Last week, Mike Youngquist reunited with self-described “legendary woman” Natalie Mordovtseva.
Even though things have been going pretty well with Josh, she returned to Sequim. And not just for her things.
On last week’s episode of 90 Day: The Single Life, she was waxing nostalgic about her toxic marriage.
Natalie is pretty clearly considering getting back with Mike. If he’ll let her.
But after all that she put him through, that’s a pretty big “if.”
Treesh
Mike’s mother, Trish, appeared at the end of last week’s episode. She and Natalie strongly dislike each other.
And yet, Natalie seems downright giddy
“I have a present for you,” she announces, before practically skipping off into the other room.
Trish is not a woman to hide her feelings
“What a f–king bitch,” she says to Mike. She might be quiet enough that Natalie won’t hear, but she’s certainly on camera, and she knows it. Trish isn’t afraid to make sure that the viewers at home know how she feels about her somehow-still-daughter-in-law.
The present is the flowers that Natalie brought
One, this sort of belies the notion that Natalie didn’t know that Trish is now living with Michael. Two, Trish’s “flowers for me to plant” reaction to the gift is pretty fair. Yes, potted flowers are better than cut flowers for many people (it’s sort of ghoulish to just watch cut flowers die), but don’t give someone a gardening chore if they don’t want it.
“I’m sorry if you didn’t forgive me”
Natalie makes an apology, of a sort, to Trish. It is an inherently awkward situation, and Mike is absolutely brimming with that awkwardness in the moment.
But Trish is making herself clear
She believes that Natalie used Mike in order to get to the United States. And then, after a while, she just … left. No divorce filing, and only a partial explanation. Trish cannot see Natalie as anything else. Mike, she notes, is a nice guy — among other things, nice enough that he sent money to Natalie’s mom to help her escape Ukraine. She’s glad that he did that, because it shows his character. But she’s not going to give Natalie an inch, because she will never trust her with her son’s heart again.
Why DID Natalie leave?
She was in a very bad place, mentally. We all saw that. It wasn’t just isolation in rural Sequim, though that was part of it. The relationship was toxic. And COVID-19 shut down everything at a very bad time. It was all too much.
But Trish is unmoved
Honestly, even if we don’t see Natalie and Mike’s marriage in the one-sided manner that Trish does, we can understand her unwavering view of Natalie. When someone hurts you — directly or indirectly — you do not owe them forgiveness. Natalie is a grown adult who made a series of hurtful choices. That said, Natalie is entitled to the same hard feelings towards Trish, for her own reasons.
WHOA
Natalie comes right out and says that she would consider coming back if Mike, who is still her legal husband, would consider giving her a chance.
Not likely
Mike lays out the ways in which Natalie hurt him. It wasn’t just leaving, though that stung. It was also that he spent months along, waiting, holding out hope. And then he found out that she’s dating other men. For a woman who would flip out when he spoke in too friendly of a manner to a waitress at dinner, she has to understand how much that wounded him.
He hugs her
Hearing her cry is heartbreaking, Mike admits to the camera. But that doesn’t mean that he’s going to forget what she has already put him through.
“I want to come back”
Natalie confesses her desire to return to a life with Michael, even though this would include Trish — who openly despises her. Also, despite her ongoing relationship with Josh. For now, Mike is going to “think on it.” That’s all. She’s willing to give him time to consider, because he is clearly unsure.
“I hope your mom gets here okay”
There is nuance, even to hatred. Trish doesn’t wish any ill on Natalie’s mother, who is now a war refugee. Now with her paperwork and more of her things (thankfully, the racist candle behind her is not hers), Natalie heads off … thinking about how Mike makes her feel secure and loved. But Mike tells the camera that he is not prepared to let her hurt him again.