The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives Season 2: Jen Affleck Gives Zac A Second Chance

If you're anything like me, you've been waiting with bated breath for Hulu to drop Season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The inventive reality TV show gives viewers an inside look into the busy lives of a group of young Mormon mothers who make their lives as social media influncers and collectively refer to themselves as "MomTok."

Now that Season 2 has just been released, viewers have been able to catch up with everything that's been going on with the women and their personal lives. One of the cast members, Jen Affleck, ended her season in a most tumultuous way when her husband, Zac, claimed he didn't care about her career and insisted on moving their family to New York so he could attend medical school. While it came out that Jen and Zac had chosen to separate between seasons, the scenes we see in Season 2 show a different story.

Jen Decides To Give Zac A Second Chance In Their Marriage

Viewers of the show will recall that there was a particular event that brought tension between Jen and Zac to a head; when one of the other women decided to bring their friend group to a Chippendales show, Zac grew irate with Jen, saying that her being around male strippers (though she wasn't aware of the plan ahead of time) showed a disrespect for him and for their marriage. His behavior was consistent with what appeared to be generally controlling and overbearing behavior throughout the first season, and Jen was seen questioning her relationship overall.

At the outset of Season 2, however, we learn that the two have been trying to work things out between them, and that Zac, in particular, has been therapy and trying to do lots of work on himself. In an early scene of the two, Zac comes over to Jen's house and explains he's been working on being a better listener and overall better partner to his wife. This is a huge show of growth for him, Jen says, because in the past he's put his own needs, feelings, and career first, displaying what she's referred to as "narcissistic tendencies."

Later, perhaps most interestingly, the two decide to undergo ketamine therapy together, something that comes as a bit of a surprise as, historically, Mormons stay away from any and all mind-altering substances.

The scenes showed Jen and Zac sitting on opposite ends of a couch, each taking their dose of ketamine and wearing a pair of headphones to enhance their experience. After the session, which lasted about an hour, they spoke to each other about what it brought up for them.

Jen grew emotional as she recounted what she'd been thinking about to her husband:

I've just had some memories of when we first started dating. I truly felt like you were like my missing piece... I just want to be happy again.

Zac echoed Jen's feelings, explaining that the ketamine brought up an early memory of their relationship for him. "When we were in Hawaii, when we were like running through the coffee fields, I was thinking, I was like, 'I would literally give anything in the world to relive that,'" he added tearfully.

The two ended the session even more bonded than when they began, recommitted to working things out between them in spite of all their obstacles up until that moment. "A month before I met you, I remember sitting down and praying to God to find my person. And he led me to you," Jen recalled, beginning to cry.

Jen Continues To Struggle With Her Mental Health

Despite the strides in their relationship, Jen certainly hasn't had the easiest time in Season 2. There was a major bombshell midway through the season, for instance, when she learned that she was pregnant at a time when both her marriage and her relationship with the rest of the women in MomTok was rocky. When the pregnancy test came back as positive, Jen broke down in tears, saying that, while she wanted to be excited about the news, she feared the type of emotional environment she'd be bringing a new life into.

The news was too much to bear for Jen at the time, and her mental health quickly began to decline. Between the sickness she typically experienced during her first trimester and the emotional distress from her several broken relationships, she wound up bedridden most of the time, and Zac grew concerned that his wife was hardly eating or able to care for their existing children.

At one point, fellow cast member Whitney came over to see Jen, sympathetic to both her morning sickness and to her situation being on the outs of the MomTok group. Though Jen was happy to see her friend and have the support, she still teared up when talking about her situation, even going on to admit, earlier in the week when she was driving home, she had a moment of thinking about how she "no longer wanted to be on Earth."

The mental distress was clearly taking a toll on Jen, and she ended up pulling out of filming for the rest of the season. At the end of Season 2, Episode 6, a title card explained that the cameras would no longer be following Jen so that she could take the space she needed to get well again:

Out of respect for Jen’s privacy, production has made the decision to stop filming with her at this time so she can focus on her mental health.

Jen was present for promotional events for Season 2 along with the rest of the cast, however, and it is rumored that she will still be appearing in future season of the show down the line.