Episode 2 of Unstable begins with Jackson panicking because his father is holding his therapist hostage in the basement. When Jackson arrives, he notices that the therapist is grateful to his father for opening his eyes to his own shortcomings, which irritates him.

See Also: Unstable — Season 1, Episode 1 Recap

Thereafter, the therapist asks Jackson how he feels about his mother’s death and if he has grieved. Jackson brushes the subject aside. As a result, Anna and Jackson ask the therapist to leave.

Ellis discovers Jackson isn't spreading peanut butter on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich the next morning. When he asks Jackson about it, he finds out that he is not putting peanut butter on his sandwich because his mother, who died, made it.

Jackson also seems to be refusing to grieve and in denial about how much the loss has devastated him. Jackson won't listen when Ellis advises him to express his sorrow rather than hold it inside. When Jackson tells Ellis that he would be accompanying him to his office that day because he missed his trip and will be flying the next day, Ellis is overjoyed.

At work, Anna informs Malcolm that, as the project manager, he must take charge and cut some costs. As a consequence, he informs Ruby and Luna that they won’t be able to binge on expensive pistachios. Following that, they confront and argue with him. He avoids confrontation and drops the matter seeing as he is uncomfortable with

After arriving at work, Ellis engages Anna in a lively chat. She then lets him know that the board is debating removing him. She invites him to attend the board meeting that is in a few hours. Instead, he tells her that he will lock himself in a room and won't leave until he makes a breakthrough.

At the lab, Jackson and Luna get close over the project and their shared nerdiness. Luna tells him that she has a boyfriend at this point. Ruby informs Luna that she's considering asking Jackson out after Jackson has left, which upsets Luna and Ruby observes.

Ellis is working on his presentation in his room, but he quickly gets distracted. When Anna walks in, he tells her about his late wife. After that, Anna suggests that he focus, which he does, but he gets distracted again. Meanwhile, Ruby asks Jackson out in the lab while working on a project, and Anna walks in on him before he can respond. Anna urges him to join her right away.

Malcolm walks in on Ellis doing something strange. Following that, Malcolm seeks Ellis’ advice on the pistachio situation, and Ellis advises him to begin by switching from the expensive brand of pistachio to a cheaper one, which he does. Ruby and Luna notice the change and are oblivious about it, but they strategically do not inform Malcolm about it so that he does not dare to go to them and make more changes for a few more days.

Anna asks Jackson to accompany her to Ellis’ room and cry for him regarding his deceased mother so that Ellis can focus and not be preoccupied with his son’s lack of grief. When Jackson enters the room, he confronts his father, telling him that he has his own way of grieving and that if he doesn’t understand that, it’s on him.

Unstable is now streaming on Netflix.