Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of “In the City,” available on Peacock as of May 20th.
Imagine the intro to “The Sopranos,” substituting Tony for an Italian woman escaping the angst of a hellish 10-year relationship, brightening up the score, and you get the opening beat of “In the City,” the much-hyped “Summer House” spin-off.
“In the City,” which premiered on Bravo on Tuesday night following the Season 10 finale of “Summer House,” revolves around the aforementioned Hamptons-set series’ mainstays Amanda Batula, Kyle Cooke and Lindsay Hubbard as they navigate life on Manhattan’s not-so-sleazy streets. Amanda, 34, is the estranged wife of Kyle, 43. Kyle is the founder of a canned cocktail company inexplicably called “Loverboy,” and he’s bleeding a lot of money. Kyle, a recently dumped husband, chooses to pursue a DJ career in his 40s to anger Amanda and to funnel money into his failing company. Lindsay is a former publicist and single mother to a ridiculously cute baby girl, Gemma. The luxurious apartment would make Nancy Meyers blush.
There’s also a smattering of other cast members, including Daniel Olivera, former “Summer House” star and founder and president of Something, and Eoin, her Irish live-in boyfriend. Sometimes “Summer House” cast member Andrea Denver, a really, really, ridiculously good-looking Italian model and his wife Lexi. Lindsay’s friends Yvonne and Georgina. And Kenny Martin, the insufferable venture capitalist who quickly emerges as the show’s villain, is joined by his adorable-looking girlfriend Whitney, a former “Bachelor” contestant who’s supposed to be running for the hills.
The main takeaway from the pilot lies in the opening scene, with the predictable sight of Lindsay clocking Kenny the moment she meets him, and the most awkward “anniversary” date we’ve ever seen between Amanda and Kyle, who still can’t seem to accept responsibility for their deplorable behavior toward their quasi-spouse (even abandoning their couples therapy session).
First, some background. Season 10 of Summer House saw Amanda and Kyle’s four-year marriage on the verge of complete collapse. Amanda wasn’t checked out and barely acknowledged her husband’s presence, while Kyle didn’t know how to deal with his emotions and threw violent tantrums left and right, twice telling Amanda to “fuck off” in front of his housemates. In January, Amanda and Kyle publicly announced their separation in a joint statement. Meanwhile, the season 10 finale of “Summer House” depicts them living apart and Amanda staying in a hotel for several days. On March 31, two months after announcing their separation, after weeks of online rumors and speculation, Amanda and content creator Westling “West” Wilson, 31, a friend of Amanda and Kyle’s and Hypebeast in general, announced that the two are a couple of sorts. This scenario was particularly troubling because West previously dated Ciara Miller, one of Amanda Batula’s best friends who still harbors feelings for West.
In the City was released on April 9th following a montage of news reports about the separation and coupling, with cameras filming to capture the aftermath nine days after Amanda and West’s announcement. Kyle is washing the dishes when Amanda comes in. “Have you eaten? You’ve lost weight. I’m worried…” I greet her warmly, and she replies, “I’m worried too.”
Amanda has long struggled with depression, some of which is chronicled in Summer House, and is cast as a scheming friend (or “Rachel”) in this imbroglio, dubbed “Scamanda” on the internet. In my estimation, the amount of vitriol directed at Amanda vs. West was grossly disproportionate. West was a shoulder to cry on for Amanda, taking advantage of a very vulnerable woman who had recently gotten out of a traumatic relationship. Amanda should have been more transparent and gracious with Ciara, who dated West years ago, but it’s also likely (at least initially) that she saw West as a fun, unserious post-breakup fling. This confusion could truly be called “wastegate.”
The two move to the couch and start talking about breaking up. “I know we’ve been able to stay in touch to some degree through all of this, and I want to be there for you, but I also want to have a chance to work things out, because looking back over the summer, it seemed like you were done with me,” a clearly frustrated Kyle chimed in.
“And that’s what’s so frustrating, is that I gave everything I had to our relationship because I wanted it to work,” Amanda tearfully replied. “And the thought of not having you in my life was so hard for me to wrap my head around. And that made it so hard to say quit, and that’s why it became so awkward, because I was so afraid that if we ended things, we’d just be out of each other’s lives forever, and I couldn’t deal with that.”
The gorgeous cast of “In the City”.
Kareem Black/Bravo
Kyle keeps pushing. “But to be honest, I can pinpoint a moment throughout the summer and into the fall where I thought she wasn’t just stepping out, she was completely out the door,” he says.
“I had accomplished something. I was tired. I had nothing left in me to fight, but I still wanted to give it my all,” Amanda repeated.
Kyle then addresses the real elephant in the room: Amanda and West. “But can you honestly say that all through Thanksgiving? Even if it was an emotional affair with West…” he says, and Amanda tactfully cuts him off. “Nothing was going on! I’ve been so devoted to you this entire fucking thing, and all I wanted was for it to work out, and it really, really hurt for you to even question my faithfulness in any capacity, because I’m not that type of person! Like if I would step out on you or cheat on you? I’ve been cheated on by you.” (I think it’s natural for Kyle to question the timeline, but he cheated on Amanda so many times throughout their relationship that he really didn’t have a leg to stand on.)
“It was just a one-night stand…” Kyle replies defensively.
“Kyle, you had an affair with someone when we were married,” Amanda says. “There’s a video.”
Kyle’s behavior stops when he brings up the video, and his reaction is to cry out guilt. He switches gears from a defensive ex to a sympathetic one.
“I know you’re not a bad person,” he says. “Honestly, I think you were reckless and thoughtless. But I’m still trying to be a good friend to you, even in this situation. I mean, I’m worried about you. I’m worried about your mental health.”
“It’s not your fault, but I appreciate it,” Amanda says. This action then flashes back seven months later in September 2025 and is reflected in regularly scheduled programming. You’ll have to wait for the three-part “Summer House” reunion, which begins May 26, to see the real fireworks. The teaser alone is a complete movie.
