With just one and a half weeks left to go, the newlyweds on Married at First Sight were taking a second look at each other — and not everyone liked what they saw. As the Tuesday, February 9, episode began, Ashley Doherty was in the midst of a heated confrontation with her husband, David Norton, over his alleged attempt to take another woman out on a date.
Ashley Has a Copy of the Message David Sent to the Other Woman
As Ashley asked him if what she’d heard was true, a clearly rattled David replied, “That’s not true — not in a romantic sense at all.” That’s when Ashley revealed she had a copy of the message.
“It said, ‘I want to call you up and ask you out for drinks,’ and that does not sound like it was a friend’s outing,” she replied. For his part, David continued to insist this was not a date and actually argued that the whole reason he had contacted this other woman was to try to learn about Ashley (the two ladies may or may not be friends or have mutual friends … it was all very unclear).
“The intention of that message was to learn a little bit about Ashley,” David said to the camera, citing how closed-off his new wife had been since they wed, and pointing out that after more than a month of marriage, she still wouldn’t even hold his hand. (He sort of had a point.)
Ashley wasn’t buying it, though, and declared that David had “ruined it.” When he tried to say he was sorry she snapped, she fired back, “You’re sorry because you’re caught!”
The next morning, David hoped Ashley would have cooled down a bit, but he was sorely mistaken. As he presented her with a handwritten note to express his feelings, she shouted, “I told you I need some space! I’m not going to get over this in 24 hours! How much clearer can I get?”
At that point, David got the message and decided to go visit his family in Buffalo, New York, to give her some breathing room. “By the way, I talked to the girl, and she told me she didn’t even know who you were until you added her on Facebook,” Ashley mumbled as parting words while David walked out the door.
Sam and Neil Inch (Slowly) Toward Intimacy
While David and Ashley were spending time apart, Neil Bowlus and Sam Role were finally getting close — well, closer, anyway. Though they were still living in Sam’s townhouse with her roommate (a situation that caused Dr. Logan Levkoff “concern”), they were actively planning to move. Perhaps even more importantly, however, Sam seemed to be warming up to her husband.
“Neil is growing on me,” she admitted. “I think he’s hilarious in his own way, and those are the quirks I admire about him. The ones that I was not fond of at the beginning because they were different … are the ones that I admire now.” (Maybe the experts knew what they were doing after all!) Sam even conceded that she felt herself “getting closer in that sense of intimacy,” and Neil proudly reported to Levkoff that their hugs involved full-frontal contact. For two people who had zero chemistry just a month ago, that’s a big step forward.
Tres and Vanessa Recover From That Throw-Down Fight
Levkoff also dropped by to get a state of the union from Tres Russell and Vanessa Nelson, who openly discussed their tense fight that led to Vanessa spending the night in her own apartment. “When Vanessa gets angry and walks out, it is the worst possible thing she can do to Tres,” Levkoff explained, citing Tres’ history of being abandoned by people he loved.
For the most part, though, it seemed like by the time this pair sat down with Levkoff, they had already taken major strides toward repairing the damage that had been done. They were given a few small homework assignments that involved having fun and doing subtle romantic gestures for each other, which they completed with flying colors. Vanessa even agreed to play basketball with Tres, and when she wasn’t feeling well, he brought home medicine, sushi and flowers.
Soon, they both were beaming. Vanessa reported that Tres “did some work,” and she smiled at the birthday surprise he’d put together for her, while Tres declared that Vanessa was “the complete package.”
Sam and Neil Say Goodbye to Sam’s Roommate
After lots (and lots) of talking about it, Sam and Neil finally made good on their promise to each other to find a new home. As they prepared to move, Sam’s optimism seemed to grow in leaps and bounds.
“I think Neil and I have really bonded,” she said to the camera. “I am giving him the respect that he needs, and I’m doing the things that I need to do for Neil so that he can open up, and I’ve seen a change in Neil since I’ve done that.”
And she wasn’t the only one. “This feels like the beginning stages of what a marriage should be,” Neil said to the camera. “I think there’s a definite change that I feel.” Sam was still showing affection by high-fiving him, but, hey — they aren’t living with her roommate anymore!
David Cries at His Father’s Grave
After a debriefing with his brother and admitting his choice of wording in his message to the other woman was “terrible,” David headed to the cemetery where his father is buried to clear his head.
“I’m sure you know that my marriage has gone to s–t. I sure wish you were here to help,” he cried. “I’m feeling hurt. I’m feeling pain. I’m feeling sorrow,” he said to the camera. “I just want her back.”
And it started to look like he might get that chance. Though she spent a good portion of the time David was away recounting David’s missteps to a friend, Ashley did admit: “If David wants to regain my trust, I am willing to give him that opportunity.” She quickly warned, however, “It’s going to be tough.”
- Tell Us: Should Ashley give David another chance?
Married at First Sight airs on FYI Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.
