The second episode of the second season of The Valley was far from the first time we’ve seen Jax Taylor behaving badly. But his fight with his soon-to-be-ex wife Brittany Cartwright in the final moments might actually be the most revealing and most serious incident Bravo has ever aired when it comes to the reality star.
The episode spent some time on Jesse and Michelle’s divorce (spoiler: it’s going badly), Zach’s new situationship, Janet’s continued frustrations with Kristen, and Daniel and Nia’s single and apparently never-ending conflict over where the family should relocate. But the bulk of “Checking In” was about Jax and Brittany and the dissolution of their marriage.
We knew something was coming: Ever since the first season aired, The Valley has gradually shown a darker side to Jax—especially when it comes to his marriage—than we ever saw on the Vanderpump Rules. And in season two premiere, we learn as viewers that Jax—in a rage over Brittany’s fling with their mutual acquaintance, Julian, during the couple’s separation—began throwing bar stools around the house. As a consequence, Brittany says she no longer will allow Jax to spend time with their son alone, while Jax decides to check himself into a 30-day “mental health” program.
However, knowing all of this is different from actually seeing it. And Jax’s reaction when Brittany confronts him about his actions, in the final scene of episode two, is revealing. At the start of the episode, one thing everyone in the cast seems to agree on is that Jax’s violent outburst needs to be addressed, but you can visibly see Jax becoming increasingly uncomfortable and defensive each time one of his friends calls him on it. He tells Kristen, “What about me?” when she asks if he realizes what his behavior has done to Brittany. He accuses Daniel and Jason of springing an intervention on him. He tries to excuse his way out of committing to the full 30-day program while on the phone with his sister.
When it comes to Brittany, his attitude seems to switch from defensive to offensive. Rather than accept responsibility, he throws accusations at her. Like when Brittany calls him out for inviting a woman over to the house, which he did, he immediately accuses her of being with Julian. It’s clear he sees himself as the victim in the situation when he mutters, “You ruined my life” rather than talk to her. (In my opinion, this reaction looks a lot like DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender), a tactic often used by perpetrators of wrong doing when being held accountable for their own actions.)
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The behavior escalates, too. When Brittany says Jax needs help, he shoots back, “You need help.” He says she doesn’t pay the bills on the house; she says she pays all the bills. He claims she’s still sleeping with Julian, which she says he knows isn’t true. Then he attacks Brittany for not checking up on him after the chair-throwing fight, and she tearfully explains that he was scaring her. He becomes vaguely threatening when he says he has “people watching” her to see if she’s maintaining a relationship with Julian. Eventually, Brittany tells Jax he has to be honest about a cocaine addiction, perhaps the first time the drug has been mentioned seriously and directly on any Vanderpump show, but Jax merely stonewalls.