Alternative reality episodes are entertaining and often add needed drama to push certain arcs further ahead.
Lola’s love triangle was front and center on All Rise Season 3 Episode 8. However, the AU timeline mixed up various relationships and allowed other characters to play together.
Lola protested too much. She tells everyone that she’s not interested in Dre, but she dreamed she was happily married to him with kids. That version of Lola was so different, though.
She was playing a society wife, who couldn’t have her own career, but only ran for president of charities. Lola and Dre seemed happy, but Lola seemed to miss her former law school personality.
When Lola got invited to her UCLA law school reunion, she hesitated, thinking she hadn’t done as much. She only agreed because she wanted to win some votes for charity president.
Her feelings of inadequacy grew when she gave her campaign speech, and Rachel interrupted, announcing her candidacy.
I loathed how Rachel made Lola feel worthless, saying she was born into money and Lola had to marry someone important.
Lola: What game are you playing, Audubon?? You know you don’t give a damm about Mink and Fox.
Rachel: I’m gold money. These are my people. You just married into it.
Rachel and Lola were supposed to be best friends, but everything is a competition between those two.
There were no sparks between Rachel and Robin. In fact, it was apparent Robin still had feelings for Lola.
However, anytime Robin and Lola tried to talk, Rachel snatched him away. She blamed Lola for taking Dre, even though they were over, and she is dating him now in the present.
It’s the same argument that girlfriends should not date or marry each other’s exes because it gets messy. Someone’s feelings get hurt, and a friendship ends.
While I thought Rachel was snarky and mean and Lola was better off without her, it does hurt to lose people.
Seeing Lola’s reaction to Mark overseeing avocado gate was priceless.
You could tell the actors had fun playing different versions of themselves, such as attorneys or defendants.
Mark looked embarrassed that Lola saw that case, but the characters’ reactions and costumes made it worth it before everyone barged into Mark’s office.
It was so chaotic and humorous when everyone gathered in Mark’s office.
Who thought Luke would marry Maggie and have Emily as his surrogate?
They played on Luke and Emily’s banter and added Amy as the massage therapist and doula.
I loved seeing Luke and Lola as closer friends and that he invited her to the UCLA reunion.
Luke almost seemed like the eager younger brother who wanted Lola and Mark to become friends again.
Mark: Luke, look who is here.
Luke: You came!
Mark and Lola have always been honest with each other, throwing brutal honest barbs about their relationships in the present.
However, in Lola’s dream, they were estranged and hadn’t spoken in four years.
Lola: There is nothing going on between Dre and me. I was seeking your professional advice.
Mark: My professional advice is you should pass. We both know Robin’s already mad enough.
Lola: Before you start judging my relationship, how about just focus on your own?
It seemed for similar reasons. Mark was hurt that Lola didn’t come out for his promotion and that she would throw her career away to be a society wife.
When Lola insulted Mark about putting more POC away than whites, I wondered if she still harbored some resentment from when she was arrested at the protest in All Rise Season 2. We typically dream about things that concern us.
Of course, we often say things we don’t mean to those closest to us. Lola got the opportunity to honor Mark and his achievements since Lisa Benner got food poisoning.
Mark and Lola weren’t so mad at each other as they missed the times they had in law school when they felt like they could conquer anything together.
Lola: Did you pick that picture?
Mark: I picked a bunch of photos from law school. You were in most of them. You were my ride or die, Lo. We were going to take on the world together.
The UCLA reunion provided entertaining drama. Just like Luke and Emily bickered, they argued in the dream. They acted more like an old married couple than his surrogate.
Luke tended to overreact and drove Emily crazy until she realized it was out of concern for the baby.
The best entertainment was Sara and Sherri singing a duet at the reunion. Both actresses sing in real life, and their characters are good friends on the series, making the duet special.
These ensemble cast moments make the series memorable, with all the friends coming together.
While dancing, Emily went into labor, leaving all the attendees plenty to talk about and lots for Lola to think about as she woke up.
We all know dreams are made of our subconscious, so how much of Lola’s dream should we be concerned about?
All Rise Season 3 has upped the drama and the sex. Seeing that threesome was surprising, but it also upped the ante.
Lola is conflicted between two men and the past and the present.
She misses her carefree life in grad school but also realizes she has a loving husband and daughter.
As many alternative reality timelines do, Lola realized her other choices may not have been better, but she’s still confused. Luckily she has her best friend Mark to help her through it.
Over to you, All Risers. What was your favorite part of the alternate reality dream?
Who do you think Lola will choose in this love triangle? What’s next for Luke and Emily? Chime in below in the comments.
Remember, if you miss an episode, you could watch All Rise online via TV Fanatic.
All Rise airs at 8/7c on Tuesdays on OWN.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.