Coming Clean

Parker’s witty, insightful, and inventive Monkey Business Trio finale (after Getting Rough) packs an emotional punch as a couple in present-day San Diego grapple with being true to themselves and demystifying family legacies. Frustrated Cassidy Whalen, done with being unappreciated, issues her partner, Shaw Matthews, an ultimatum: attend couple’s therapy to learn how to put the sizzle back into their relationship, or she and their three-year-old son are moving back to her hometown. Shaw reluctantly agrees; he doesn’t like the idea of counseling, but Cassidy and their son are everything to him. Shaw believes his partnership with Cassidy is working well—she is the nurturer and wanted to be a stay-at-home mother, and he is the provider, his long hours as a partner at Striker Sports Entertainment ensuring that he is successfully supporting his family financially—but at the counseling session he gets an unexpected surprise: Cassidy announces she has been faking her orgasms. They embark on an unconventional, delightful erotic journey, relishing in the restored sizzle and trust as frank conversations reveal unspoken needs and jealousies. A lingering demon provides a now-or-never opportunity for Shaw to step up and for the couple to commit to a relationship for life. Spunky and charismatic characters and riveting banter make this hard-fought-for romance irresistible. (Sept.)