Based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel of the same name, The Five-Star Weekend dropped its full season on Peacock on Thursday, July 9 as the perfect summer binge-watching treat. Jennifer Garner stars in the series as Hollis Shaw, a online celebrity chef and best-selling cookbook author whose world is turned upside after the sudden death of her husband Matthew (Josh Hamilton).
The first episode begins as Hollis prepares Christmas-themed cookies and treats for her Hungry with Hollis followers, but her baking and recording session is interrupted when the police knock on her front door. Within a few seconds, Hollis learns that Matthew was killed in an accident. Her immediate grief is again interrupted with the timer going off in the kitchen.
Six months after Matthew's death, Hollis promotes her new cookbook on the Today Show with Jenna Bush Hager. While making a roasted onion dip, Hollis mentions her husband's death, which unleashes tears. Jenna sends the broadcast to commercial. Hollis is mortified, but her manager Chelsea (Vella Lovell) reassures her and suggests a getaway with friends from each phase of her life.
Hollis plans the perfect Five-Star Weekend
She's not rushing to plan a trip to her Nantucket house, but we meet the friends she does end up inviting. Dru-Ann (Regina Hall), a sports agent representing a popular soccer player named Posey. During an interview, Dru-Ann steps in to retract Posey's announcement that she's taking time off. Brooke (D'Arcy Carden) appears to be a lonely housewife with an online shopping problem.
Tatum (Chloë Sevigny) attends an appointment for a breast cancer scare, though she doesn't have much faith in her survival rate since her mother abruptly passed away shortly after her own diagnosis. Back at home, Hollis calls her daughter Caroline (Harlow Jane) while eating mustard from the jar. She invites her daughter, who's still grieving her father, to join her on Nantucket to no avail.
Despite not having immediate plans, Hollis hits the road to Nantucket with her dog Henry and plots her invitations to each of her friends. Once on island, Hollis cleans her vacation home and takes a call from Dru-Ann, who's unsure if she can attend (and seems to have bad blood with Tatum). Tatum's not thrilled at the prospect, but Brooke's over the moon. Hollis then calls the final "star."
The fifth star in the five-star weekend of five-star treatment is a British airplane pilot named Gigi (Gemma Chan), who takes Hollis' call despite being in flight. She's surprised to be invited but agrees to attend. Hollis wears one of Matthew's old hats and hits the grocery store for provisions. Dru-Ann's decision to attend becomes official when she's canceled online and given time off.
Brooke and Electra have mysterious history
Brooke's husband Charlie (Rob Huebel) practically begs her not to go away for the weekend as it seems the couple is currently in the middle of a lawsuit. Tatum's husband Kyle (David Denman) can't believe she's attending because she and Hollis aren't as close as they once were. It's also revealed that Tatum's a grandmother as her daughter Aubrey (West Duchovny) recently had a baby.
Hollis prepares a full spread for her friends' Friday afternoon arrivals, but Caroline's the first to make a surprise appearance. She decided to come after all and nearly leaves when Hollis reveals that her friends are coming, but she decides to stay. On the ferry ride to the island, Brooke spots Electra (Judy Greer) and rather than avoid her, she walks up to her for a conversation.
Brooke has some unexplained history with Electra that's still lingering with awkwardness , and Electra also somehow knows Hollis. There's a much bigger story here. Electra ends up snagging Brooke's phone and taking a photo of the weekend itinerary from Hollis. She will definitely be making unannounced appearances to stir the pot with the gang Hollis has thrown together.
Hollis explains to Caroline who she invited: Dru-Ann (her college friend), Tatum (her childhood friend), Brooke (her mom friend), and Gigi (a follower and so-called "work" friend). Dru-Ann is the first to arrive and is excited to catch up with her goddaughter, who apparently shares things with her godmother that she doesn't with her mother. What secret is Caroline keeping?
Gigi's shocking secret about Matthew, revealed
One by one, everyone arrives. Tatum brings a surprise: Hollis' first boyfriend Jack (Timothy Olyphant). He drove her into town for Tatum's very obvious and forced reunion between Hollis and Jack. Tatum and Dru-Ann's tension is apparent. After a house tour and room assignments, Hollis prepares dinner as Tatum searches for the breast cancer survival rate and Caroline watches a video of her dad.
Brooke receives a text message from Electra threatening to crash dinner. The girls ask Hollis to explain how and when she got close to Gigi, and she shares that she needed someone to talk to after Matthew died. Dru-Ann and Tatum both reached out, but Hollis needed someone she didn't know to lean on, thus Gigi. She's never met Gigi in person, but right on cue, she joins the party.
During dinner, Tatum steers the conversation to what kind of porn they all watch and some are more comfortable talking about sex than others. Caroline storms away, feeling like Hollis cares more about her following than being real, and once Hollis returns to the kitchen, she finds she burned the tart for dessert. The beeping reminds her of the night Matthew died. Before he left, they were arguing.
Gigi checks on Hollis in the kitchen and Hollis opens up about how she's feeling. She hasn't shared her whole truth with Caroline because she doesn't want her daughter to know that she and Matthew weren't in a great place. Emotions rise and Gigi excuses herself to her room, and it's revealed that Gigi was in a secret romantic relationship with Matthew. She listens to an old voicemail and cries.
Watch The Five-Star Weekend only on Peacock.
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