It's A Balancing Act, Famous In Love Recap Episode 3

With her parents sort-of blessing, Paige is starting to make major strides toward becoming the famous actress that everyone knows she was destined to be — while STILL worrying about her econ paper! Nina pressures Paige again to put her acting career first (“Are you too busy to be the star of a major motion picture?!” she yells, exasperated. Paige’s answer? No, it’s just… school. We know Paige, we know.) But even though it’s pretty obvious that Nina isn’t a huge fan of Paige, but she is a fan of how naive she is. Paige meets with an agent and squeals in delight over how much she is being paid for the role, but it’s obvious she is getting screwed over and doesn’t know it.

During a “Vanity Fair teaser spread” photo shoot (think Twilight prom but with high-speed fans blowing in their hair), Paige decides to make things right between her and Jake. You see, in a fit of jealousy, Paige accidentally ruined Jake’s chances of having his script read by one of Alexis’ connections, and she feels really guilty about it. To appease the situation, she decides to suck up to Alexis in order to guarantee Jake a meeting with a Hollywood exec. (Aw.) Alexis takes full advantage of this and makes Paige switch dresses with her during the shoot, and even do menial tasks just to embarrass her. It’s like Hollywood hazing, and it’s mean, but probably a very real thing in the actual show biz. It works, though — but a little too well. Alexis offers to help Jake with the script, personally (wink, wink), and the two head off to the desert together. Paige is pissed, but not too pissed because her crush on Rainer is reaching exponential levels. Every time they see each other (which is a lot) they act like they are seeing each other for the first time. It is equal parts cute and obnoxious. When he isn’t making moves on Paige, Rainer is slowly, but surely, mending his relationship with Jordan. The two exchange apologies and watch the sunset together while drinking Izzy in a total Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood moment of bromance.

But of course, trouble is brewing somewhere in Tinseltown and Nina is the one stirring the cauldron. Jordan’s big secret is that he is being blackmailed by a middle-aged woman who could be an ex, a relative, or just about anyone. She demands $50,000 or else she is exposing him to the world (aka the YouTube and tabloid gossip mill). But Nina can’t have that, so she sets up the woman by hiding a bag of white powder (cocaine?) in her car, and then calling the police on her. The woman goes to jail, and Nina looks smug AF (which is ironic, because earlier in the episode Nina convinces Rainer to take a major pay cut for his lead role in order to keep the movie afloat, but he soon realizes that he took the pay cut so that Jordan could get extra money — no one knows Nina and Jordan are sleeping together).

Oh, and the woman arrested? It was Jordan’s mom! Ah!

5 — Paige does get to wear Jennifer Lawrence’s red Oscar dress for a minute before Alexis demands it off her back, which is close to being JLawr, but not enough to be famous. Also, please remember that she still hasn’t SHOT ANY SCENES FOR THE MOVIE YET.