Why Does Married At First Sight's Nick Even Want Sonia To Move Back In?

On a scale of Tom to Jason Carrion, exactly where is Lily in terms of daddy issues?

It's Mother's Day (which is why Lily and Tom have both invited their moms to town to celebrate), but it's also Lily's estranged father's birthday. She tells us that he doesn't know she's married (so I guess he's not on social media?), but she must not have entirely lost touch because she's thinking about calling him...except she doesn't know if the number she has for him is current. Tom is also estranged from his father, and tells Lily that he always calls his father on his birthday -- even though his father never calls him on his birthday -- because it makes him feel better. So with Tom next to her, Lily calls her father...and gets his voicemail......and cries. Okay?

I'm sure everyone who also reads my coverage of Married At First Sight: The First Year is sick of my saying some version of this, but all this carrying on, by grown-ass adults Lily and MAFS: The First Year's Jason, about their dads seems very performative to me. From what we've heard, both Jason's and Lily's dads just walked out on their families and started new ones. They're alive, but they suck. How important is it to force a relationship with a person like that, blood ties or not? Lily's mom seems very loving, and she and Lily are close -- and at least Lily, unlike Jason, has another living parent to spend time with. Tom's attitude -- that his father is a guy he knows but from whom he's learned he shouldn't expect much -- seems much healthier, and if Lily can learn to be more like him, this marriage will have been worth it even if it fails. Speaking of which...

Does Lily have "a lot of problems" balancing work and marriage, Tom, or do you have "a lot of problems" respecting the demands of her professional ambition?

Lily talks about money the way someone does who hasn't spent much time in her life feeling secure about where it's coming from: it's important to her to work a lot because she wants to save money to pay for the things that are important to her: primarily kids. When Tom talks to his mother about how the marriage is going, he bitches about Lily's work ethic, marveling that she gets work calls at all hours and takes them. It's like he doesn't understand that she's in real estate? It's not exactly a 9-to-5 job. It's great for Tom that he's such a free spirit he's content to let his income fluctuate from year to year depending on how much he cares to work, and such a free spirit that he doesn't mind living in a bus. But the fact that Lily has different standards for the kind of comfortable life she'd like to lead -- or that the loss of a client is a disappointment she might bring home at night -- doesn't make her a soulless yuppie: it means she is good at setting goals for herself and . Good for his mom for doing exactly what Tom wanted -- reporting to Lily that Tom has concerns about her phone use -- but putting her own spin on it, which is that Tom needs a lot of attention. That's what you get for whining to Mommy, Tom: she's going to go ahead and tell your brand-new wife how NEEDY you are.

Why does Nick even want Sonia to move back in?

All the experts really spent this week hammering on the "legally married" BS to try to make us think Sonia isn't observing the spirit of the "experiment" by continuing to sleep in her own apartment. But have any of them really acknowledged that she has a good reason to have moved out in the first place? HE SAID HE DID NOT LIKE HER. IN THOSE WORDS. And look, I get it: I don't really like Sonia that much either. But that's why I didn't agree to marry someone a bunch of strangers set me up with: that is a crazy idea, and you never know what you're going to end up with. That said, she is being a tremendously good sport giving Nick any kind of chance at all considering what he said. But also, given that he doesn't like Sonia, why does Nick want her to move back? With the Derek and Heather situation, my sense was that Derek wanted to "try" a little longer in the marriage to save face, but that he wasn't actually that psyched about Heather either. But with Nick I think it's more likely that he agreed to go on the show to prove something to someone -- himself? -- and that he never intended to be that honest about his feelings. I do think when he said he didn't like her, he meant it, and I don't really believe he could have changed his mind that much just because he watched her hand out some sandwiches. (Also: the way Nick is going to get to know Sonia is to watch her distribute food to the indigent, and the way Sonia's going to get to know Nick is to go with him to the driving range? SAYS A LOT.)

"Sonia needs a lot of affirmation"?

On behalf of Sonia: Dr. Pepper, fuck you. Sonia is being smart and careful hesitating to move back in with the guy who said HE DOES NOT LIKE HER. You want to know who needs affirmation? Talk to Tom.

What would you do if a friend asked you to participate in a "naked moment"?

I? Would run. "Please tell me exactly what you think of me, while I sit here silently and take it"? "Here's exactly what I think: bitch, you're high." I love Amber for saying it sounds like a trap; I love her even more for unloading on Heather without any sugar-coating; and I fall completely in love with her when Heather tells her she'd do the same for her if Amber wanted her to and Amber replies, "I don't." Replace all the "experts" with Amber, immediately.