‘UnREAL’ Season 2 Premiere Tweet-cap: Battle Stations

Warning: This recap for the “War” episode of UnREAL contains spoilers.

The night is dark and full of terrors.

That line is from Game of Thrones, but it fits perfectly on UnREAL. This is a show about the quest for power, even at the cost of those nearest and dearest to you. The Season 2 premiere is aptly titled “War,” because that’s what’s happening here. Everyone is at war. Everyone wants to sit on the Iron Throne rule over Everlasting. Everyone wants power.

Related: 6 Things to Know About ‘UnREAL’ Season 2

Chet had it, lost it, and wants it back. Quinn got more of it, feels it slipping away, and is holding onto what she has with every last fingernail. And Rachel finally grasps it and can’t give up that sweet, sweet nectar. Even nice, dumb Madison gets a taste, and though it initially makes her vomit, she declares, “That was amazing.”

Power: Heroin’s got nothing on it.

Here’s a rundown of the premiere, including our live tweets:

History, her story

A new season of Everlasting is about to commence, and Quinn and Rachel are now in charge. Where’s Chet? Well, after his meltdown at the end of last season, he’s in Patagonia throwing spears and stuff. Quinn and Rachel (Quinnchel?) have an audacious new idea, which they intend to present to the network in Las Vegas.

First, though, they get matching tattoos:

Rachel also gets a call from Adam (last season’s suitor, who fell for her, but also rejected her), which she declines. The two head to Vegas, where they party hard with the suits and with the new suitor, who is… black.

Cue the sound of a record scratching.

They have to convince the network that this is a good idea, since they’ve never had a black lead before. The phrase “he’s not black, he’s football black” comes up (oh, Quinn, never change). Quinn also promises them that Twitter will explode from all the fraught racial dynamics. And she vows to deliver gonzo ratings.

Rachel takes the new guy, Darius, to his temporary house. He’s an NFL quarterback who’s weathering a PR storm after he told a female reporter “bitch, please.” Darius is really uncertain about being on the show, but Rachel does her Rachel thing. She asks about his mom, she plays on his wariness of fame whores, and she warns him that there’s no faster way of fixing his scandal.

Darius’s gun-shyness isn’t her only problem. Jeremy’s still around. Turns out he’s still tattling about her bad behavior to her mom, and tells Rachel that he’d testify that she could be harmful to herself. WTF, dude, get another job!

Girl problems

The show is putting the last touches on the cast. Quinn isn’t super happy with the lineup, but Rachel assures her they’ve got some firecrackers in the bunch. There’s Beth Ann, whose Instagram of herself in a Confederate flag bikini got 30,000 likes. There’s an appropriate “wifey” type character and a woman who they can maybe-kinda-sorta label as a terrorist. And then there’s a “blacktivist,” Ruby, only she wants to finish her college semester.

So, Rachel has to go convince Ruby to go on the show, because naturally, they want her to clash with “hot racist” Beth Ann. Rachel gives an impassioned speech about how going on reality TV really can change the world (example: teen birth rates fell after Teen Mom started airing), and Ruby falls for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Related: Ken Tucker Reviews the Season 2 Premiere of ‘UnREAL’

While Rachel’s putting out that fire, Quinn has a nuclear weapon to deal with: Chet’s back. He was in Patagonia learning to be a man again, or something. He mansplains a bunch of things to Quinn, but more worrying, when she kicks him out of the office, he runs into Darius. Uh oh, this can’t lead to anything good.

The crew is prepping to tape the premiere night, and everyone’s talking about the “kill list.” This includes the girls who are cut immediately, and apparently, they are fair game for the crew members to sleep with. And Jeremy very loudly proclaims he wants to sleep with Yael, who’s dubbed “Hot Rachel.”

Of course, this enrages Rachel, who wants to fire Jeremy, but Quinn advises her that it would lead to a sexual harassment lawsuit. Instead, Rachel fires one of Jeremy’s crew members in retaliation.

Fight like a man

The contestants are moving in, and there’s already drama. “Hot racist” Beth Ann doesn’t want to share a room with “black debutante” Chantal. Newly-minted producer Madison — who’s only a producer because she hooked up with Chet, and you know, sexual harassment — is prepared to change room assignments, but Rachel chastises her. “We don’t solve problems, we create them, and then we point cameras at them.”

Rachel sends Madison to interview Chantal about her dead fiancé, and Cyrano’s her through an earpiece. They get Chantal to talk about driving the car in the accident that killed him, and Chantal starts crying.

Rachel gets her soundbite, even though it seems to crush Madison’s spirit. Jeremy tries to sooth Madison, but even though Madison throws up in the pool, she bounces back. “That was amazing!” she says. Rachel beams. “I feel like god.”

They’re ready to start filming Darius’s entrance to the mansion, but when the car pulls up, he isn’t there, just a ringing phone. Quinn picks it up — it’s Chet. He’s got Darius, and he has demands. Quinn is livid that Rachel didn’t have Darius on lockdown.

They go to Darius’s house, where Chet is throwing a party with strippers. Chet delivers his demands: The girls come to Darius, wearing bikinis. Quinn refuses, then compromises: She’ll get the girls in bikinis, if Darius comes to their mansion. Chet puffs out his chest and glows, but Quinn isn’t about to let him win.

Quinn storms back to the house, yelling at the crew to get the girls changed and ready. Rachel isn’t happy — isn’t she supposed to be in charge? Quinn says she’s only taking charge for now, until she can neutralize Chet. And then, she’ll give it all back to Rachel.

But when it comes to power, it’s not easy letting go.

UnREAL airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on Lifetime.