Divorce Episode 8 Recap: Tough Guy

This week opens with Frances and Robert both trying to move on. While Robert is working out, Frances is meeting with an art-world friend that's looking for her recommendation for an event-coordinator position at Sotheby's. Frances shocks the Sotheby's exec — and herself — when she says that she would like to be considered for the job. It doesn't take long before she's offered the job via phone while she's in the car with Dallas. But while they're driving, they see an unexpected sight: Robert. Leaving a church. With the kids. I'm almost as surprised as Frances is! Robert seems to be in a completely different headspace all around. He's smiling, positive, and next thing you know he and the kids have returned home with a pet snake. "Do you have any idea what it takes to care for a snake?" Frances asks him, angry that he didn't consult her about this decision. Of course, Robert deadpans, "Yea I got this pamphlet, how to take care of your pet snake." After the kids leave, Frances ask him what's going on with him. He admits he's turned to God, a.k.a. "The Big Guy" after everything that's happened, and that's why he's feeling so content. Frances decides to tell him about her job offer, and when he congratulates her, she asks him why. "Because I want you to be happy. As happy as I am!" he says. Frances is clearly suspicious of Robert, and so am I. Later, Dallas puts the bug in Frances's hear that a fancy new job means that Robert could be entitled to half of her big new salary. So Frances suggests to her new employer that they let her "defer" her start date so that she works for free for six months while her divorce gets settled (in other words, so Robert has no access to her funds). Her new employers look at her like she has three heads. She ends up calling them on Monday to apologize and let them know that she's passing on the job because it's bad timing; of course, they seem relieved (and were probably going to let her know they'd moved on to other options any way). Back with Robert, we learn he isn't actually as at peace as we thought at all; he's seated in the lecture hall of one Julian's (that would be Frances' lover) art classes. After, he stalks him in the hallway. "For your information, I'm not French," Julian tells Robert defiantly. Robert's response? To hand him a gun. "I think you know the right thing to do Julian." He then hugs Julian and tells him he's forgiven. This scene was pretty weird, to be honest. But then when he returns to his empty house, we get a peek at why he actually has been acting so off: He's been injecting himself with testosterone. Wuh-oh. Robert is clearly lost, but Frances seems like maybe she's finally figuring things out — especially when the episode ends on a shot of her finally sitting down to relax and read, then taking off her wedding ring. Will things remain ugly between these two, especially now that Robert is getting some extra doses of testosterone? We'll see next week — there are just two episodes left, y'all! Side note: Is it just me, or does it seem like Frances's friends are a total afterthought for the Divorce writers? Like they kind of randomly throw in that Diane and Nick are thinking about adopting, and that Dallas is having parenting issues with her son, but they never quite delve into either storyline. Here's hoping that next season their characters will feel a little bit more nuanced instead of just a random aside to the main plot.