There’s nothing that Jackie Howard can't handle in My Life with the Walter Boys, even if it's heartbreak. Ever since Cole broke up with her, she has been trying to bury herself in work and make everyone believe she’s fine. It wouldn’t be wrong to say she’s not; in fact, she’s taking the breakup far better than anyone anticipated—at least it looks that way.
Cole broke up with Jackie in the last episode because he thought he was dragging her down. However, instead of talking it out, he chooses to rip off the Band-Aid and let Jackie hate him if it means she’ll get herself on track again. Of course, it’s not an easy decision for him, but he really feels the pressure of being an underachiever—someone who has almost nothing to offer Jackie.
Everybody pretends to be fine
Almost everyone’s hurting in Silver Falls, from Jackie to Alex to Richard. It’s an awkward morning at the Walter ranch, especially for Katherine because no one wants to talk about what happened. Cole shuts her down and escapes the house while Jackie keeps saying that she’s fine and totally over it.
On the other hand, Alex feels displaced and depressed to some extent. He feels he has almost no life without bronc riding, especially after he worked so hard to secure that spot at Hartford’s. On the other hand, Cole suddenly decides to go rock climbing after receiving an update on his college application.
Seeing that he might not be in the right state of mind, Katherine insists that he take Alex with him. Although reluctant at first, Alex eventually agrees to tag along. The ride to Devil’s Peak is an awkward yet encouraging one as the two brothers apologize to each other, with Alex admitting that the fight with Wylder wasn’t Cole’s fault.
Alex admits that he did everything just to fit in at Hartford’s, but he failed miserably. Cole, however, reassures him that he never needed to try that hard to fit in and that it was Hartford’s loss for not retaining him. For a moment, it seemed that everything was going to be fine between them, especially after the climb.
However, it spirals out of control fast when Alex learns about Cole’s breakup. He loses his calm, accusing Cole of stealing his girlfriend only to dump her. He calls his older brother selfish and reminds him that being a player is who he is and that one day, when he’s done pushing everyone away, he’ll have no one to care for him.
Jackie and Richard make up
Jackie tries hard to act normal, but she fails to hide her miserable expressions in front of Erin on their way to the track meet. Jackie tries to change the subject by saying she needs to get her grades up, but she ends up talking about her breakup. Of course, being Cole’s ex-girlfriend, Erin understands how Jackie feels and blames him for bailing the moment things start to get real.
On the other side of town, Tara and Richard are on a small romantic getaway, but they end up getting stuck on the roof after the door gets locked. This peace and quiet offers Richard the opportunity to talk his heart out about the situation with Jackie.
He admits that he misses being the ‘fun’ uncle to Jackie, someone who didn’t need to dictate her. He feels guilty about pushing her away and now wants to be at her track meet to make it up to her. Tara comforts him, saying that it’s all normal for teenagers to push their parents away, but they always come back to them. As they talk, the door unlocks, and they rush to Jackie’s race.
At Jackie’s race, she receives a call from the college counselor just as the race is beginning. Not wanting to miss out on the chance, Jackie seeks Erin’s help, who switches events with her so she can take the call. As Jackie talks about her achievements, Martina expresses her delight and tells her that she’s genuinely impressed.
However, she does ask if Jackie intends to make her parents’ loss the focus of her college application. Jackie doesn’t hesitate and says that she wants to talk about the things she has done since that tragic incident. She doesn’t want to live in a world that’s dark and hopeless. She wants people to know that she intends to get back up every day and genuinely believes that there’s always hope.
Of course, Jackie’s answer impresses the counselor, and she books Jackie’s slot. To make things even better, Jackie ends up winning the race just as Richard arrives to cheer her up at the last moment. The two make up after the race, and she reassures Richard that she understands his concerns.
Hannah says goodbye once more
Back at the Walter ranch, Hannah tries to make it up to Lee and Isaac by making them breakfast. However, things take a turn for the worse when she accidentally feeds Isaac food with nuts in it. The incident sets Lee off, and he accuses Hannah of not being the mother they wanted.
This proves to be the last nail in the coffin, and before anyone realizes, Hannah gets ready to bail again. However, this time, Katherine doesn’t allow her to hurt the boys. She asks Hannah to do this right and let the boys say goodbye so they don’t feel abandoned again.
Although George is furious with Hannah for leaving again, in some corner of his heart he knows that his sister wouldn’t be a good mother compared to the way George and Katherine have raised the boys. Ultimately, Lee and Isaac get some closure when they say goodbye to their mother.
However, George feels he needs to do something special for the boys, and so he takes them to see the land their grandfather gifted Hannah. He tells the boys he’s giving them the piece of land so that they know they'll always have a place with the Walters.
The episode wraps up with an awkward meeting between Cole and Jackie as he heads out to spend a few days at Dylan’s to give Jackie some space. He asks her about the race, but Jackie snaps, reminding Cole that he doesn’t get to ask her that anymore. She points out the irony in Cole’s actions, saying that she wants exactly the opposite of what he’s doing. The scene ends with Cole leaving and Jackie finally finding it in herself to cry it out behind closed doors.
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