Adulting Season 2 episode 7 recap: Short, sharp shocks

Adulting Season 2 episode 7 has our four gents ‒ Bonga (Thembinkosi Mthembu), Vuyani (Luthando ‘BU’ Mthembu), Mpho (Thabiso Rammusi) and Eric (Nhlanhla Kunene) ‒ on the ropes as they face the consequences. We have a death in the family, a marriage announcement, a marriage meltdown, and a problem child on the loose in one of the most dramatic episodes of the season.

Watch Adulting Season 2 now. New episodes every Monday.

Watch the trailer for Adulting Season 2

What happened in Adulting Season 2 episode 6?

Eric’s ex-girlfriend Minki (Samkelo Ndlovu) crashed his daughter Ncumisa’s homecoming party by smashing up Eric’s car. Mpho’s wife Zithulele (Lungile Duma) figured out he was up to his old cheating tricks, while Mpho moved his babymama Palesa (Diddy Padi) into their housing complex. Vuyani’s new sex work client, Margaret (Lethabo Lejoy Mathato), refused to pay the bill, which meant no more gifts for Vuyani’s girlfriend Zelda (Obakeng Kgwedi). Bonga’s deadbeat dad (Bongani Gumede) told their family the truth about his stage 4 cancer diagnosis, and Bonga cried on his ex-fiancée Nkanyezi’s (Londeka Sishi) shoulder about his conflicted feelings about the situation.

And now, in Adulting episode 7…

While Eric's over the moon to have Ncumisa back, trouble is brewing. Not only is he spoiling his daughter out of guilt whenever he makes mistakes or gets reminded that she doesn’t have a mother anymore, but 15-year-old Ncumisa is playing Eric and his granny and guardian MaGetty (Nandi Nyembe) against one another. And Eric doesn’t pull Ncumisa up on how disrespectful and rude she is to MaGetty after MaGetty wakes her up to do a chore she blew off.

On the romance side, though, Eric shines in this episode when he bails Minki out of jail and tries to set things right between them. The adulting is at 100%, and the compassion and care Eric shows in explaining his situation and feelings defuses a lot of Minki’s pain and anger. He also soothes her wounded pride and gives her back some of her dignity when he acknowledges all the ways that she’s a good person and a wonderful girlfriend, while still not being right for him.

Taking the plunge

Vuyani takes Zelda on a date to the zoo, which she finds relaxing and he finds hot and smelly. Both of them are clearly troubled and at odds about the future of the relationship, while putting on a brave face. But later at Eric's place, Vuyani tells the guys that he's going to marry Zelda and they lovingly warn him not to approach them for help with lobola.

Later, Vuyani invites the gents to a posh night out to kiss his bachelor days goodbye. Mpho takes him aside to warn him that once you go down the route of marriage, there's no coming back. And Vuyani finds himself standing alone, symbolically deserted by his bros, by the time Zelda comes up to hug him.

She has the receipts

Zithulele is clearly seething as she starts testing Mpho’s commitment to honesty, taking note of all his dodges, and all the tricks he uses to lie to her face. Props to Lungile Duma for her unnerving performance of Zithulele’s smiling rage at Mpho throughout the episode, as she checks his phone, his bank account, and his trail of lies about the “Johannesburg cousin” that Zelda met in episode 6.

Zithulele stages a confrontation when Mpho comes home drunk in the early hours of the morning after Vuyani’s party and a stop off at Palesa’s place. What’s the name of his “Johannesburg cousin" with the baby that looks like Mpho again? Is it Kedibone? Is it Keneilwe? Is it Paballo? Zelda watches Mpho jump from lie to lie like a scientist watching a spider, before taking his phone and showing him a picture of himself, his “cousin” and the baby and pointing out that she distinctly remembers this woman – from the day in Adulting Season 1 that Palesa drove by her wearing Mpho's shirt and blabbed about their affair. Expertly cornered, Mpho can’t gaslight, gate keep or girl boss his way out of this one, and he prepares to tell the truth.

The last days

At Vuyani’s party, Eric pulls Bonga aside to ask him how he's truly doing with having his family in his space 24/7, and with his father being sick, and he offers to be there for Bonga and listen when he's ready to talk.

Bonga’s on a rollercoaster of emotions. His family have all moved into his bachelor pad and his mom has taken over dad's nursing care while brother hangs around drinking. When Nkanyezi drops by to check on him, his mom is delighted to meet such a polite, respectful young woman, and she immediately clocks that Bonga is still absolutely head over heels for his ambitious ex. And Nkanyezi wins Bonga’s heart all over again when she takes him aside to tell him how much she likes his mom.

The family have one last happy day together before Bonga's dad is rushed off to hospital again and his doctor (Lebohane Rameetse) tells the distraught and confused family that dad is dying. It’s time to say goodbye, so get the tissues as Bonga and his father have one last private talk, and his mom and dad hum a song together before dad flatlines.

Who’s who in Adulting: the Big Four

30, flirty and still raising hell, Adulting’s four big boys – Bonga, Eric, Vuyani and Mpho – have been inseparable since they were at university together. Thembinkosi Mthembu plays Bonga: The Alpha. Hot bod. Daddy issues. Single, rich, ambitious and catnip to women. Bonga is a construction and development project manager. Luthando ‘BU’ Mthembu plays Vuyani: Madlisa. Joker. Fashionista. The former escort seems to have found his niche – and his financial independence – as a personal trainer…until temptation makes him sweat. Thabiso Rammusi plays Mpho: The Family Man and father to two young boys. Traditional husband. Reformed cheater, or so he claims. Mpho is an electrical engineer and salary man whose money stretches to comfort, but not luxury. Nhlanhla Kunene plays Eric: Gintsa. Loving dad. Great friend. Hair trigger temper. Now that he’s done his time for hijacking crimes, he’s determined to rebuild himself. But when it comes to women, he can’t resist a baddie.

Watch Adulting S2 now. New episodes every Monday.