The Spencer Sisters – Episode 4 “The Restauranteur’s Ruin” Recap & Review

The Restauranteur’s Ruin

Episode 4 starts with a delightful scenario where Antonio plays with his daughter, chats with locals, and purchases fresh produce. His smile is charming, but it dims after receiving an upsetting video. 

Sarita suggests that Victoria needs to meet younger authors to get more ideas on staying relevant. Although Victoria isn’t for that idea, Darby agrees with Sarita’s sentiments. Victoria also complains about Darby’s sense of fashion.

Amid their conversation, Antonio calls Darby because of the trending video. Antonio is filmed yelling at his workers, which can ruin his reputation. They’re due to get a significant review in a few days. Darby promises to help him, and Alastair will examine the video to reveal the truth. 

Zane walks in, and Antonio feels that telling him will only make Zane overreact. So, Antonio, Darby, and Victoria have to tell lies. Alastair examines the video and confirms that the video is fake with some AI forgeries.

However, it proves more complicated to find a suspect than they expected. They dive in to know who would want to sabotage Antonio’s reputation. 

Initially, Antonio’s neighbour had complained about the patio’s extension but acknowledged that Antonio kept the music and hours reasonable. On the other hand, Antonio tells Darby that he suspects Randy could be behind his sabotaging video. Randy worked at Camurgue as the head chef.

It’s established that Jake fired Randy, and Antonio was hired to replace Randy. Jake admits that things ran smoothly with Antonio and isn’t surprised that Randy is revengeful. 

Victoria meets a few ambitious millennial writers who air their thoughts that her novels are formulaic. Victoria is so exasperated that Sarita suggests she meet Sheldon Marcasi, a historical novelist. They meet Randy, and he’s happy that Antonio has met his karma. While there, they see rat traps. 

Back to the café, the triad lies to Zane again. Hannah asks Antonio to come to the kitchen, but he delays serving customers. But he’s too late, and a giant white rat gets into the dining room, scaring customers. The café has to close down due to rat infestation. 

Zane is infuriated since he’s learning about the rats and video now. Darby explains that Antonio was afraid that he could overreact. 

Victoria meets Sheldon and shockingly learns he’s Shandon Mayberry, a celebrated thriller novelist. He teaches her that she requires more sex, exciting tech, and misfortune in her mysteries. 

Earlier, Darby had found a loose screen, and they just discovered that Hannah had messed up with it. Darby confronts her, barely allowing her to explain the reasons behind it, and she quits. We can see Victoria devastated because of Sheldon’s criticism. 

Antonio is stressed out about Hannah quitting. Zane believes in Antonio, though he’s still angry about the secrets. Antonio is also stressed about money and thinks of asking for a loan from his parents. 

The exterminator informs Darby that the rats were domesticated and from a pet store. It’s discovered that Randy ordered white rats from the 11th store, though he still denies it. Darby recognises a pan-flip move from Victoria and connects it with the video. 

Antonio visits Jake to ask for work, and Jake gladly offers him the old job. Jake is seemingly excited that Antonio is back. The Spencers tell Jake they’re suspicious, and he gets horrified. Darby warns Antonio and tells him to play dumb. However, Jake becomes suspicious and threatens Antonio.

When Victoria and Darby arrive, Jake threatens Antonio with a knife, claiming that he deserted him when all was going well. 

Victoria almost hits Jake with a wok, but Zane arrives on time. Antonio’s restaurant gets the needed review, and he’s overly excited. He tells Darby and Victoria that they can eat from the café for free, anytime. The more exciting news is that Hannah returns. 

Darby arrives at home and scolds Sheldon for slating her mother. Darby defends her mom, and Victoria throws him out. Victoria is proud to have a brave, fierce daughter.

The Episode Review

This episode focused on Zane and Antonio, and it was good to see them. So far, they have barely gotten enough screen time to cement their characters. We only see them when Darby is having a crisis and needs advice. This time, we were able to delve deeper into their dynamic as a couple. 

Overall, they make a great couple, and almost losing the bistro was a good thing since it taught them to communicate better. For Zane, it was a chance to prove he wouldn’t overreact when his loved one was in danger.

This was a wake-up call about the people we choose to trust. As they say, a friend is likelier to stab you in the back than a stranger. Antonio learnt this the hard way!

Lastly, it was great to see Darby come to her mom’s defense and help her kick Sheldon out.