Episode Report Card Niki: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Go Greyhound
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 21 | Aired on 04.24.2001
Eli glances around the bus station, sucking his lip and wondering where the hell Wannabe is. Rick rushes through the doors, slowing down a little when he spots Eli sitting there, as relief floods his body. Eli glances up and finds Rick standing above him. He rolls his eyes and pops off the bench, trying to blow past Rick. Rick pleads with him to listen. "What makes you think I don't know everything you're going to say?" Eli snipes. Rick answers, "Because I don't know what I'm going to say. I don't know how to talk to you anymore, E, and you have no idea how that horrifies me." Eli looks at him, bitterly resenting the guilt trip, and throws himself onto the bench. Rick sits next to him and says that he knows Eli hasn't agreed with a lot of what he's said in the past two months, and that sometimes Rick hasn't even agreed with the stuff he's said, but that he's Eli's father and he has a responsibility to try to protect him. He asks, "If I see you on a motorcycle heading toward a cliff, am I not supposed to scream, or to try to stop you?" Eli glares at him, and then looks away, sucking on his cheeks to fight back the tears. Rick says, "I know you're eighteen now, and you're supposed to be making your own decisions --" "Then why don't you let me make them?" Eli snaps. Rick answers, "Because you're sitting in a bus station and it's three weeks 'til graduation and you've only applied to one college. That's not making decisions. That's avoidance, E., and I'm sorry, but you're going to have to hear me say that." Eli demands, "What makes you think you have the right to tell me anything?" Rick answers, "Because I'm your father and I've lived longer than you have." Eli spits, "And look how that's turned out." Ouch! That one struck bone. Rick reels for a second, looking at Eli like he doesn't even know who he is, and then Rick sinks against the back of the bench. He hangs his head and breathes sadly, his face a mask of defeat. Eli smells blood and moves in for the kill: "You want me to do what you did, Dad? Which part, huh? The divorce, the messed-up business, the grand jury?" Rick hears the words for what they are: a tantrum. He asks, "What's going to make it easier for you, E.? To see me as the monster, bending you to my will, or as the screw-up who's trying to cover his mistakes? Because I am neither." Eli turns to look at him. Rick keeps staring straight ahead and continues, "I am just....a man attempting his best -- though that is usually not enough -- who loves his son and daughter, and would cut off an arm to make sure they get what they need in life." Shamed, Eli turns and stares straight ahead, crying now. Rick says solemnly, "We're never going to have the same relationship again. I'll always be your father, but you have your own life now." They finally look at each other. Rick's tears are falling as he tells Eli that if he wants to run off with Wannabe, Rick can't stop him. Eli doesn't say anything; he just keeps on crying. Rick asks where Wannabe is. Eli shakes his head and tries to keep from sobbing, choking out, "She didn't make it. She blew me off." He breaks down, and Rick feels his pain, even though deep down inside he's doing a happy dance. Me, I'm not so reluctant to show my joy, and I dance around the living room singing, "Nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, hey-ey-ey, goodbye!" Rick claps Eli on the shoulder, and as the camera pans back, Eli crumples forward, sobbing hard.
Jessie, meanwhile, is tucked into her new bed, reading. Lily taps at the door and asks if Jessie would like another pillow. Jessie says she's fine. Lily sits on the edge of Jessie's bed and softly says, "Try to get some sleep." Jessie says she will. Lily gives her a little smile and then kisses her forehead, wishing her a good night. She intercepts Zoe on her way in from the bathroom and envelops her in a big hug. Jessie watches closely, and then looks away, sadly, as Lily wishes Zoe "sweet dreams." The background song sings, "Take me down to your house, show me where you live," as Jessie turns her head and stares off wistfully.