Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season 4, episode 9 recap: Sliding Van Doors

In the eighth episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s fourth season, Titus did the right thing and came forward with what happened during his Sesame Street audition with Mr. Frumpus and Kimmy learned she couldn’t successfully forge a relationship with her date’s parents.

The ninth episode of season four of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is called “Sliding Van Doors.” It takes its cues from the 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow movie Sliding Doors., which explores how a single chance incident can impact your whole life.

As this episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt begins Kimmy and Titus are hanging out after spending the day together. Kimmy’s in a great mood until a man pulls up in a van. Kimmy goes into “stranger danger” mode but Titus tells her it’s only the cable guy. He needs to get into their apartment to upgrade their router because they’re getting a bunch of new TV channels for free. Titus is thrilled but Kimmy’s still suspicious.

Kimmy deduces that he’s lying, he’s not really the cable guy. She throws a trash can at him. The man breaks down. He was going to murder them and put them in his freezer but instead, he’s forced to drive off angrily.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season 4, episode 8 recap: Kimmy is in a Love Square!. light. More

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In their apartment, Titus can’t believe a white guy almost killed them on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Good thing Kimmy was around to spot creeps. Titus attributes their good luck to Kimmy being in the bunker. Now Kimmy throws a trash can at him. It’s not a good thing she’s so easily freaked out.

Titus is bored with her story though and just wants to watch Sliding Doors on HouseFlix. Kimmy mentions it’s the movie she was supposed to see after school the day she was kidnapped. And Titus never saw it because on the day it came out he was running away from his wedding to get to New York. His bus went through Indiana, though, so in another life, they might even have run into each other.

Kimmy goes to put on her PJs so they can watch the movie and as the door to her room slides closed the scene changes. Now a young Kimmy’s sliding the door to the Reverend’s van open but instead of getting in, she decides to move on.

At the same time, Titus’ bus is arriving in Durnsville. The bus is going to be there for at least two hours because the police are searching all vehicles for missing nursing students. Titus is concerned he’ll miss his Lion King audition the next day but there’s nothing he can do. He notices a movie theater playing Sliding Doors across the street and goes to see the film. Kimmy and her friends are there too.

Kimmy and Titus both stay to watch the closing credits. Kimmy loved the movie but Titus thought it was ridiculous. Kimmy confesses that after seeing the film she’s inspired to get out of Durnsville, move to London, and work in public relations. Titus tells her he has a dream too. He’s going to New York to attend an open call for The Lion King. He sings a little for Kimmy.

Kimmy and Titus part ways and Titus finds his bus has already left. There’s another bus coming at midnight but he has to be in New York by 10 in the morning. Darn, Sliding Doors!

The next day on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Titus has made it to New York, but he doesn’t make it to the audition on time. Frustrated he looks for a sign — and finds one at the Church of Cosmetology.

Meanwhile, Lillian serves as a drug lookout for a gang and does so well they invite her to join. And Jacqueline is on her way to a job interview.

The show flashes forward eight years. Kimmy leads a gaggle of girls out of a movie theater. She got a full scholarship to IU Durnsville, is valedictorian, and the president of her sorority. She also has a boyfriend who surprises her. She squeals and jumps on him when she sees him. The boyfriend is relieved she’s OK. Twenty women have now been kidnapped from the nursing college.

Later, Kimmy delivers the valedictory address at her college graduation. Her message: “you’re in control of your destiny,” nothing else is responsible for your circumstances but you. She announces she’s moving to London to work in PR the next day to the shock of her boyfriend.

The cop watching the ceremony from the sidelines gets a call and gets in his car to go. As he starts the car, he gets distracted and pushes the accelerator instead of the break. His car plows into the stage where Kimmy’s speaking.

At the same time, Titus has been a cosmetologist for 9 years and so far all he’s done is forge autographs from celebrities and stunt doubled for Tom Cruise. Titus still harbors dreams of acting but he’s losing hope.

A year later, Kimmy wakes up from her coma. She quickly realizes she’s not in London. The media is there to meet her as she exits the hospital. Even though what happened wasn’t part of her plan, Kimmy tells them that she now realizes she has a boyfriend who loves her and a degree in communications, so she can stay in Durnsville and build a new dream life.

In New York, Jacqueline has been working as a flight attendant but still hasn’t found a husband. She overhears a man who appears to be rich. He says he put up buildings all over town so she believes he’s a real estate developer. Her friend encourages her to go over to him. She pretends to trip and falls into his arms. It’s Mikey with a spectacular toupee. He’s clearly gay but Jacqueline goes home with him anyway.

Elsewhere on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Lillian is hungry for power in her gang. She thinks they should put her in charge. She murders one of the gang members in her bid to take over.

Fast forward a few months and Mikey’s gotten Jacqueline pregnant. He says he’ll do the right thing but then she notices his tool belt. She thinks maybe he’s wearing it in an Undercover Boss kind of way but he corrects her — he’s a construction worker, not a real estate developer. Jacqueline is horrified but when Mikey proposes she more or less consents on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

A few years later, Kimmy has a large house in Durnsville. She’s published multiple books, she’s an on-camera reporter at the local station, and she and her boyfriend got married. Donna Maria is their housekeeper.

As she arrives home, Kimmy takes Donna Maria to task for failing to dust but her husband interjects to tell her Donna Maria didn’t have time. She had to make dinner again because Kimmy wasn’t there to do it. The couple isn’t nearly as blissful as the used to be.

A news report comes on to report that the kidnapping victims have finally been found and the Reverend has been arrested. Kimmy gets word she’s going to go live on the national news that night because of the case. She’s overjoyed.

In New York, Lillian’s consolidated her power and is in charge of her gang. All her underlings are afraid of her.

Jacqueline has a shocking number of children. She’s living with them and Mikey in what we know as Titus and Kimmy’s apartment. She yells at the kids as Mikey sits on the couch and watches TV. She informs Mikey that she’s invited his boss over for dinner in the hopes that they can figure out a way for Mikey to join him in his next business venture. Mikey doesn’t see how that’ll work, they have no money. Jacqueline accuses him of having no imagination. Lillian comes in and informs them they’re being evicted.

That night, Kimmy interviews Cyndee, who’s still one of the Reverend’s kidnapping victims. She refers to the victims as the worm women. She notices her husband and Donna Maria speaking to a doctor outside. She runs over and quickly realizes that he and Donna Maria are having an affair. Kimmy starts hitting her husband and shouts that she stayed in Durnsville for him. The whole thing is captured on camera and Kimmy gets fired.

When they get home, Kimmy accuses her husband of tricking her into giving up on her dreams. She decides she’s going to move to London after all.

At their dinner with Mikey’s boss, Mr. Scarpone, Jacqueline is trying to work the conversation around to the idea of Mikey joining Mr. Scarpone’s latest business venture. Mr. Scarpone explains that while they’d love to have him, buy-in is expensive. But Jacqueline says they’ll get Mr. Scarpone the money to Mikey’s consternation.

Lillian is listening to the dinner party from the stoop above the apartment. She decides the family should be murdered, and it should happen the next day.

Later, Jacqueline is working on Kimmy’s flight to London. Kimmy calls her over to ask if being a flight attendant was Jacqueline’s dream. Jacqueline confesses it isn’t. She just did it to meet someone fancy.

Kimmy encourages her to get with Donald Trump, who’s also on the flight. Jacqueline says she can’t because she’s married, but Kimmy encourages her anyway since she now believes marriage is a joke. Jacqueline makes her way over to Trump. Two minutes later after she’s taken him to the plane’s bathroom for some alone time, she runs out. Trump’s had a heart attack. To Kimmy’s dismay, the flight is turned around, once again preventing her from getting to London.

In New York, Titus is arriving at a movie premiere for a film called A Place by the Road. He’s become a movie star named Jack Straightman and he talks to the press outside the premiere.

Meanwhile, Jacqueline comes home to find what happened with Trump is all over the news. Mikey’s furious. Jacqueline cries that she was just trying to do what needed to be done so they could get the money for the buy-in to the business. Mikey storms out vowing to get the money himself.

After the premiere, Titus gets into his limo to find Mikey there. Titus and Mikey fall into each other’s arms. Afterward, Titus tells Mikey he can’t give the needed money to him. Mikey threatens to go to the Enquirer with their affair and leaves.

The leader of the Church of Cosmetology gets into the limo and tells Titus he has to get ahead of Mikey. He has to get married as soon as possible. She leaves and Titus looks across the way to see Kimmy alone and looking lost on a bench.

At the apartment, Lillian comes over to threaten Jacqueline. Lillian demands Jacqueline leave or she’ll murder her family. Jacqueline tells her she doubts Lillian’s killed anyone, so Lillian lists all the people she’s murdered and saunters out.

Meanwhile, Titus approaches Kimmy. She realizes he’s Jack Straightman. He offers to buy her dinner where he tells her all about the Church of Cosmetology. Kimmy’s thrilled at what the Church could do for her. Titus asks her to marry him. Kimmy realizes if she does she’ll be rich and be able to go to London any time, so she agrees.

Mikey arrives back at the apartment and Jacqueline tells him what happened with Lillian. And then she shares the silver lining: Lillian came in while Jacqueline was leaving a message for Mikey and she recorded their conversation on Mikey’s voicemail. If they give the message to the feds, they can go into witness protection and start over.

Lillian arrives at the prison to discover that her former lover, Robert Durst, who’s disguised as a woman, is her cellmate.

Jacqueline and Mikey arrive in their new town — Durnsville, where they move into the Reverend’s old house. Mikey finally admits he’s gay but Jacqueline already knew.

Titus and Kimmy get married and arrive back at their large apartment after their honeymoon to London. They agree they make their own destinies.

They’re interrupted by a man who needs to get inside so he can upgrade their router because they’re getting a bunch of new TV channels for free. They let him in as he pulls a huge knife out of his bag.

Next. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 4, Part 1 recaps and review. dark

As he closes their apartment door, the scene switches back to the apartment where Kimmy has put on her PJs and is now ready to watch Sliding Doors. Titus asks if she ever wonders what her life would’ve been like if she hadn’t gotten in the Reverend’s van. Kimmy says no, she has to believe she’s where she’s supposed to be now. They start the movie.

Well, that’s it for the show’s look into what might have been for Kimmy and pals. The recap for episode 10 will be posted shortly. You can brush up on the previous episode with our episode 8 recap. All four seasons of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt are available to stream on Netflix.

What did you think of this episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below!

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