The Briefcase Recap and Spoilers: Season 1 Episode 5 “Owens/Aponte-Kassimatis”

The Briefcase Recap and Spoilers: Season 1 Episode 5 "Owens/Aponte-Kassimatis"

Tonight on CBS The Briefcase continues with an all new Wednesday June 24, season 1 episode 5 called, “Owens/Aponte-Kassimatis,” and we have your weekly recap and spoilers below! On tonight’s episode, a couple with huge student loans and two kids discover secrets about each other’s finances; at the same time, a family of five from New Jersey face losing their home, which was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy after they had invested time and money in its renovation.

On the last episode the Matas from Boyle Heights, Calif. and The Melansons from Huningham, Mass. faced a difficult decision when they see similarities within each other’s families and had to decide whether to invest the money in their own children and homes or share with the other family. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we have a full and detailed recap right here for you.

On tonight’s episode as per the CBS synopsis, “Robert and Lucy Owens discover secrets about each other’s finances while they face repaying huge student loans, and the Aponte-Kassimatis family is in danger of losing the home they need to restore for a second time following damage from a storm.”

This is definitely one series that you don’t want to miss. Don’t forget to stay tuned to Celeb Dirty Laundry where we will be live blogging the season 1 episode 5 of The Briefcase.

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RECAP:

#TheBriefcase starts in Union Beach, New Jersey hit hard by Hurrican Sandy. Mike and Andrea Kassimatis lost their home and are living in a trailer because the rebuilding is lagging because of arguments with the insurance company. She says they’re paying mortgage and taxes for a house they can’t live in. The house is 75% done but they have no money.

Robert and Lucy Owens live with their two kids and they’re Rastafarians in Dayton, Ohio. Robert was a schoolteacher who lost his job in the recession. He stays at home with the kids and their home is falling into disrepair. He says he didn’t have a father. They have close to $200k in student loans and he says education saved him. Both families agreed to be on a documentary about money troubles.

Dave Broom goes to see the Kassimatis family. He takes a look at their house which hasn’t been touched since September. He gives them the briefcase. They open it and are stunned. He says it’s $101,000 all for them. They both start crying and Andrea says they can move back into their house. She says to call the builder and says to see if he can start work this afternoon.

Faye Stapleton goes to see the Owens family in Ohio with their briefcase. Lucy is shocked and Robert asks what it’s for. She says it’s for them and Lucy starts crying and says it can’t be real. She says she will never forget this day. They then tell each family they can keep all of it, some of it, or give all of it away. They tell them the rest will go to a family that may be in as much need as they are.

Andrea says they believe in karma and says they stayed with neighbors before they got their trailer. Robert says they want to do the best they can and says it’s a perfect storm of what’s good for them. Lucy says she could give another family all the money but it was nice to touch it. They leave each couple with a cell phone and tell them they’ll get texts with more information then have to decide in three days.

Then the producers tell them to spend the $1,000 on whatever they want right now. The Kassimatis family uses their money to throw a block party for their neighbors. The Owens buy a suit for Robert to help him job hunting then take the kids out to a rec center to have some fun. The first texts come in. They tell them it’s time to make the first bank deposit. Lucy and Andrea are first up and Lucy says it’s gut check time.

Lcuy says she decided to leave $50k for the other family and says she wears the financial pants in the family. Robert says okay but doesn’t look happy. He says they’ve been struggling financially for 20 years and she says she was led spiritually to that decision. He says the kids are a priority but she says she was thinking about other families that helped them but he says they don’t owe anyone and it’s time for the game to settle up.

Andrea kept $50k for them as well and Mike says he knows her. He says giving another family an option to live a great life is awesome. He agrees with her. In Ohio, Robert brings some people in to give estimates on the repairs to their home so she can see that they need to keep it all. They have termites, their driveway is cracked and dangerous and their windows are drafty. Windows will be $12k. The driveway will be $9k.

Robert tells her if they do those repairs and the termite treatment the money will be gone with no debt reduction. Andrea gets a call from her insurance agent and finds out they’ll have to pay back $115k from a state grant if their home isn’t done by July. They are upset and Andrea says that phone call changed things for them drastically. She says they need $100k and Mike asks what about the other family. Andrea says for once they need to think about themselves for once.

Andrea says there is no right or wrong answer but Mike says he couldn’t sleep at night knowing he didn’t help another family and she says to take some Nyquil. She says they’re worth it and it’s their choice. She says they have an ultimatum and it’s their choice. They get a text about Robert and Lucy. It says they make $55k a year and have $313k in debt with student loans and a mortgage. They read that he lost his job and he freelances and is a stay at home dad.

He says they can’t make home repairs and Mike says they’re hurting as bad as they are. Robert and Lucy get an argument about money and he says she acts different when there is money involved and especially when it comes to him. He confronts her about a credit card bill he didn’t know about. He asks the film crew if they can take a break and walks away from her. He comes back and says this is not a game and he’s not playing with her.

He says she treats him like he’s not financially responsible then hides the card from him. She says she used it to take care of things for them after he lost his job. He apologizes and says he gets emotional about money. Lucy agrees she may not communicate the best on this issue especially when she’s making the money decisions and says she can be overbearing. They get a text about Andrea and Mike that they earn $79k and have more than $215k of debt.

Then they talk about losing their home in the hurricane. Then both families get a text telling the men to go to the bank and decide how much to keep and give away. Mike and Robert head to the bank. Mike shows Andrea he decided to keep all the money for them. He says he did it for their family so they won’t be homeless. They get the text telling them to go to Dayton to see the other family’s home. Andrea is worried this will change Mike’s mind.

Robert shows Lucy he kept all the money for them and says it’s the best for them. He says they need every cent they can get. He says they always put themselves last but need to think about their kids this time and says this is life-changing for them. Lucy says it’s not a good example for their boys but Robert says it’s important they take care of themselves. Then they get the text telling them to go to New Jersey to see the other family’s house.

Dave Broom is with Robert and Lucy and they tell them it’s been three years since the hurricane devastated their city. In Ohio, Mike says it was hard to deposit all that money and says it’s not just them that deserve a chance. Robert and Lucy go into the trailer and look at how tight it is and she says it’s not fit to raise kids there or live there long term. Robert sees a letter about their insurance being canceled and that FEMA gave them nothing. They see they need $132k.

They look inside the house and see that it’s been just sitting a long time. Lucy says they need to help that family. Robert is worried Lucy will see all this and change their mind about giving. Robert says he’s not sure money can fix this. Dave says they can get more information. In Ohio, Mike and Andrea look around at the house. They see that they need a lot of work on their house but Andrea says at least they have a home.

They read some letters about Robert as a teacher. Mike says he really wants to help them and says it’s hard to make the right decision. Lucy says they can help them but Robert says she sounds like she already decided. Robert says they shouldn’t waste money on a band aid for something that can’t be rebuilt. Dave takes Robert and Lucy to where he will talk to Andrea’s mom and they’ll be able to hear while he talks to her.

They tell Dave to ask how much money they need to get into their house. Dave asks. She says it will take more than a $100k. Robert asks why they didn’t move and she says it’s a great neighborhood and their home. Lucy asks why they’re not married. She says they had wedding plans then the hurricane. She talks about being there during the storm and says it’s a life lesson. Robert asks why pay a mortgage on a house you can’t have and why not move into an apartment for the kids?

He says if they give them money it needs to go to them getting into a decent place to live and says they need to move on. Lucy says it’s a lot to take in. They get the text that says to go decide what to give together and says they will give the briefcase to them in person in LA. Both the couples head to LA to meet at Union Station. Lucy says she feels good about their decision. The couples meet and sit down after introductions.

Dave shows up with the briefcase and says 72 hours ago one of them was given a briefcase with $100k inside and asked to make a tough decision. Then Faye comes out and Dave says they both got the same briefcase and have been deciding whether to share with each other. Andrea is shocked and says she doesn’t know what to say. They set down the briefcases. Dave asks them to share their decisions. Lucy says they saw their home and it was intense for them.

Mike says they have lost a lot and then Mike says visiting their home they thought they need to help them but Andrea says the realness of their situation drove their decision. They tell the Owens they are giving them $20k even if it causes them problems. Robert thanks them and says this is the first time someone considered them in a financial situation and says it says a lot about their character. Robert and Lucy then talk about their decision and says he’s not sure who they will react.

They show them they gave them $11k then says it’s got strings attached. Mike wonders what he means. Lucy hands them an envelope and asks them to open and read what they wrote. It says there are three conditions – $5k for a wedding, $5k for the house and $3k for the kids to have fun. Andrea starts crying and says she didn’t even think about the wedding. Robert says he thinks it’s a good idea for them to start fresh and focus on each other and start with a positive beginning as a family.

Andrea says they put their relationship needs aside and focused on all the issues that Sandy caused. Mike says the conditions are great and they’ll sign on the bottom line. Mike says Robert is still their neighbor no matter how far apart they are. The families hug and they are both happy with what they walked away with.