FX's romantic drama, Love Story, continues to unravel the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. At the end of the previous episode, the two finally spent a night together. Both are now seeking more stability and security in what is a budding relationship, but it will never be easy, considering that one of them is constantly in the public eye. In episode 4, John introduces Carolyn to his friends and family, which doesn't go very well, before they have their first major argument.
Episode 4 of Love Story opens with John arriving at a Calvin Klein party, where Carolyn is also present, but they both pretend not to know each other well. There are occasional glances and even physical touches when they manage to escape the prying eyes of others, and even a playful display of passion when John gives Carolyn an olive from his drink, which she then eats. A while later, John leaves the party early, saying he has to go somewhere else, but he continues waiting for Carolyn on the corner. As soon as she leaves the party and starts walking down the street, John pulls her close and kisses her. They head to his apartment, unable to contain their excitement at spending the night together again, but also careful not to be seen together.
They're careful not to enter the building through the main entrance, but instead slip out the back door, something John is used to. Similarly, Carolyn wakes up early the next morning and wants to leave the apartment before the paparazzi gather outside. She knows that being seen with them, especially at such an early stage of their relationship, will only complicate things, and she's particularly careful not to let her boss, Calvin Klein, find out about the romantic development in her life. Perhaps she thinks Klein won't approve of the relationship, which could also damage her career. So, when the designer suddenly wants to take pictures of her outfit as she arrives at the office, Carolyn feels extremely uncomfortable, since she just happens to be wearing John's shirt.
Back at the Kennedy residence, John and his sister, Caroline, go through Jacqueline's old belongings and collection, as they need to sell a significant portion of the clothing to raise the $34 million they owe in inheritance tax. Although John states he would have been more comfortable with a private auction, Caroline reminds him that no private auction could bring in the amount of money they need, so a public auction is about to be held, where anyone with money can buy items that belonged to the Kennedys. As the siblings discuss their childhood, and especially Jacqueline's parenting style, Caroline remarks that she believes their mother waited long enough for John to become strong and independent before taking her last breath. Such comments will undoubtedly have a lasting effect on John, and it's clear that her words instill confidence in his current life situation. Although he was already developing serious feelings for Carolyn, John is now possibly even more convinced that he's on the right path in life and, therefore, that she's the ideal partner for him. Therefore, John soon organizes a dinner party to introduce Carolyn to his friends.
While Carolyn chats with her friends, she remains cautious about how involved she should be with John at this point. After all, she has already experienced how everyone's attention is always focused on John, whether in public or even at private parties and events, and so she is clearly not thrilled about the prospect of becoming the wife of someone so popular. At first, she ignores John's calls, but eventually gives in to the feelings she is developing for him, and they even enjoy a getaway on his boat. Although the paparazzi photograph them together, they don't seem to mind, and it is then that John invites Carolyn to dinner with his friends, with the clear intention of introducing his girlfriend to the group. Carolyn doesn't mind the invitation, as meeting up with friends is something casual for her, and she arrives at the restaurant a little late.
The friends treat Carolyn well and make a fairly decent attempt to welcome her into the group, though for now, it's debated whether their feelings for her are genuine. Carolyn discusses John's plan to start his own political magazine with the group, and especially with Berman, his best friend and now business partner. Perhaps Berman and the other friends hadn't expected Carolyn to be so involved in the business plan, or even that she was smart enough to know more about running a magazine than they did—something that's written all over their faces. Only when Carolyn leaves, just minutes after arriving, do the friends express their true opinions of her. Most of the men believe that Carolyn is like the usual girlfriends John has had over the years, playing hard to get to win him over faster. There's undoubtedly an indirect attempt to smear her character with this style of expression, but the women in the group are less harsh, sensing that the pair might actually be interested in each other.
Right after dinner with friends, John invites Carolyn to his family home, saying he'd like to introduce her to his older sister, Caroline, who he thinks will love her. Although Carolyn feels it might still be too soon to be introduced to John's family, she decides to trust her instincts and support his wish by accepting the invitation. But when she visits the Kennedy residence the next day, things get even more complicated due to John's terrible blunders. First, the party isn't just any family gathering, but a celebration of Caroline's birthday. But John doesn't tell Carolyn this, seemingly forgetting to inform her that the family will be getting together for his sister's birthday.
As a result, Carolyn arrives completely unprepared, without gifts and without the mental preparation needed to face the Kennedy family members on such an important day. The only thing she can do to ease the awkwardness of the conversation is wish Caroline a happy birthday and tell her directly that John hadn't mentioned anything about the party's true purpose. Caroline's cold response leaves her even more confused and uncomfortable, as Caroline doesn't seem to pay much attention and continues with what she's doing. It's clear that Caroline isn't happy about Carolyn's presence at her birthday party. Initially, it appears that Caroline disapproves of John's recent romantic escapades and, like her mother, is also overly involved in John's love life, which is a truly bizarre situation.
However, the reason for Caroline's coldness becomes clear in the following minutes when it's revealed that she had no idea her brother was going to show up at her birthday party with a date. It's possible that John hadn't intentionally told his sister that he was bringing Carolyn home, fearing that she would ask him more questions about her before welcoming her into the family, while he was still aiming for a more informal atmosphere.
In any case, the decision proved disastrous: Caroline didn't do enough to make her brother's girlfriend feel welcome and wanted at the family dinner, and John also sat down to dinner with his family, practically abandoning Carolyn. She felt completely out of place at the Kennedy family dinner and had no idea why she was being left out. Despite having come with the intention of impressing the family so they would approve of her as John's girlfriend, Carolyn failed to make a good impression, and instead, the invitation to Caroline's birthday party only ended up being a major disappointment for the couple.
The relationship between John and Carolyn was already strained by his failed attempt to introduce her to his family, and shortly afterward, it was severely damaged. John continued his usual practice of playing football in Central Park with his friends, and after one of these sessions, he found an envelope he had left in his bag while playing. The envelope contained a letter that didn't mention a return address or name, but it was addressed to John and purported to warn him about certain things. It is clear that someone has tried to defame Carolyn by writing about her past relationships, her drug addiction, and even how she desperately wanted to meet JFK Jr. and had pressured her boss, Calvin Klein, to introduce her to the man of her dreams.
This is enough to frustrate and hurt Carolyn, leading her to break up with John, deciding to give him no more chances or attention. But it's easier said than done, as they had both begun to feel something genuine for each other. When Caroline finds out about the affair, she can't believe her brother's stupidity and tells John directly that he should not only trust his girlfriend instead of a stranger who wrote him a malicious letter, but also distance himself from the useless friends who must have helped carry out such a manipulative plan against the couple. Finally, John realizes his mistake and visits Carolyn at her apartment to apologize, and the separation doesn't last long. They both confess their love, and John and Carolyn get back together.
Although the couple resolves their differences, it seems that problems won't be the end of them, as a new challenge arises at the end of the episode, especially for Carolyn. After a passionate night with John, Carolyn arrives at her office unaware that the tabloids have published articles featuring her and JFK Jr. together. The articles also include questionable photographs of her, and in fact, her physique and appearance are the central focus.
To make matters worse, the tabloids have even arrived at her workplace, and her boss, Calvin Klein, presents her with all the documents one after another and demands an explanation at the end of the episode. This will likely be a turning point in John and Carolyn's relationship, as they will either survive this ordeal together or break up for good. Considering the course of the story, it's clear that John and Carolyn will ultimately stay together, but it remains to be seen whether John will support her through this fiasco.
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