Dave and Emily Margulis have been married for 26 years. The main area of contempt in their marriage is that Emily spends money as fast as Dave can make it. Dave is trying to save for their retirement home in Hawaii, however Emily spends money on clothes, shoes, anything that SHE wants. At one point, Dave asked her to go to counseling and she agreed. However, the counselor was never called and nothing was resolved. Dave has finally decided that he cannot live like this anymore and he wants out of the marriage.
Vikki begins to go through the list of items in dispute. First up is the collection of Alexander Chen artwork. The purchase price was $2000, and they bought the paintings while on vacations together. Both want the artwork because it’s irreplaceable. Vikki moves on to the next item, which is an inherited jewelry collection from Emily’s mother as well as Emily’s gifts from Dave. Dave does not want the jewelry, however he believes that he is entitled to an equal share of the value of it. The last item up for grabs is Lomonosov Russian china, which was purchased for $3000. Emily’s parents brought the China back from a Russian holiday and both Dave and Emily want the actual china set.
The Millea brothers pop in next with the appraisal of the disputed items. They examine the Alexander Chen artwork and find that they are all signed, however they are printed posters and not original. When they look at the Russian china they see that it’s not been used and all of the ornate décor is still intact, which is good. But they only have a setting for 6 and that’s not a full set. Upon inspecting the jewelry, the Millea brothers discover that the jade stone, which is a cornerstone of the collection, is real and in good shape. The brothers head back to the office to meet up with Vikki and discuss the results of their appraisal meeting. They conclude that the art collection is worth more sentimentally than monetarily. They guess the actual art is only about $800. The jewelry is valued at around $30,000, which Vikki concludes is a decent amount of money to argue over. The final item is the Russian tea and dinner service. They break the news that this is not a unique pattern that was created in the 1700s. It was created in the 1980s and isn’t that special. The brothers value it at about $1500.
The final stage is the mediation session with Vikki. She decides to start with the artwork, in particular their 2 favorites prints. Her suggestion is that since Dave is moving to Hawaii, he doesn’t need the Hawaiian visual. She gives it Emily. In return, Dave will receive the NY print. The rest will be divided in a lottery system. Vikki finds it odd that neither is putting up a fight about her decision, but she moves on. Emily will keep the jewelry collection since most of it was gifted to her and Dave will get a credit for 50% of the value. Dave agrees to that fair decision. Finally, Vikki breaks the news that the tea set isn’t as valuable as they think and it’s only about $1500. Since that is the case, Vikki decides that the tea set goes to Emily. She believes that with his jewelry credit, Dave can purchase a new tea set. Dave does not agree, but he understands. Vikki still thinks it’s unusual that neither has put up a fight for anything. She digs a little deeper and asks Emily if she’s ready for divorce and really wants this to be the end of her and Dave. Emily responds by saying no, she still has hope that they can work things out. Dave breaks in and tells the ladies that he doesn’t feel it. He doesn’t believe that Emily has the passion to fix the marriage. Vikki turns to Emily and asks why she isn’t fighting. But Dave jumps in again saying that he can’t just hear words anymore. He needs action. Finally Vikki calms everyone with the suggestion that they give it 3 more months of trying to work it out. If it works, great. If not, they will go through with the divorce. Dave agrees to 45 days. Vikki tells Emily to fight like it’s her last day on Earth.
In the end, both are happy with the division of assets but also have agreed to work on the marriage first. Unfortunately, we are shown a statement at the end of the episode that tells us the couple decided to go ahead with the divorce after the 45 days.
There has been a critical error on your website.