How It All Goes Down
11 Nassim Road — Singapore
- Annabel Lee and her husband prepare for the wedding party at Harry Leong's house.
- We're given some background on the Lee's move from Beijing to Singapore in the mid-1990s to let Araminta benefit from a more Westernized education system.
- "She wanted Araminta to grow up speaking perfect accentless English" (3.2.4).
- Annabel is excited to finally have access to the "snobbier and more impenetrable" level of society that her wealth couldn't access (3.2.5).
- The Leongs live in a distinct, historic, and highly sought-after house: a Black and White.
- Annabel soaks "in every minute detail of the way these people lived" (3.2.6).
- Commence subsequent paragraphs full of designer name drops and gawking at the people there: Felicity, Cathleen, Astrid, Michael, the Chengs, the Youngs.
- Proudly, Annabel feels that Araminta is "looking like she belongs" with the Khoos (3.2.7).
- This validates all her decisions in her daughter's upbringing: it proves that she had grown up with "breeding and taste" (3.2.8).
- Cut to outside the house: Astrid is hiding in the bushes until Michael arrives so it appears they came together. She tricked him into coming by telling him he could see Cassian at the party.
- Michael is peeved.
- Astrid wants to coordinate details about the wedding day, but Michael says he's not going.
- Confused, she says she forgives him, but he says it doesn't matter.
- She asks if he's flying to Hong Kong to see his mistress.
- He begrudgingly says yes.
- As they enter, Cathleen asks Michael to fix the oven.
- Michael curses at her and says he's not a handyman.
- Astrid quickly covers by saying his outburst is really about him being upset he can't come to the wedding.
- Eddie and his crew pull up in their chauffeured ride with Eddie running the kids through rehearsals of what they'll do when they arrive.
- As any father would do, Eddie threatens to break his daughter's fingers and makes his son cry.
- Trailing behind Nick and Rachel, Eleanor waits to see Rachel get snubbed by the Youngs and Shangs as had happened to her when she first met Phil's family.
- Nick introduces Rachel to his relatives Victoria and Cassandra; both women are cool toward her and turn their attention to the other people arriving.
- They focus their complaints on Eddie and the money he spends on his kids' clothes.
- Without further ado, enter Alistair and Kitty Pong!
- Kitty is dressed in a see-through sausage casing, her nipples perfectly visible through the fabric.
- Fiona escorts her kids out while Eddie is furious his brother upstaged his entrance.
- But wait…they're engaged!
- The family is shocked, stunned.
- When Alistair tries to introduce Kitty to Victoria and Cassandra, they turn warmly to Rachel and cut "Alistair dead" (3.2.62).