Episode Report Card Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Cat-In-Hat
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 19 | Aired on 04.02.2000
Cut to Eli talking to Rick in his best slippery weasel voice. He's asking if he can use Rick's truck to go see a band. He conveniently forgets to mention that Karen already vetoed the idea. Rick says okay, the guy in the band seems like a nice kid and, what the hell, he's a big pushover, right? He tosses Eli the keys and, fine young man that he is, Eli says he'll put gas in it. Rick asks if he's got money, and Eli says nah, but he's got Karen's gas card. Rick says he better not "do that" and gives him some cash. Then he asks Eli how Karen's doing. Eli says she's okay and mentions her new "friend." He tells Rick he's a doctor, even though he seems pretty young. With a big smile, Rick asks "how old we think he is" and Eli guesses, "Younger than mom?" The two laugh naughtily, and then Rick chastises the little punk. But he doesn't really mean it.
Karen and Leo are lined up waiting to get into a bar. The bouncer actually cards them. Both of them. Karen, of course, is beside herself with the novelty of it all. For the first few seconds, we see the bar through Karen's eyes as she takes in everything like a tourist. The camera follows some girl on the balcony above them folding a piece of paper and bending down to pass it to a guy on the main floor. I assume her phone number's on the paper. As if. Anyone who just hands out their number for the asking -- especially to some guy she clearly wasn't even talking to -- is a total idiot these days. But we're supposed to assume, I think, that the whole thing is very young and free and things like stalkers and rapists and AIDS don't exist. Leo goes to get them a couple beers, and Karen starts cleaning peanut shells from their table. Leo catches her and she looks guilty until he makes a joke about it. The camera pans to the band playing and -- what a kicker -- it's the band Eli's going to see. Because there's only one bar in all of Chicago, right? ["Well, it's not like there's a big music scene in Chicago, or anything." -- Wing Chun]
Leo drags Karen onto the dance floor, where she stands rigidly transfixed, like a deer in headlights. He won't take no for an answer, though, and pulls her close. Magically, Karen loosens up and the pole slides right out of her ass. Suddenly, they're the liveliest people on the dance floor.
Meanwhile, Jessie's at Rick's place, telling him she feels sick. He thinks it's nerves, but she insists she's not nervous. In fact, she doesn't think she even wants to take the test. Rick says no one is going to make her do anything, and tells her to see how she feels in the morning.