Deep Assessment

Deep Assessment begins in Clara's mother's bedroom, where the deeply religious woman prays for ten years to give her daughter a husband, then keeps pushing Dr. Ope toward her son Daniel while anointing Clara in her sleep and arranging a breakfast to introduce them. She also brings in Julian, a family friend, anointing his hands and eyes and calling him the husband she prayed for; Daniel, meanwhile, shrugs off his own mother's nagging about using wealth to attract women. All the while Daniel and Clara have been seeing each other secretly, and at his apartment he produces a ring, proposing and convincing her they need to set aside their fears and tell their parents. The family meet-and-greets curdle quickly. Daniel presents Clara to his mother, who coldly questions her age and career and warns that a thirty-five-year-old cannot easily bear a child; Clara brings Daniel to her mother's house, where the woman prays over him, collects his phone number, then declares she has investigated him and found him unsuitable. The mothers arrange a direct confrontation in Daniel's living room, and Clara's mother denounces the family as carnal and ungodly, while Daniel's mother calls Clara a mistake and orders her away. Both women privately assure their children they will never approve, and the pressure defeats the couple: Clara returns the engagement ring, saying marriage is unnecessary, and Daniel tells his mother he is never getting married. Clara tells her mother the same, and days pass in silence. The stand-off cracks when Clara's mother arrives at Daniel's mother's home to apologize. She confesses her fear of rich men stems from Clara's father abandoning her, and Daniel's mother admits her husband never loved her, leaving her terrified that Clara would repeat that tragedy. Realizing they have been projecting old pain onto the young couple, the mothers agree to bless the marriage and offer to fund the wedding.