In episode 14, the season comes to a close with the premiere of Auti’s new film (and she invites her long lost Dad). Angela finally lands her dream modeling gig, but brings new boyfriend as her caretaker for the 3 day shoot in NYC. Does it end up being a good idea?
SPOILERS AHEAD ***
The episode begins with Angela sitting at her kitchen table with her caretaker Judy, looking through headshots and putting together her modeling portfolio. She gets a phone call from her casting agent and is told she just landed a modeling deal with Nordstrom. Dude!
She and Judy are elated, and she’s told she needs to get ready to go to NYC. Before she hangs up, they ask her who she’s bringing, she says she doesn’t know.
But after hanging up, she tells Judy that she’s going to bring Cody instead because the cabbies won’t stop for wheelchair-users in New York City (a sad reality she’s not mincing words about) because it takes too long to get in and out of the car. She tells Judy Cody will be faster than she is for the taxi transfers, and even though she’s sad, she understands.
Plus, Angela adds that Judy’s back is hurting and it wouldn’t be good. “It’ll be three days straight of transfers, then home again.” Judy tells the camera that she doesn’t think Cody is competent enough to take care of Angela, and worries how her cares will be during the trip.
In the next scene, all the girls meet Angela outside a clothing boutique on the sidewalk, where Angela gives them the good news that she got the Nordstrom job. They ask if they can come with, but Angela tells them that she’s bringing Cody.
Auti tells the camera she’s concerned about Angela’s decision. “All of your parts down there are supposed to be sexy. When your man is your caregiver, it kind of ruins that.”
Mia asks if this is Angela’s first time having Cody take care of her; she says it is. Mia tells the camera, “I think there’s a fine line between boyfriends and caregivers. In Angela’s case though, its sometimes inevitable that your significant other will have to be that.
Next, Auti shares that she has a big movie premiere coming up, and has asked the girls to go shopping with her for her outfit. The girls look cute a rolling around the boutique. Auti shares that the movie is called Musical Chairs and was filmed last year, and it’s about wheelchair ballroom dancing. She says the movie producers found her because of YouTube videos. Nice!
Then Angela asks Auti who she’s bringing with to the premiere, and she says she’s bringing her entire family, including her Dad. “I always dreamt of having a good relationship with my father, but I never had one,” says Auti.
She shares that after her accident, her mom died in the year following her accident, then her dad took off to Switzerland for 8 years, leaving her all alone. “Right when I needed my father the most, he disappeared,” Auti says crying.
In the next scene, Tiphany and Angela are talking, and Angela tells the camera she’s worried she’s high maintenance, after she and Cody had a recent argument. “I am 125 pound baby, let’s face it. I need help going to the bathroom.” She’s worried that when he takes care of her, it may scare him off (I really wish Angela wouldn’t refer to herself as a baby in such a way. Bugs me).
They have a pow-wow session in the kitchen, and Tiphany tells Angela that if anyone loves here, they’ll have to be ok with it, and to not worry. “This is something he is consciously walked into.” Tiphany tells the camera, “Cody just needs to man up.” And then Judy tells Angela that if Cody has any questions on the trip, he can always call her.
In the next scene, Angela is frantically getting ready in the morning for her flight to New York City. Cody tells the camera he was surprised when Angela asked him to be the caretaker for the trip, but said of course he’ll go.
And that we see Judy catheterizing Angela on her back; Angela wearing leopard print underwear. Gah the braveness to let that be filmed! And Cody sneaks in to give her a kiss, and tells her she’s hot (aw).
They get in the van and drive to the airport. After arriving, Angela tells the camera she needs a lot of luggage to travel, including one bag just for catheters. “I love you Aunty Judy,” she says, as she’s wheeled away.
Then Angela is rolled down the plank-way, to the airplane. Angela explains how it’s a lot of work for someone in a wheelchair to travel. They show her getting transferred into the aisle chair, and then she’s rolled onto the plane and transferred into her seat, with Cody helping. And Angela says she’s always worried about her tail bone when she gets transferred. “It is a production for me to travel on a plane,” she says.
After arriving in New York, on the cab to their hotel Angela says she’s excited to be back in New York City, “I feel normal again,” and that she’s excited to have Cody with, but is worried about him taking care of her. “I’m worried he won’t be able to handle me completely.”
He transfers her out of the cab when they gets their hotel, and all the cars waiting start to honk (ug). They get into their hotel room, and it is a very chic, but Angela can’t fit into the bathroom.
And then Cody goes over all the cares that he needs to do for Angela to the camera. She needs to get catheterized every 4 hours, yadda, yadda, yadda. And then she gets ready by washing her face outside the bathroom door, and they get into bed.
In the morning, Angela says that being flown to New York City for a modeling job as a quadriplegic is a dream come true. Cody and her look cool as they make their way through the streets of New York City with Cody pushing her. I love how Cody is so overall chill. “When we got up in the morning, it was all about her, not about me.”
Next Angela is transferred into another cab, and she talks about how scary it is with cars flying by. “New Yorkers just don’t care.” They arrive at the shoot, and Angela is brought into hair and makeup. Then it’s time for Cody to help her get dressed, and she talks out how she wants her clothes to always look perfect, with all the seams lined up (I’m the same way!). He gets her dressed as best he can.
As he wheels her out for the shoot, her legs start to spasm. Her catheter is kinked, and Cody has to help her adjust it. And she’s all better, the photo shoot begins. A bunch of funky music is played, and we get to see Angela modeling. Beautiful! (wish they would’ve showed more though, and talked about when the photos will be out).
In a quick in-between scene, we’re brought to Auti’s house, where she’s getting ready to go to see her father for the first times in years. She says she has forgiven him, but she can’t forget what he did.
Next, we see Angela and Cody go out for dinner, and she makes a joke with the waiter is that she’s drinking and driving. Cody tells the camera that he prefers when a nurse is there, but it is okay when there is no nurse. He holds her hand, and asks her what she can feel. She cries and says she wishes she could opener hand and feel his face (he has her come in and nuzzle his face). She says she believes they could have a life together.
Next up, Auti and Eric are driving to see her dad. “I was raised with a tough father, she says, and then says, “I’m at a point in my life where I am determined to make a relationship work with him.” They get to the restaurant and hug each other. And then he opens up and says he has a lot of bad memories coming back; both Auti walking and her mother when she was alive.
“It was hard for me too,” he says. “For six months after your mom died, I would go into her closet and just hold her clothes.” Auti cries. “I had so much pain that I didn’t have time to think about you guys.” “I’m sorry I did’t understand,” says Auti. “I forgive you.”
And then she asks him if he’s going to her movie premiere, and says of course he is. “I’m always proud of you when I hear you doing something positive,” he adds. And Auti says she loves hearing that he’s proud of her.
Next, is Auti’s movie premiere. The movie is about to begin, but Auti’s dad isn’t there. “Sitting there outside the theater, I felt like he was going to let me down again.” But then suddenly he arrives, and she’s elated. Inside – there are lots of people in wheelchairs there for the premiere.
“It feels great to have my own night,” says Auti. As the movie begins, Auti says it was very emotional for her to have everybody there like that, and they have her career beginning again after injury so many years ago. After the movie, all the girls say how proud they are of Auti, and seeing her name up on the silver screen, and her dad tells her that her mom would be very proud of her.
And this is where the episode, and the season, wraps up, with all four girls talking about what their girls, the Push Girls, means to them. Tiphany says thst when she came to LA, she didn’t set out to have best friends in wheelchairs, and then we get a clip of Mia, saying she loves having these women in her life. “I’ve accomplished a lot since meeting them. They push me. They motivate me.”
And then we see a couple of great clips from Angela. “I need a focus on what I have, not what I don’t have. And she adds, “If you truly believe in something – you can make it happen.” And we see a great montage of of all the things that happened during season one.
Finally, the girls toast while they’re at the after-party for Auti‘s film, and that folks, is a wrap until 2013. Can’t wait to see all the adventures (heard Tiphany wants to go to Burning Man next year) they hae in store for the girls.
PS. Bravo Sundance!
