On this episode of The Valley, Luke pops the question. Kristen is truly surprised at the lengths the group has gone to in order to keep this a surprise, and she is touched by all the small details. Of course, Janet makes it about her and Jason, and she opts out of the celebration. Jesse gets a moment to talk to Aaron, Michelle‘s boyfriend, and attempts to gain a respectful relationship despite his suspicions about Aaron and Michelle’s dating timeline.
While the gang gets together for the perfect Hawaiian dinner, Luke is struggling. Kristen chalks it up to the declining health of Luke’s grandmother, but little does she know that Luke is ALSO trying to conceal the upcoming proposal. The stress is real.
Jax is home and (finally) getting some time with his son, Cruz, while Brittany vacations. She explains how weird it is that after 10 years with Jax, this is her first group trip without him.
Once Luke and Kristen finally arrive at dinner, Danny can tell that Luke is off. He does his best to calm Luke while Kristen and Nia talk about Janet and Jason. The issues remain unresolved, and Kristen simply wishes that Janet would acknowledge all the drama that she starts. Fat chance of that happening.
Aaron explains that Jesse is a bit childish and that he exhibits “unwell behavior.” While Jason sees some progress with Jesse’s behavior, Michelle denies any growth, claiming that, in fact, Jesse has gotten worse.
As the group leaves the dinner table, Jesse calls Aaron back for a nice, gentlemanly chat. Michelle understands that Jesse’s behavior can seem a little crazy, so she is concerned about where this may be going. Jesse lets Aaron know that posting about his hangout with Isabella on Father’s Day was truly insensitive. Aaron clearly understood that, as he took the post down. Jesse asks Aaron outright if he crossed the line while he was married to Michelle, and Aaron looks like a deer in headlights, but he denies ever going beyond a “run-in” kind of relationship. Jesse is not buying what he is selling, but he wants to try and work together with Aaron to move forward.
Nia and Danny are sooo excited for Luke to propose to Kristen, but they worry about Luke’s mental wellbeing. Between his grandmother’s illness and keeping the secret from Kristen, Luke seems to be spiraling.
While at the pool, Janet explains that she has not talked to Kristen since the “accountable” day blow-up. No one can really understand how things get so hot so fast, but Janet feels like Kristen is always deflecting and never owns her actions.
Zack, in his soccer mom T-shirt, is feeling the pressure of keeping the proposal secret. He is also worried about Janet being there post proposal. Zack has had T-shirts made up of Kristen and Luke’s faces, so it just does not feel right for Janet, who is currently beefing with Kristen, to rock the gear.
When Kristen pops into Zack and Benji’s room, they hustle to hide any evidence of the upcoming engagement. Kristen justifies Luke’s bizarre behavior with his grandma’s failing health, but when Luke enters the room, you can tell his energy has shifted. He is ready to propose… now, if only Kristen would shower before the guise of a fishing trip. Everyone knows how important it is to feel your best on your engagement day, but Kristen is clearly not getting the hint to clean up!
While the crew is in Hawaii, Jax spends some quality time with his son, Cruz. Jax feels like Cruz is the best medication for him right now, and while he swims with him in the pool, the ladies in Hawaii practice hula dancing. Jesse realizes that he doesn’t need to be besties with Aaron, but he has to respect him, especially if his daughter loves him as much as she says. Jesse and Aaron talk about hockey, and Jesse admits that he got back together with Michelle because he was concussed. Jesse makes a joke that, technically, he is still together with Michelle, but at the end of the day, he just wants Aaron to be on his team. He promises that he will stop calling Michelle a “lying, cheating whore.” There’s a lot of chatter about respect, but the problem is that Michelle doesn’t respect Jesse, so there’s that.
It’s tiiiiiime! Danny and Nia join Kristen and Luke on the proposal boat, but of course, Kristen has no idea what is about to go down. The sunset engagement is just mere minutes away, and Luke confirms his scheming with Danny to be sure that the trip goes off without a hitch.
Nia does her best to try and make Kristen excited to take some pictures, but Kristen is making this the most unenjoyable experience, right down to her unknowingly sitting on the ring. She claims to be feeling stressed out, but Luke is the one who is about to pop the question.
Luckily, Luke is able to get the ring and divert Kristen’s attention to look at some fake dolphins swimming in the water. The moment is pure and adorable when Kristen finds Luke down on one knee professing his love for her. Nia is there to film the entire thing, and Kristen is completely overwhelmed: equal parts surprised and thrilled. Kristen calls it the “easiest yes,” and she is in awe that Luke will be her forever.
Benji and Zack evacuate their presidential suite so that the newly engaged couple can have the best room in the place. The problem is that since Jesse is also their roommate, they now need to let him in on the big news. Without skipping a beat, Jesse (the romantic) gets thousands of flower petals to decorate the room, which is interesting since Michelle called him broke.
Zack, the event coordinator, is tasked with telling the group the real reason they came to Hawaii. Brittany feels a little bit left out since she missed her bestie’s big moment, and Janet, of course, tries to make the moment about her. She calls Zack to wonder if she should come to dinner to celebrate, considering how weird things have been. Janet realizes that maybe it would be best if she and Jason skipped the proposal celebration, especially since Kristen would likely not appreciate their presence… and really wouldn’t like Janet rocking a T-shirt with her face on it. Zack does not know how to dance around this, but Janet takes the hint and steers clear. However, Jason is not pleased with Janet claiming they will skip the next day’s event as well. He asks her to slow down and stop making a schedule.
Zack is going crazy trying to get the suite perfect for the newly engaged couple. As they prepare for Kristen and Luke’s arrival, the crew puts on the T-shirts, utterly surprising Kristen and Luke. Kristen feels so special — the decorations, the T-shirts, all of it. She is in shock, but she is thrilled for this new chapter. Operation Hawaii: success!
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE VALLEY?