Episode Report Card Aaron: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Botticelli
By Aaron | Season 3 | Episode 9 | Aired on 04.26.2003
Back at the gallery, Brenda is admiring a giant brown rectangle. Nate seeks her out for a little chat, and we learn that the rectangle is Billy's contribution to the show, and that Brenda has never seen it before. She describes it as "cool, and sort of painless," which I guess means that Billy is getting better, but I personally think it would have been a lot cooler as a rhombus instead of a rectangle. But that's just me. Brenda then segues into a discussion of her new philosophy on life, which is that she doesn't take care of anyone else so that she'll be forced to take care of herself. Theoretically. "How's that working out for you?" Nate wonders. "Well, I still live with my mother," she reminds him. "Yeah, who doesn't?" he sighs. Heh. Not me, that's for damn sure. Mom would have forced me to finish this recap before supper.
Speaking of mothers, Zhora is hiding out in a back room puffing a joint with the janitorial supplies guy (POT = ∞ + 1). Keith accidentally stumbles across them, and Zhora gleefully invites him inside to try some of her husband's "cancer pot." "It's incredible," she adds. "And I've got a ton of it. He went a lot faster than anyone expected." I don't really know whether to laugh or cringe at that. It'd probably be a lot funnier after a few bong hits, though. Keith takes a few hits as they discuss the giant plastic pyramid that dominates the center of the gallery, and then David enters because he heard Keith's voice. He wants to leave and go get a drink, and he's also shocked to see his uptight ex-cop boyfriend toking up with the mother of his brother's ex-girlfriend. Or something like that. "You want some?" offers Zhora. "It's California pharmaceutical grade!" Heh. Then she staggers a bit and starts hearing her dead husband's voice. Um, okay.
And now Ruth and Arthur have finally arrived, completing our gathering of almost all the main characters. They're complimenting Claire on her photo -- or, more accurately, on the frame she chose to put the photo in. Ruth: "It was the perfect choice." Arthur: "Well done." Hee! Olivier comes over to greet them, and if I were Claire, I'd be really, really worried about what he might say. And with good reason, because he deflects Ruth's compliment that he's had "quite an effect" on Claire by smarmily snarking, "Not as much as you have." Ruth remains blissfully oblivious to what he's implying, however, and then she and Arthur take turns at interpreting Claire's Rorschach art. Ruth thinks it's really "sweet." Arthur thinks it's "tender," and suggestive of "the quiet dignity of eternal love." "It's supposed to be disturbing," groans Claire. Showing a higher level of social awareness than I'd have expected him to be capable of, Arthur quickly realizes that things are getting awkward, and offers to escort Ruth over to the bar. "Do you think they're fucking?" Olivier wonders, as he and Claire watch them leave. "No! Ew!" she replies. Oh, poor, sweet little Claire. If you only knew what they were really up to. Ew, indeed.