CBS’s Tell Me a Story
2×05: “New Pages”
Directed by Jeff T. Thomas
Written by Treena Hancock & Melissa R. Byer

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Number One Fan” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Lost and Found” – click here
While Olivia is unconscious, Tucker’s tending to his relationship. Maddie soon wants to go inside, and the sounds of them talking upstairs starts to wake Sleeping Beauty. She also finds a piece of paper with Olivia’s number on it. Tucker plays it off as his “editor‘s new assistant” when she’s curious. But in the basement, Olivia’s banging her chain against the bed, and Maddie nearly gets too curious before Tucker gets her out of there. He rushes downstairs, accidentally calling Olivia by his sister’s name, Anna, and his veil of madness has slipped a tiny bit in front of her. He puts her out again for another nap.

Despite Ashley Rose’s stalker being dead she can’t bring herself to relax. She has an “instinct” that something’s not right. She believes Kyle wasn’t the person who tried to kill her. Beau, getting more intimate with her by the day, tries to reassure her things are fine. And as they do a little smooching, they’re spied by Rebecca, who rushes off before either of them notice she’s seen them. She mentions it to Ken, and dad has to tell his boy he’ll be done working at the Pruitt home after today.
Except Ashley won’t have any of that when she finds out.
Simone and Cora are attempting to figure out a way to catch Veronica in her lies. The angry stepdaughter’s going to go for the jugular, figuratively. Meanwhile, Jackson meets the family for breakfast. He doesn’t get a great reception from his mother, though his sisters are glad to see him. He’s walking on air at the moment, having had such a nice time recently with Simone, criminal activity and all.
An extra bit of Cinderella’s character works its way into this season when Cora offers up her “secret weapon” for Simone to wear: a beautiful pair of shoes, like glass slippers. However, is there something else going on here? Something with Cora feels… odd. Either way, Simone throws her stepmother off a second when she shows up to a tribute to her father Frank.

When Olivia wakes up she questions Tucker about Anna. He doesn’t want to talk about her. Olivia keeps pushing, wanting to know more. Tucker wants a quid-pro-quo relationship, asking for info about her previous boyfriend, Luke— he dug into her past, finding “a little domestic violence” and other things. Olivia tells Tucker a little, he tells her a little, too. Doesn’t last long, though. At work, Maddie confides in her colleague Brendan that she believes Tucker is having an affair. She checked into the editor’s assistant, discovering it’s bullshit. Now she’s very suspicious.

Ole Jackson gets a sweet moment with mom: she gifts him dad’s old guitar cufflinks.
In his spare time, Beau’s digging into any possible leads for who could have really planted the bomb in Ashley’s car. His detective pal gets him access to footage. He scours it looking for anything, viewing a video Kyle took while stalking the object of his obsession— in the background, he finds a man with what looks like a pipe bomb in hand. It’s a man called Dylan Young. Beau wants to rush off and do surveillance on the guy, prompting Ken to go along. They watch Dylan from afar. Only the son goes rogue, putting them in a gunfight with the guy after he gets dangerously paranoid. Lo and behold, poor Ken gets a bullet in the gut for his troubles. Beau calls for an ambulance, but will it get there in time?

At the gala event, Simone finds Jackson looking handsome, and the two make a fine pair on the dance floor together. They’re a funny, cute couple. They’ve each got a mischievous, rebellious streak in them. All the more sweet to see them in this bourgeois setting. Jackson’s dance is interrupted by one of the twins, looking to speak with his stepsister. The stepbro’s hoping to convince Simone his mother couldn’t be a killer. That doesn’t deter her one bit. She goes straight to speak with Veronica, bringing up all the dirt. Things are getting real nasty.
And after the event, the other brother gets violent. He and Jackson end up going fist to fist. The stepbrother threatens stepsister, as well. Hmm. Not good later when Jackson finds only one of Simone’s glass slippers on the stairs outside. Oh, shit.

Brendan meets with Tucker. He asks questions about what’s going on re: the supposed editor’s assistant. It just makes Tucker angry, getting his back up, and Brendan makes clear he only cares about Maddie’s well-being. The writer keeps an eye on Olivia in his basement via smartphone during their conversation. He’s probably not paying enough attention to how determined Brendan is to look out for Maddie. So, when Tucker leaves he’s followed closely by Brendan.
There’s something wrong with Olivia, which has Tucker frantic. He’s calling for his sister, trying to wake his captive up, though there’s no response— until she wraps the chain around his neck, hops on his back, and tries to choke him to death. Great time for Brendan to walk into the house, hearing the commotion downstairs. He finds his way to the basement, helping to knock Tucker out and look for the keys to Olivia’s chains. She gets out, but Tucker comes to and grabs Brendan, knocking him unconscious. He rushes outside and there’s no sign of Olivia.
Could we be headed for a switch in the Sleeping Beauty-esque scenario?
And what’s going to happen to Simone?