'Love During Lockup' asks: Are SD inmate Chris Chipps and his wife in a 'toxic relationship'?

We TV's "Love During Lockup" premiered Friday, and Chris and Jade Chipps, a South Dakota couple featured in the show, got the ball rolling on this season's first episode.

"Love During Lockup" is a reality series that follows inmates and their partners on the other side of the bars as they navigate the trials and travails of their relationships.

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After a short preview of this season's couples, the Chipps kicked-off the show by introducing us to their lifestyle. Chris, while behind bars, supports his spouse with lavish purchases: a Cadillac SUV, a camper, a utility terrain vehicle and their home in Naples, Florida, where they'll live once his prison term ends.

But this led Jessica, Jade's sister to ask a pointed question: "Is he, like, trying to buy your love?"

The Chipps' finances are an early theme

The episode shifted to the Chipps' Naples home, where Jade and her mother, Maritza, were preparing to host a birthday party for Jessica.

Jade picked up a call from Chris, who is residing at the Rapid City Minimum Center, a minimum-security male facility.

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The show then moved to a confessional with Jade, where she explained how she met her husband through a prison pen pal program and married seven months later.

"I won't deny that, you know, I am crazy, but I didn't go into this thinking that I was going to fall in love with an inmate. I went into it thinking it would be cool to do a pen pal thing and get to know someone," Jade said. "When I first saw Chris on the prison pen pal page, my reaction was, 'Wow, he's super sexy. How is someone this handsome in prison?'"

Chris then insisted he would call back during the party about an hour later. Jade said she would likely be busy celebrating with the party-goers but hesitantly agreed.

While getting ready for the party, Jade's friends, Laci and Carrie, stopped by the house.

The pair pointed to a new, "expensive" couch, which Jade revealed Chris also bought.

Jade explained in another confessional that Chris is one-quarter Native American and an enrolled member of the Prairie Island Mdewakanton Dakota Tribe in Minnesota. The tripe operates Treasure Island Resort and Casino near Hastings.

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Through profit-sharing funds, Chris "gets $10,000 to $12,000 per month," Jade explained, which she has access to through a joint bank account.

Jade explains Chris' criminal record, says husband 'will get out in 2024'

After welcoming the newly-arrived guests, Jade, Laci and Carrie rendezvous poolside to enjoy some drinks.

Some personal questions arose regarding Chris' past.

"Why, if he has money, did he steal?" Carrie asked.

Jade responded her husband was "a huge drug addict [and] he was into meth" before explaining the original incident that landed Chris a 31-year prison sentence.

Chris was convicted of one count of second-degree burglary and four counts of identity theft after breaking into a Whitewood couple's home in 2014, where he stole rare medications and tools and attempted to use a stolen credit card. Chris was also found guilty on a grand theft charge after swiping car keys from an man in Meade County, who had interviewed him for a job in April 2014, and stealing his vehicle about two months later.

Jade then claimed Chris will only serve a portion of that sentence and "will get out in 2024."

Adding on to her friends' astonishment, Jade then admitted her husband is a habitual offender and claimed Chris has been to prison "seven times."

"I'm going to change him. I can fix him," Jade said, playfully.

Jade has 'Chris tattoos,' Chris has trust issues

The episode then fast-forwards to the night of the party, where friends and family welcome Jessica as she arrives to the Naples home to celebrate her 30th birthday.

After uncorking a few bottles of Dom Pérignon ― a guest could be heard saying "Thank you, Chris," possibly alluding to another purchase on behalf of the South Dakota inmate ― Jade's phone started buzzing, with Chris on the other line.

Jade, who is busy rolling out a roomba with a cardboard cut-out of her husband attached to the top of it, missed the call.

One of the guests asked Jade if she has a "Chris tattoo." Jade pointed to her one on her forearm before revealing to the party she also has a second ink ― this one is in a more compromising area.

"You have a 'Chris tattoo' on your a--?" Scott, Jade's father, asked.

The spectacle didn't impress Jessica, however, who said she was "not a [expletive] fan."

Jessica explained during a confessional that, while "Jade loves Chris, and Chris loves Jade," Chris has trust issues with his spouse.

Jessica's testimony becomes relevant when the party moves indoors. Jade, who left her phone on a kitchen counter, noticed she had multiple missed calls from Chris.

With Jade near her phone, she finally noticed a video-call from Chris. After picking up, a frustrated Chris questions why Jade was unable to pick up the phone earlier.

Chris then scolded his wife in front of friends and family, saying, "Any time you have a party or are doing something, you clearly never answer ... the phone."

A camera zooms out to show several guests looking uncomfortable as Chris probes Jade about the amount of alcohol she's consumed over the course of the night.

"Clearly, drinking is going to be an issue if you can't answer the phone while you're drinking," Chris said.

Annoyed, Jade replied she can't pick up the phone for every one of Chris' calls. Jade then fired back at Chris before ending the call.

"Maybe you should just stop calling so much," Jade said.

Jade's mother: 'Do I think they're in a toxic relationship? Yes.'

About 30 minutes later in the episode, the show returns to the Jessica's birthday scene shortly after Jade hangs up on Chris. Jade accepts a shot of whiskey from Carrie. While preparing the drink, Chris calls back, but Jade sends him to her voicemail.

Jade's mother, Maritza, sets up the ending arc of this first episode. Maritza asked herself during a confessional, "Do I think they're in a toxic relationship?"

After weighing the question for several seconds, Maritza said "yes." She then stepped and turned away from the camera to clear teary eyes.

The show then shifted focus to a virtual confessional with Chris, who admitted he has trust issues, which he blamed on his upbringing.

"My guess would be from the way that I was raised, being around my mother, who was an exotic dancer and having boyfriends," Chris said. "I've seen them use my mother, but then I've seen my mother turn around and do the same to them. So I've seen the shadiness of women, and I think that's made me have a lot of insecurities and trust issues with women in general."

Jessica thinks Jade is in it for Chris' money

The scene shifts to an outdoor conversation between Jessica and Johanna, Jade's sister, where the former vents to the latter about Chris' antics.

"He better not call again," Jessica said. "If he does, I'll be so pissed. He cannot ruin my birthday."

Jessica explained Chris has a habit of encouraging Jade to plan outings but later "ruin" them by constantly calling her and even her friends and family throughout the event.

Jessica also suggested her sister merely tolerates her inmate husband for her money and added she would "easily walk away" if Chris didn't receive his tribe's casino profits.

As the sisters, whom affectionately call each other "Jardashians," gossip by the poolside, Jade and her friends discuss the situation indoors.

Chris begins to call various guests at the party. First, Carrie's phone lights up. Laci's phone buzzed shortly thereafter.

'I'm going to be honest: Every time he does this to me, it freaks me out," Laci said.

Jessica continued to express her worries to Johanna, particularly when it comes to Chris' release. Jessica warned, "It's not going to be good" if Chris' behavior doesn't change once he's released.

Johanna suggested Jessica should take Jade aside for a "heart-to-heart, come to Jesus" discussion.

"Chris and Jade's relationship is [expletive] crazy," Jessica said during a confessional. "I am the sister that's very protective, and if Chris hurts my sister, he will be over with. I will literally rip her out of that marriage. Absolutely."

The episode then cuts to Jade and Jessica standing with the Chris cut-out. Jessica kicks the cardboard in its corrugated groin, and the scene ends on a flat Chris floating face-up in the pool.

The next episode of "Love During Lockup" will air at 8 p.m. Friday CDT on We TV.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 'Love During Lockup' recap, Ep. 1: South Dakota inmate kicks-off new season