On the latest episode of Suburgatory, Tessa (Jane Levy) will have to put her romantic prospects with Ryan (Parker Young) aside for ... the KKK?
OK, so it's much more complicated than that. Dalia (Carly Chaikin), who decides that her dad's new fiancee is her new best friend, alienates her minions (aka the KKK, otherwise known as Kimantha, Kenzie and Kaitlyn). Naturally, the trio turn to Tessa and her best bud Lisa (Allie Grant). Unlike Lisa, Tessa isn't so easily swayed.
"She finds the KKK walking aimlessly down the street like a bunch of zombies, not knowing even to walk on the sidewalk. They don't know what to do without their leader Dalia," Levy tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Tessa finds them and she realizes they need some help. She's not interested in taking care of them, so she hands them off to Lisa, who very happily takes the role of master."
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While Lisa is off galavanting with her new friends, Tessa find herself worried about her nemesis, Dalia.
"She starts to worry about Dalia, actually," she says. "Dalia starts to dress differently and act differently and says she's having the time of her life but Tessa doesn't believe her."
Levy adds: "Most of the episode is Tessa trying to figure out what's going on with Dalia and how to help her out."
The Tessa-Dalia "friendship" may, on the surface, seem quite simple to explain but as Levy noted, at least for Tessa, it's coming from a good place."Tessa is a nice person and she cares about people. Their parents just started dating so she says that's the reason she's concerned about Dalia, but I think it's just coming from Tessa having a big heart," Levy says. "It's actually pretty funny because Tessa helps her out but Dalia still hates her."
Levy recalled a moment that epitomizes the tension between the two as Tessa attempts to right the Dalia ship. "Tessa goes to take Dalia away from [unpopular kid] Evan (Sam Lerner), after she goes to him for help, and Tessa doesn't think that's the answer," Levy says, "so she goes to save Dalia. Instead of Dalia going with her, she just sort of insults her dad and calls her a 'greasy hobo.' "
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After sharing a moment -- with a baby, no less -- in a recent episode, Levy teased that things progress between Tessa and her studly (also, not so bright) neighbor. "Tessa and Ryan start to develop a relationship, more than a friendship," she says.
In describing their journey, Levy shared that their relationship -- or whatever it is -- will go "up and down," adding, "They really like each other but they're polar opposites. They have to learn how to enjoy each other's interests or even understand the way they live their lives because they're so completely different from one another."
This season, look for more comedy gold with the fathers. "There are a lot of funny episodes with George (Jeremy Sisto) and Fred (Chris Parnell) and Noah (Alan Tudyk)," Levy says. "The three of them create a pretty funny dynamic. There is one episode where they start a band together." The music surely can't be cool then? "It's actually cool stuff, but they're dorky dads singing," she teases. "Dorky dads singing dorky tunes and taking themselves seriously."
Suburgatory airs 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays on ABC.
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