Splitting Up Together – The Pump Station

By: Ariba Bhuvad

As Lena (Jenna Fischer) gets ready for bed she begins complaining about how tired she is from her new job. Of course, her new job is helping Lisa Apple (Monica Barbaro) take care of the baby but Martin (Oliver Hudson) has no idea she is. Instead, he is focused on making their relationship work and is laying in bed in his underwear when Lena comes out of the bathroom. He wants them to be intimate, but she’s exhausted and falls asleep, snoring loudly. However, right before she tells Martin that she can “get him” and they can follow their role-playing story. Before they do anything she must take her fish oil pills and despite wanting to connect, the night doesn’t end up as Martin had planned.

The next morning Lena is right back at Lisa Apple’s house helping out with the baby and congratulating Lisa about being able to pump lots of milk. While they’re celebrating Lisa tells Lena she is so grateful for all the help she’s been giving and appreciates her not telling Martin about any of it. Things are going pretty great until Lisa makes an awkward comment about not being threatened about Martin leaving her for, well, Lena.

Martin confides in Arthur (Bobby Lee) about how he and Lena haven’t been having sex while they’re out skateboarding. Little do they know Camille (Lindsay Price) is listening through the Bluetooth helmet at everything that is being said between Arthur and Martin. Awkward, wouldn’t you say? While catching up Arthur asks about Lisa Apple and Martin confesses that he hasn’t heard from her but he thinks about their baby all the time.

After hearing Arthur and Martin’s conversation Camille confronts Lena about withholding sex from Martin. She soon comes to learn that Lena is always tired because she’s been helping Lisa out, but Martin has no idea. Camille alerts her to the fact that she’s basically cheating on Martin with his baby and that she needs to come clean about it and “break up” with Lisa. And that is exactly what she does the next day and Lisa realizes right away what is about to go down. Lena tells her she can’t be lying to Martin about this whole situation and he is the father so it feels wrong to be keeping this secret from him. She’s not happy about it but Lisa understands. Yet before Lena leaves for good, she asks her to come the next day while her parents are in town.

After another long day at Lisa’s place Lena returns home to find that Martin has cooked them dinner. He really is trying to bond with her and doing whatever he can to make her happy. He asks about her day and how everything has been at work, which Lena says she is considering letting go of this new “client” because she’s simply too fussy to handle. Meanwhile, Martin reminds her that Mae (Olivia Keville) is going to be learning driving and getting her license so he’s taking her out to teach her. During their conversation they start talking about the baby and Lena imagines coming clean about spending time with the baby but doesn’t end up saying anything.

Lena’s secret doesn’t last for too long because while Mae and Martin are out the next day driving around they see Lena pushing the stroller around the neighborhood. Martin asks Mae to follow closely behind to see what Lena is up to and soon realizes that she is with his baby. Of course, Mae has no idea what is going on and is surprised to learn the truth after Martin tells her everything. And as Martin and Mae watch from outside, Lena takes the baby inside just as Lisa’s parents Dottie (Lee Garlington) and Don (Michael Harney) arrive. She tells them that she is the cleaning lady and helps take care of the baby. Lena soon learns that Dottie and Don intend to take Lisa and the baby back with them or else they plan to cut off their daughter financially.

Later that day Lena arrives at home to see Martin singing a lullaby and playing with toys because he’s learned the truth about Lena helping Lisa out with the baby. He doesn’t seem very upset and tells Lena that he and Mae saw them and that now Mae knows everything. It turns out that Martin has a present for the baby and wants Lena to give it to Lisa and wants her to keep helping her out. And then they finally have sex.

The next morning Lena gives Martin’s present to the baby and tells Lisa that she can help out but Lisa has to stop talking crap about Martin. Plus, she doesn’t want Lisa to leave with her parents that seem a bit odd. Phew, thank goodness!

While out on a walk/skateboarding session, Arthur tells Camille that he has been avoiding Martin because he knows all about the Lisa Apple business and doesn’t want Martin to know he knows or that he’s hiding it from him. Unfortunately for Arthur, Martin has been listening on the Bluetooth helmet and tells him he already knows everything. He ends the conversation and the episode by saying that he agrees with Camille about Crazy Rich Asians–”it’s good, but not great.”