being a gentleman comes naturally to him, since it’s something his mother taught him and Mika. Wilder and Mika’s father died after becoming a quadriplegic in a car accident, and their mother is very important to them. Scottie is disappointed to learn there is no alcohol. They order their food, and the waitress brings them a card with discussion questions and an activity to complete during each meal. He reads the first question about why superheroes wear underwear over their clothes. Wilder laughs when Scottie answers that it’s to conceal their bulges.

Wilder knows very little about Scottie, but seeing how uncomfortable she is at the retreat surrounded by married couples makes him wonder what happened to her in the past. They continue working through the questions, some of which are about sex. Wilder thinks Scottie is a “prude,” but he likes it. There is so much about Scottie that intrigues him, and he wants to get to know her better. He crafts an elaborate story about a sexual encounter they had in a corn maze, and Scottie scoffs, saying she’s never had sex in public. He shares that he once had a tongue piercing but removed it when he was working with the app because it came across as unprofessional.

Sanders takes the mic to begin the evening program. He reminds the guests that they have an itinerary to follow and failure to adhere to the schedule will result in “consequences.” They also must pay for the return of their contraband at the end of the retreat. Sanders introduces Ellison along with the rest of the staff, and they are all dressed in basketball costumes to reinforce the team metaphor. Wilder finds it cheesy but exciting and is ready for whatever the weekend has in store.

When they return to their cabin, all the erotica and toys are back in their place. Scottie is unnerved, and Wilder realizes she’s never used sex toys, which is why they make her uncomfortable. He suggests they not worry about it, as the toys are just for fun. Scottie thinks everyone and everything about the camp is “weird,” and Wilder agrees that some of Sanders’s behavior is strange. It’s been a long day, and Scottie wants to shower and go to bed.

Wilder offers to use pillows to separate the bed. However, once they get into bed, the barricade is too much, so he removes it. They read through their itinerary for the next day, which only has one appointment after breakfast. Scottie panics and worries that the staff will make them do something they don’t want to do. Wilder assures her his lawyer read all the fine print, and it’s illegal to force them to do anything they’re uncomfortable with. Scottie hears a beeping sound and thinks the cabin is bugged or they’re being watched. She jumps out of bed, grabs an enormous dildo, wielding it like a weapon, and demands that Wilder search the cabin. He insists she calm down, but she hides in the bathroom. He tracks the beeping to a tablet computer in the nightstand drawer. The camp has sent them porn to watch. Wilder explains that it’s another moneymaking scheme, as couples will watch the video and then use the expensive toys. He jokes about them watching the video separately, but Scottie is unamused and goes to bed.

Scottie lies awake all night. She is so uncomfortable in the room filled with sex paraphernalia, and Wilder isn’t bothered at all, which leads her to a realization: “[…] he’s very confident in his sexuality- something I wish I were” (151). Matt was not at all attentive to Scottie in their marriage, especially when it came to intimacy, leading her to be insecure about her body and sexual desires. After breakfast, they go to their first session with Sanders. Scottie reminds Wilder to stick to their plan, but he asserts that improv doesn’t use a script.

When Sanders asks how they are feeling, Scottie lies and says everything is fine. Wilder immediately goes off script and calls out her lying. Scottie is furious but plays along and admits they are miserable. The cabin full of sex toys reminds them of what’s broken in their marriage. Sanders reveals that Wilder, in filling out the application, labeled their sex life as “thriving and adventurous,” which is why he gave them the “red square cabin.” Scottie tries to conceal her anger and asks to speak with Wilder privately. Scottie is infuriated and worried that her coworkers think she is a “sex fiend.” Wilder finds everything humorous, and they begin arguing. Sanders returns and says they should discuss everything in front of him so he can help.

Wilder and Scottie begin fiercely arguing over everything wrong with their marriage, including Scottie’s refusal to get her nipples pierced to match his penis piercing. The session goes through lunch as they air all their absurd fictional grievances. They fake-argue over the time Scottie asked Wilder to buy her pads with wings and returned with chicken wings. By the end of the session, Sanders is exhausted and says he needs time to think about what has happened. When they return to their cabin, Wilder is exhilarated, as it was the best improv he’s ever experienced. Scottie is livid, claiming he made her look like a “lunatic.” She’s concerned about all the lies they fed Sanders, and Wilder says the part about his piercing isn’t a lie. Wilder says she was brilliant, like she’d been in marriage therapy before. Scottie pauses because this is familiar to her. She recalls all the arguments with Matt and realizes much of what she just released in the session was about her marriage, including the pad story, as Matt was annoyed when he had to help her buy period products. She gets visibly upset and runs from the cabin.

Wilder uses the camp phone to call Mika and check on him. He tells Mika he’s concerned about Scottie, and Mika tells him about her divorce. Wilder feels terrible about the therapy session and that he made her upset. He ends the call with Mika and sets off to find her. He passes Chad, who makes a snide comment about Wilder “losing” his wife. Wilder finds Scottie sitting by the lake crying. He sits with her and apologizes for not knowing about her divorce and going overboard in the therapy session. Wilder holds her while she sobs. They return to the cabin, and Scottie cries more. Scottie tells Wilder he’s “mature,” and he pledges to never lie to her and be her support throughout the camp.

On their way to dinner, Sanders gives them an envelope with their next day’s itinerary. He has arranged for them to dine alone in their cabin due to their sensitive situation. He suggests they might go home since resolving issues before camp ends seems unlikely. In their cabin, they discuss leaving, and Wilder supports Scottie either way, but thinks staying could be therapeutic since the therapy helped her release stress about her divorce. He encourages her to relax and enjoy nature, telling her to “shake off the insecurities” (183). Scottie, who has been in survival mode, agrees to stay.

Scottie and Wilder plan how they will behave for the rest of the camp. Although she felt guilty initially for unloading on Wilder, she feels much “lighter” now that he knows, and she has let go of some of her anger over Matt and the divorce. The next day, Wilder and Scottie go to the lake for the group activity, which involves an inflatable obstacle course. After each obstacle, the couples must answer a question honestly to move on. Wilder insists they must win the competition. For the first time, Scottie is excited to use improv to make everyone believe they dislike each other. As Wilder takes off his shirt to put on the wetsuit, Scottie gazes at his toned, attractive physique, and he notices. She compliments him on his physique, and he compliments her on her legs. Without thinking, she blurts out that her legs are stumpy and her knees are odd, something Matt once told her. Wilder is surprised and says, “Do not take other people’s flawed opinions about you and turn them into your own” (190).

Using teamwork but fake arguing the entire time, Wilder and Scottie blaze through the course. At each stop, they answer the questions and, in some cases, give honest answers, such as Scottie admitting that she is too cautious and never wants to do anything fun, and Wilder’s promise that he would never cheat. Wilder triumphantly carries Scottie over the finish line, and Chad accuses them of cheating. Sanders says they will receive their reward later, but now each couple must proceed to counseling sessions to review the answers they provided to the questions.