Teen Mom OG: Check-Up With Dr. Drew, Part 2 [Catelynn]

By Guest Contributor Becky J.

I apologize that this recap is late. I had a crazy week and when I started recapping this part 2 check-in special, I got really caught up in the horror that is Farrah. I needed to take a breath before watching the rest.

So, now we are finally on Catelynn. They roll the highlight reel of her season. It’s a lot of Nova potty training, talking to therapists, new houses and Butch. Dr. Drew opens by telling Catelynn that the fact she is wearing a yellow shirt is a sign that she’s not as depressed as she was last season. He asks about her therapy. Turns out she quit seeing Kathleen, the semi-fake counselor that she and Tyler have gone to for years. She’s still under the care of a psychiatrist, I’m assuming it’s for her medication management, so that’s good. She tells Drew that filming all her sessions with Kathleen made it hard to feel safe. Duh. This is one of the first normal, healthy adult realizations I’ve ever seen her have on camera. I hope she gets a new therapist and keeps her sessions private.

Dr. Drew wastes no time getting right into the messy topic I’ve been waiting for—Matt offering Cate Xanax during the NYC trip. (BTW, Xanax is getting a lot of free promotion on TMOG this season, isn’t it?) Cate says she did not ask Matt for pills, but was feeling “triggered” because she was on the trip and missing Nova’s first day of preschool. She complained to the whole group that she was having a panic attack. Matt offered her some drugs, told her to keep it between them and she stuck it in her hoody pocket. She didn’t take any of the Xanax and she felt really uncomfortable knowing Matt and Amber are both recovering addicts. She wondered why Matt was carrying pills on his person.

I actually buy this story. I think Catelynn’s family history with addiction, dysfunction and poor boundaries probably made it hard for her to call Matt out in that moment. She felt weird and she knew there was something wrong about the situation, but it took her a minute to gather her wits. I guess because she has spent so much of her life surrounded by addicts and liars.

So, then she noticed Amber questioning Matt because he was acting high. Matt made excuses and caused Amber to second-guess herself. That’s when Cate stepped in and took Amber aside to tell her Matt had offered her some pills. She went to look for her hoody to show Amber the pills, but Matt had conveniently “borrowed” it and was wearing it around. She says he did that to remove the evidence. I believe her. I think Dr. Drew does also because he shakes his head a little bit, then swiftly changes the subject.

Speaking of drug addicts, Catelynn says her mom April is still part of their lives and helps with Nova. Then Drew brings up Butch. She replies that he doesn’t “seem to be doing that well,” but she stays out of it and lets Tyler handle Butch. Dr. Drew say yes, but how does she deal with Tyler when he’s upset with Butch. She says she thinks Tyler is getting better at accepting his dad for who he is and not letting the fact Butch can’t stay clean upset him. Dr. Drew is like, umm no. He says saw Tyler acting so codependent with Butch on the show that he called Tyler on the phone to talk about it.

Tyler comes out to join the convo. He says he’s doing good, the new house is great and their marriage is better this season. He says Cate’s mood disorder was rough on him. Drew asks about Butch, Tyler says Butch is struggling to stay clean. His drug of choice is cocaine— specifically crack.

Dr. Drew asks the question we are all dying to know: why did they leave Nova with Butch when they went to Puerto Rico? They scramble over each other to defend themselves. Apparently Butch was not supposed to be the primary caretaker, Tyler’s sister was. She didn’t show up and they called Butch in a panic as backup. Cate throws Tyler’s sister under the bus, saying she’s going crazy “just like her dad” insinuating drug use. Then she says they didn’t know Butch was using drugs again when they left for the trip. She fidgets and adjusts her hair when she says this and it seems like she’s lying.

They say on one hand, they would never, ever leave Nova with Butch now, knowing that he’s back on drugs. But, on the other hand, it’s really nobody’s business because they are her parents, they know what’s best and they knew she was fine. It’s fucking pathetic. I really have high hopes for these two sometimes, but shit like this makes it clear that the dysfunction runs so deep in them, they really don’t realized how fucked up and trashy they are. It’s almost like they are saying, “We’re fine and we grew up around all these drug addicts, so why is everybody making a big deal?” I’m disgusted. They should be embarrassed and remorseful AND grateful that nothing gross and awful happened to their kid (I hope) while they were off boozing it up in Puerto Rico. Instead, they are defensive and flippant.  

Before I have a chance to swallow back my bile, Dr. Drew asks if they are having more kids. They say yes, definitely. Tyler says he wants a total of four kids and envisions a family of 6 sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Drew asks if Carly has a place at that table. Good for him. These fuckers are really pissing me off. They says of course they want Carly in their lives, but right now she’s not.

They haven’t seen her in almost two years and the adoptive parents have cut off contact. Tyler says he’s grateful she has an amazing life, but he feels entitled to her on some level because he made her. Gross. Cate says that’s selfish. For the first time I realize that she’s probably medicated during this interview. She’s just so flat and glassy eyed. The stuff that used to make her cry and have a reaction in past years is just rolling off her back. There’s no way she’s just evolved past having a strong reaction to discussion of Carly (especially since she doesn’t have a therapist right now). I think maybe she took some of those hoody pocket pills after all…

Dr. Drew wraps it up, bringing all the women (minus Farrah, of course) back to the couch. They’re shamelessly promoting the new British version of the show, called Teen Mum. They roll some clips showing this new cast and all their mess and drama. Maci, Amber and Cate relate. I guess maybe I’m getting old, because I don’t. I won’t be watching this new show. Best of luck to all the TMOGs, but I don’t have enough room in my head or on my reality TV roster for a brand new group of teen parents.

Now excuse me while I go watch this Teen Mom 2 marathon.