‘UnREAL’ episode 9 review: Somehow, everything becomes more complicated

We cannot overstate how depressed we are that “UnREAL” is coming to an end on Lifetime in just one week’s time. This has been without a doubt our favorite new show of the summer, and possible one of our favorites of the year in terms of pure enjoyment.

While we recognize that there are some flaws here or there, what this show does so well is just grabbing you and drawing you in with its characters. You buy into the romance that is there, mostly because there is so much time spent mocking real romance. The relationship between Adam and Rachel is so popular mostly because it’s so unlikely. Sure, many romantic comedies have went down the “love the guy you cannot have” route, but what makes this one work is that it really hasn’t been a major thing since the past few episodes. They gave this relationship time to develop.  Now, it is completely believable that there are reasons why these two should be together, even though there are also many reasons why they shouldn’t.

For one, “Everlasting” goes into chaos if this happens. After sending home Faith tonight (sad, but she did have a great moment earlier this season), Adam has two women left in Anna and Grace. Anna has really come into her own as a contender, and right now she is the clear favorite to star in the “Royal Renovations” spin-off that will come at the end of this. The wrinkle? There could be a wedding before that. Thanks in part to Quinn catching Adam and Rachel having sex on tape, she’s now demanding that there is a ceremony or she leaks it for all to see, therefore destroying his reputation further and killing her relationship with Jeremy.

For the first time all season, we also started to understand more of what the Jeremy relationship represents to Rachel: It’s the relationship she thinks that she wants. He is normal, he is likable, and she feels like she can be, too, around him. This is why it will not work in the end: She is not normal. She just has to figure that out, and Adam’s offer to run away with her in the end marks a major chance for her to actually do that and live a normal life. Granted, the odds of that happening are probably slim to none.

The Adam / Rachel relationship is so layered and juicy that we could watch it for several more weeks … if only we had that. Unfortunately, we don’t. We are now set up for the finale by learning that Quinn wants to take Chet down for what he did with Madison, while the therapist is using her leverage instead to try to get her own segments on the show. Also, her threat to Rachel is that either she works with her on her new production company, or the tape is out there.

Some of the flaws tonight include the Jeremy relationship moving insanely fast and also us still being surprised that Adam and Rachel forgot to cover up the camera … but they are minor. We just love watching this show, and are immensely excited already to see what a second season could bring. Grade: A-.

We will have a preview up soon for the finale over at the link here. Stay tuned! Also, be sure to sign up now if you are interested in getting some other TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Lifetime.)