'Brothers' Episode 7 Recap: How Does Matthew React After Finding Out The Truth About His Parentage?

The Apple TV comedy series, Brothers, continues this week with an important day for protagonist Matthew McConaughey, as he is about to appear in his first public interview as a gubernatorial candidate. But things go terribly wrong, entirely because of his best friend and possible brother, Woody Harrelson’s over-enthusiasm regarding the situation, which eventually goes haywire. Worst of all, the secret about the DNA test is finally out in episode 7, that too in the most terrible manner.

Spoiler Alert

How does Woody’s over-enthusiasm create problems?

Brothers episode 7 begins with Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Valentina, getting woken up in the middle of the night by a whispering Woody, who has come to celebrate with them, even at this odd hour. Matthew is scheduled to sit for a TV interview the next day, in which he is to publicly announce, for the very first time, his decision to run for Governor of Texas. The actor has always been vocal about his love for his home state, and his desire to help the people of Texas in any way possible. After determining that entering the realm of politics and running for office would be the best way to fulfil his dream, Matthew hired Gwen Hillcrest Barnes-Davies as his campaign manager, and has now followed her advice to reveal his intentions to the public through the interview that is to be broadcast live on TV.

As Matthew tries getting some much-needed sleep before his big day, his best friend, Woody Harrelson, intervenes with a bottle of champagne and a pair of glasses. Woody wants to celebrate this momentous occasion, of his friend about to officially enter the world of politics. He is totally confident that Matthew will win the election and become the next Governor of Texas, and although he admits he’s not a fan of politics, he simply cannot keep calm thinking of his best friend’s success. Unfortunately, Woody has to curb his enthusiasm and return to his bus, which is now also his and his family’s home, without any further celebrations. That he too is tired and sleepy becomes evident when Woody fails to notice a thick pipe and trips over it. 

The pipe comes loose, and as it so happens, it is an important part of the sewer system in the bus. As a result, all the sanitary waste from the toilets on the bus keep spilling throughout the night, and this liquid waste keeps flowing downhill, straight into the barn at the McConaughey ranch, where the TV interview is supposed to take place the next morning. As Gwen reaches the ranch in the morning and visits the barn to start arranging the place, she is welcomed by the foul stench and the toxic waste, forcing her to take the decision to change the location of the interview. Although she is not convinced by Valentina’s suggestion of hosting the interview inside the house, Gwen has no option but to take it and set up the house for the event. But this is not the end of the problems posed by the leaked sewage, as the McConaugheys’ new pet dog, which had been gifted to them by Woody, is enthralled by the stench of the sewage and licks up quite a bit of it.

By the time Matthew returns home from a long run around the ranch to freshen up his mind, he is greeted by the same dog. Completely unaware of everything that has transpired in his absence, Matthew too greets the dog the same way he usually does, and this includes the pet licking his face vociferously. As an effect of the bacteria from the toxic waste in the dog’s mouth, Matthew immediately contracts a terrible infection in one of his eyes. He has trouble even opening the eye, but this is still not enough to curb his enthusiasm. Although his family, as well as Gwen, want to cancel the interview right away, Matthew overrules that, for he does not care about how he looks at the moment.

Matthew argues that one of the biggest complaints people might have against him is that he is using his popularity and influence as an actor, basically selling his face, to contest the election. The eye infection, he believes, is a great chance to put forward his real intentions of helping the people of his state, and distance his actor persona from his political career. He further believes that the state would also benefit from having a governor, or leader, who would not shy away from public appearances or tough situations at the smallest of inconveniences. Matthew believes that agreeing to appear in front of the camera even with an eye infection will only do his campaign good, and so he decides to go ahead with the interview.

What is Woody’s solution to the situation?

But unlike Matthew, his family members, and especially his wife, Valentina, is not convinced that appearing on TV with a terrible eye infection is the best thing to do at the start of his political career. She is seemingly also worried about the fact that Matthew might be questioned about the reason for his infection, which would cause further embarrassment for the family. Thus, she consults Woody over the matter, who is apologetic for having caused so many problems, and he then assures Valentina that Matthew will not appear in the interview after all, for it will never take place at all. Upon being questioned further, Woody reveals that he has a solid plan to ensure that the interview is cancelled, by ensuring that the interviewer himself does not show up, at least in time for the event. Real-life American journalist, Brian Williams, is supposed to be the one interviewing Matthew, and Woody quickly gets to executing his plan.

Woody sends his trusted daughter, Olive, and also her ex-fiance, Jimmy, to go meet Williams and pose as production crew for the interview. Although the journalist must have arranged for his own transportation originally, Olive and Jimmy pretend to be the ones responsible for taking him to the ranch for the interview. The plan is obviously to get Williams in their car and then take him on a spin through the county, deliberately making him late for the interview and ensuring that it is cancelled because of the interviewer’s absence. Jimmy’s nervous nature, which makes him claim his name to be ‘Bimmy’ and that of his associate as ‘Bolive,’ does pose a threat to the plan for a moment, but Olive handles the situation well. As Williams innocently tries to strike up a conversation with them, he does not even realize, until quite late, that he is actually being held hostage and kept away from the McConaughey ranch. Ultimately, Woody’s plan is partly successful, as he does manage to keep Brian Williams away from the ranch. However, Matthew is able to find a different interviewer, Dax Shepard, in time, and so the interview does take place, much to Woody and Valentina’s dismay.

Why had Olive and Jimmy actually broken up?

Brothers episode 7 also gives us a clue as to why Olive and Jimmy had broken up recently despite being engaged. Like most problems or situations between them, the break up also had to do with Jimmy’s nervous and somewhat unusual nature. While engaged, Olive had found messages sent by Jimmy to a micro-influencer called G-string Gemini, who, as the name suggests, was more popular for her appearance than the actual influencing work that she did. Naturally, Olive immediately believed that Jimmy was cheating on her with Gemini, and did not even wait for any explanations. She ghosted him and blocked him on all social media platforms right away, before breaking off the engagement and moving to Texas with her family.

But as Jimmy now reveals, he had been sending DMs to the influencer because she is actually an astrologer, and he has immense respect for and devotion to the field. Jimmy was convinced that Jupiter was transiting his life, because of which things were already difficult, and he simply wanted help from the influencer regarding the matter. But instead of his situation getting any better, it became even worse, as Olive left him without giving him a chance to explain what had happened. Both of their non-confrontational attitudes resulted in the misunderstanding and made them break up. But Jimmy’s dedication to the relationship also then led him to moving to Austin in search of his beloved, especially after he was expelled from the bartending school he had been attending. Perhaps their personal takeaway from the experience is to change their habits and be more open and clear with their thoughts with each other, doing which will surely keep them happily together.

How does the DNA test result end up being a part of the interview?

The DNA test result, which has really been the main subject of the show for quite some time now, had been thrown into the trash by Woody in the last episode, as he didn’t care about it anymore. But the result now comes into play in a long and winding manner, beginning with it falling out of the trash bag when Kai is given the responsibility of clearing the trash. As she notices it and remarks how her father must have accidentally thrown the letter away, Wyatt is also at the scene, and he kindly offers to deliver the letter to Woody. For some time, Wyatt carries the letter with himself, but then he carelessly leaves it on the kitchen counter in the house when he is asked to do something else. From here, the letter gets picked up by Gwen, who mistakes it to be part of her paperwork, and she keeps it safely in her file.

The DNA test result envelope being green in color is responsible for this mix-up, as Gwen had been carrying a green file and believed that any piece of paper or document in green is hers. Once she notices Matthew’s name on the envelope, she believes that it must be an official note that he is to read during the interview. Therefore, Gwen leaves the envelope on the chair that Matthew is supposed to sit on during the interview, along with the other preparatory notes. Lastly, Matthew’s mother, Ma Mac, pulls some personal strings with the production crew to ensure that Matthew is given the better seat, so that his terrible eye infection won’t be so visible. During this seat switch, the envelope ends up on the chair of Dax Shepard, who believes it to be part of the interview questionnaire and goes through its contents before the cameras start rolling.

How does Matthew react after finding out the truth about his parentage?

Finally, as the interview begins, Shepard asks Matthew the more regular questions, before moving on to the topic of the DNA test result. Obviously thinking that Matthew already knows about the DNA test and its result, Shepard asks him about what his reaction was after finding out that the man he looked up to as his father throughout his life wasn’t actually his biological father. This is obviously a total shock for Matthew, who now learns that he was born from his mother’s illicit affair with the father of Woody, which also makes the two best friends biological brothers. Matthew is left shattered, as he asks for the interview to be cut for a break, and he immediately confronts Woody about the matter. In the most ingenuine way possible, Woody lies that he had no idea about the test or its results, which makes no sense, as the result clearly states his name as the person who had requested the DNA test in the first place. Matthew’s reaction is harsh, but quite valid, as he punches Woody hard in the face, leaving him on the floor. Matthew also gives a vile look to his mother before walking away from the room. His very foundation and belief, of proudly walking in his father’s footsteps, is now invalid and broken, after having found out about the truth. Along with this, Matthew also feels betrayed by his mother and best friend, and it will surely take some time for him to understand their motivations and forgive them.

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