‘Married at First Sight’: 12 Key Moments From ‘How Can I Trust You?’ (RECAP)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Married at First Sight Season 9, Episode 8, “How Can I Trust You?”]

It’s nearly one month in for the couples of Married at First Sight‘s ninth season and it’s not smooth sailing for everyone involved.

As fans can imagine, marrying a stranger isn’t easy, and in the season’s eighth episode the hardships were on full display. With the honeymoon phase officially over, the spouses are continuing to settle into married life, with some finding a little success while others are taking major steps back.

Below, we’re breaking down all of the key moments from the episode “How Can I Trust You?” which picked up where things left off in the week prior. Beware of spoilers because we’re holding nothing back.

Abandonment Issues

Amber was left in tears last week when her husband Matt still hadn’t returned home from a night out with friends. This continued when this week’s episode picked up as Matt still hadn’t returned by 2pm the following day. His lack of presence led a distraught Amber to even call out from work. His wedding ring was also left behind at home, which caused Amber to spiral even more.

Loss

After learning about Keith’s sick grandmother during previous episodes, viewers learned along with the newlywed’s announcement that she passed away. New wife Iris was by his side though and supported Keith through the loss.

On Pause

After nearly a month of marriage, Greg revealed that Deonna and he consummated their marriage on his birthday. But the bliss was put on pause as this episode showed Deonna was fairly ill with a cold in the days following.

The “D” Word

As was apparent in last week’s episode, Elizabeth and Jamie have been a bit on the rocks lately, and that continued into their meeting with Dr. Pepper Schwartz, who came to check in on them. Elizabeth voices concern that Jamie wants a divorce, but they ultimately agree to try and work things out after talking things out with Dr. Pepper.

Matt Comes Home

When Matt finally returns home, Amber confronts him about his absence and tells him how upset she is. He offers her an apology that’s lame at best, sharing that he didn’t think it was that big of a deal since he’s used to crashing at friends’ houses. Amber lets him off the hook after she thinks the talk goes well, but does relay concern over him not wearing his ring out.

Two Steps Back

After Dr. Pepper leaves, the fighting continues between Jamie and Elizabeth to the point of more divorce talk. After Elizabeth reveals she wants to leave, Jamie tells her it’s over if she does. She concedes with locking herself in their room for some time alone.

The Riot Act

Dr. Pepper made her rounds in the episode and visited Amber and Matt following his night out. Needless to say, Dr. Pepper gave the new husband a piece of her mind over his actions, asking him if there’s anything he could have done that was worse, considering Amber has abandonment issues after her mother left her as a child. The talk led to some eye-opening perspective for Matt… hopefully.

Games

Dr. Pepper gave each couple a game/exercise to complete and they ranged from card games to fishbowl questions. For Deonna and Greg, they were tasked with a card game that entailed sharing compliments, kisses and hugs. During the session, Greg was smitten by his usually uncomplimentary wife’s sweet compliments.

Kiss and Make Up

Jamie and Elizabeth prove to be a yo-yo when it comes to their marriage, with so much back and forth on fighting. When they executed their exercise, it seemed like everything was back on track for the duo. The exercise included the use of blindfolds, sticky notes and ended with a silly “sexy” dance.

Not Applicable

In Keith and Iris’ game, questions they were being asked to answer led to some awkward moments. Mainly, Iris’ virgin state made it difficult to answer questions about sex, and that strained the process as Keith wished his wife would be more open and honest in the exercise.

Certain Quirks

Despite their fighting, Jamie makes his best effort to satisfy Elizabeth’s whims including a cleansing of the house involving the full moon. In the meditative exercise, he talks about his wife’s calm demeanor in that moment and admires her for it.

Big Apologies

In an attempt to make up for his misstep, Matt does his best to recreate a fantasy that Amber described to him that included a massage table. At the episode’s end she arrives home to find him waiting with the whole thing set up. Can the gesture repair his mistake or will there be more bumps ahead? Fans will have to tune in next week to find out.

Married at First Sight, Wednesdays, 8:30/7:30c, Lifetime