When Sarah and Gwen finally talked, the conversation revealed just how deeply Gwen’s behavior during her divorce from Ben had affected their daughter.
Gwen claimed she’d wanted to be there for Sarah but had no way of reaching her, believing her daughter was too angry to let her in. That’s when Sarah corrected her: She wasn’t angry. She was in pain.
“Every day it was something else: lies, fighting, trying to turn me against Dad,” Sarah recalled. Gwen attempted to explain that her world had been falling apart, but Sarah wasn’t finished. “So I became the parent. At 16,” she continued. “Yeah, it made me tough. But every single day, I waited for my mom to care enough to show up for me.”
Sarah then offered a heartbreaking assessment of their estrangement: “Grieving somebody who is still alive is a cruel kind of grief, because the only cure to that pain is a different kind of hurt.”
Gwen apologized for not being the mother Sarah needed or deserved, admitting that she’d do anything to go back and make things right. But she also insisted that she was ready to do better now… “while I can.”
That last remark caught Sarah’s attention. “While you can…?” she repeated, prompting Gwen to explain that neither of them was getting any younger. But was that really all there was to it? The curious phrasing, coupled with Gwen’s sudden determination to reconcile, certainly raises the possibility that she’s withholding something from her daughter. Could Gwen be dealing with a serious illness, perhaps one that’s prompted her to make amends before it’s too late? Nothing in this episode confirmed as much, but the exchange felt pointed enough to warrant suspicion.
Whatever Gwen’s reasons for returning, Sarah ultimately decided to extend an olive branch, inviting her mother to the wedding. Gwen enthusiastically accepted, then joined the Silvers and Reagans for a family dinner, where Mae offered a toast to the bonds that bring people together.
“Family is sacred and complicated — and above all, worth protecting,” she declared.
It was then that Gwen noticed Mae had changed the wallpaper in her former home. “A lot has changed,” Mae acknowledged. Gwen smiled and called it lovely, prompting Mae to bring up the very same kitchen mishap Sarah had recounted to Phoebe earlier in the episode. As everyone gathered around the table encouraged Phoebe to tell the story, the episode faded to black, leaving Gwen seemingly welcomed back into the fold… even if questions remain about what prompted her return.
What did you think of Friday’s “Boston Blue”? Do you suspect Gwen is hiding something from Sarah? And are you looking forward to spending more time with Marg Helgenberger’s character? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.
