Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT There Be Dragons
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 5 | Aired on 10.18.1999
Back at Rick's place, the phone rings again, but this time it's Lily. She asks after Rick, who's still sleeping, and then she asks how Jessie is. Jessie says she's fine and that's basically that. The call itself isn't important. It's the fact that Lily's making her presence known.
B/W Jessie gets back to talking about the grandparents' cottage, saying that they stopped going there after her grandfather died. She says she doesn't know why, but she's "been thinking about that place a lot." Insert your own pop psychology interpretation here. Hint: It was a happy place in her safe, perfect childhood.
Jessie goes into the living room, sits on the coffee table, and watches as Rick sleeps.
After commercials, we return to find that it's the next morning. Jessie's in her room packing her knapsack. Rick comes in wearing his robe and pajamas, and observes that she's "up early." She reminds him about the birthday party she's going to that afternoon, and tells him she's got homework to do beforehand. Rick says he forgot about the party -- he'd been hoping they could go for their hike. She says she's go too much to do, and he offers to at least make her breakfast - pancakes! (Get it?) "Dad, I'm late," she replies shortly, and then remarks that "the leaves will still change, even if we're not the first to see them. It's just a hike." Next year, Rick promises, but he's clearly disappointed. She leaves him sitting on her bed, looking bewildered. When they get to Karen's (where she, of course, opens the door two seconds before Jessie reaches it), Jessie rushes off to do her homework. Karen asks about his finger, and he says it's okay. "I guess I should thank Lily for driving," Karen says. Meowza. It's probably not a good time to point out that she really doesn't need to thank Lily for anything, since she's Rick's ex-wife. Rick doesn't pick up on the hostility, though, and tells her that "it was one of those things" but "everything's fine." She asks if he's sure, but he doesn't know what she's getting at. She tells him she got a weird vibe from Jessie the night before, and Rick mentions something about her period. Karen points out that Jessie's "got a lot going on" and then dubiously demands, "But everything is perfect between the two of you, right?" Rick shrugs, "What's perfect when you're twelve?" Karen changes gears and asks if Rick can pick up Jessie after the party because she's got a deposition to finish and has to go downtown. Rick is peeved that she didn't give him more notice.