Episode Report Card M. Giant: A | 3 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Dead and Buried
By M. Giant | Season 5 | Episode 12 | Aired on 08.20.2005
Won't someone just shoot Ruth already? She's watching her reruns again as Claire comes in, happily talking to Ted on her cell phone. She finally gets off (the phone -- it's not that kind of call) and, from the kitchen window, asks Ruth what she's watching. "I don't know, it's always on," says Bathrobe Lady. Claire tries lamely to make conversation: "Isn't it weird, this isn't gonna be our house anymore?" She figures she'll move in with Ted. "Although I really hate his apartment." Ruth desultorily says she figures she'll take up George on his offer to move in with him. Claire asks if that's what Ruth wants. Ruth finally deigns to turn and look at her daughter, saying, "I'll never have what I want. Never." Downer.
Claire's cell phone rings, and it's someone from New Image, asking for her Social Security number and her address in New York. Claire explains that she lives in California. "Hmm, that's gonna be an awfully big commute," the guy snarks. Tell it to the previous recapper, New Image Guy. Claire realizes this means she got the job, and he confirms that he has her down as starting on December 7, a day that will no doubt live in infamy. Claire starts to excitedly give the news to Ruth, but the depressing scene in the living room stops her short. Claire wraps up the call.
Rico's trimming a corpse's nails, and looks up as David enters the room. They smile pleasantly at each other. "I called off escrow," David announces. Rico stops smiling. David says, "This is my family's business, Rico, and I won't sell it. Sorry." Rico says that means David has to buy him out. David pleasantly says he can't afford to. Rico: "So I'm just fucked?" David suggest Rico sell his share of the business. Rico yells, "Nobody's gonna want to pay a half a million dollars for 25% of this business, you fucking moron! If they have that kind of money, they're gonna want to open up their own place. Something small. Something they can finally call their own and run it the way they want without a bunch of tight-ass idiots always getting in their fucking way!" Yeah, who's going to be stupid enough to put himself in Rico's position? He slams down the toenail clippers and stomps off. David stands there, looks around the Body Shop, and smiles serenely. Rico, I told you to get a red hoodie, and now it's too late.
George is helping Ruth pack up her stuff, and she's basically Queer-Eyeing herself as she goes, telling George to throw clothes out almost willy-nilly. "My entire life, I've been wearing clothes that I hate." Actually, you've been wearing a bathrobe for most of this episode. Ruth asks about Maggie, and George says that Maggie left over a month ago, and he doesn't know where. Ruth pushes, and George reluctantly admits that he saw Maggie before Willa was born, "and she was completely irrational. Very, very angry." Ruth asks what she was angry about, and George says Maggie didn't tell him and he didn't ask. "Look, this is not the first time this has happened," he chuckles defensively. Ruth decides then and there that she's not moving in with him. "Don't get me wrong, you're a good, decent man with a big heart. But there are walls around that heart. Walls behind walls behind walls." She says she can't live with that any more. George looks hangdog, and Ruth says she'll still go out with him. "We can have a lot more fun this way. And believe me, I could use a little fun." If George decides that by "fun" she means "hot old monkey love, and right now," the scene ends before he acts on it. This seems to be a turning point for Ruth. I'd speculate on whether standing up for herself made her feel better, or if she felt better enough to stand up for herself, but at this point in the series something's got to happen so it doesn't really matter.